Reaching the Stanley Cup Final is no easy task. It takes years to piece together a worthy roster, the front office carefully considering the implications of each trade offer. Moves that might draw criticism at the time can end up leading to a Cup a few years down the road, just as heavily praised trades can eventually push a team toward an era of mediocrity. Constructing a roster capable of reaching the Stanley Cup Final can be just as difficult as actually winning those 16 playoff games.
The Pittsburgh Penguins needed to merely tweak their roster during the past decade, building on of a pair of highly drafted cornerstones, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Champions in 2009 and 2016, the Penguins are perennial contenders. The Nashville Predators, however, have been building this team for a decade, never before making it past the second round. Let's look at three trades that helped each franchise play into June this year.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Phil Kessel acquired from Toronto in July 2015, along with Tyler Briggs, Tim Erixon and a second-round pick in the 2016 draft that was used on Kasper Bjorkqvist for Kasperi Kapanen, Nick Spaling, Scott Harrington, a 2016 first-round pick that was later dealt to Anaheim in the Frederik Andersen trade and a 2016 third-round pick that was used on James Greenway
How do you improve an offense that already has Crosby and Malkin? Adding a 30-goal scorer doesn't hurt.
Just over one month after the Maple Leafs hired Mike Babcock as their new head coach and began shuffling the roster, the Penguins landed Kessel in a multiplayer deal. The centerpiece of the deal, Kessel immediately produced for the Pens, scoring 26 goals last season and adding another 10 en route to the Stanley Cup. He tallied 23 more goals this season and recorded 70 points.
Currently sitting at seven goals and 13 assists this postseason through the first two games of the Final, Kessel has been a big part of the Penguins' offense in the playoffs. He has at least two goals in each completed series thus far, and found the net twice in Game 2 of the Washington series. Perhaps most impressive, his plus-13 is a team-high for plus/minus this postseason.
Justin Schultz acquired from Edmonton in February 2016 for a 2016 third-round pick that became Filip Berglund
When the Penguins flipped a third-rounder to the Oilers at last season's trade deadline to land Schultz as defensive depth, not much was made of it. He was coming off of a six-goal campaign, and had just three tallies and an ugly minus-22 plus/minus through that point in the season. Well, Pittsburgh was in for a whole new Schultz.
After putting up 12 goals, 39 assists and a plus-27 plus/minus -- all career highs -- during the 2016-17 regular season, Schultz has notched 11 points through 17 games this postseason. That's the fifth-highest total on the entire Penguins roster. Playing nearly 20 minutes per game, Schultz has helped shore up a wounded defense, but his real contribution has come offensively. In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, Schultz scored a power-play goal in the third period, before assisting Chris Kunitz's overtime winner to send the Penguins to the Final.
Brian Dumoulin acquired from Carolina in June 2012, along with Brandon Sutter and the No. 8 overall pick (used on Derrick Pouliot), for Jordan Staal
Dumoulin, a former second-round pick out of Boston College, was dealt before ever playing a shift for the Hurricanes, when he was part of a package deal on draft day in 2012. He has just two career regular-season goals in 163 contests, yet has found the net three times in 50 playoff games.
Dumoulin has been critical to Pittsburgh this postseason because of his playing a bigger role, though. Missing Kris Letang, the Penguins' defense lack a game-breaker, but Dumoulin has played tough minutes. His 21:43 average is highest on the team, as is his 31.1 shifts per game, and with a 43.9 even-strength offensive zone start percentage, he is relied on in the defensive zone more than any other regular Penguin defenseman. As if his even-strength role wasn't important enough, Dumoulin is second on Pittsburgh in penalty kill minutes, shoring up a unit that has played to 83.9 percent efficiency this postseason.
Nashville Predators
Filip Forsberg acquired from Washington in April 2013 for Martin Erat and Michael Latta
Nabbing Forsberg, selected 11th overall in the 2012 draft, for Erat and Latta was one of the largest trade heists of the past few decades. Erat never recorded another double-digit scoring season after the trade and fell out of the NHL after the 2014-15 season. Forsberg, however, has at least 26 goals in each of the past three seasons, including back-to-back 30-goal campaigns.
Through 18 postseason games this year, Forsberg's eight goals, 15 points and plus-15 plus/minus rating are all team highs. In Game 3 of the series against the Blackhawks, he tallied two third-period goals to lead the Preds back from a 2-0 deficit. Then, in the Western Conference finals, Forsberg scored in five of six games, helping send the Preds to the Final. He has been arguably the most important piece of an offense that has been firing on all cylinders.
Ryan Johansen acquired from Columbus in January 2016 for Seth Jones
Yes, Johansen's season is over after undergoing surgery for acute compartment syndrome, but his impact was felt all the way to the Final. As one of just two forwards on the Predators averaging north of 20 minutes of ice time per game, Johansen managed 13 points in his 14 playoff games.
Dealt to Nashville last season, Johansen addressed a desire for some additional offensive punch in the lineup. When the Preds sent Jones the other way, they were trading from an area of strength and depth, a luxury of accruing a deep defensive corps through the years. Johansen's regular-season production dipped slightly since coming over from Columbus, but his playoff performance was crucial to the Predators moving through their opening three series. His goal and two assists in Game 2 against Chicago helped the Preds hop out to a 2-0 series lead, and while he didn't dominate the stat sheet against St. Louis, his goal in the third period of Game 6 was the eventual game winner and series clincher.
P.K. Subban acquired from Montreal in June 2016 for Shea Weber
The Weber-Subban swap might not have played out entirely yet, but Subban has clearly made his presence felt in Nashville. He registered 40 points this season, seventh on the Nashville roster, and added 11 more thus far in the playoffs, while playing nearly 26 minutes per game. He has led all Predators defensemen -- a pretty talented arsenal overall -- in shot attempt percentage, all while starting more than half of his shifts in the defensive zone. His physicality has also made an impression, as his 34 hits lead the Preds' defensive group.
In Montreal, Weber had a terrific season, but Subban's play was at least equal to the veteran's -- and bringing in the younger, dynamic defenseman on a better contract sets Nashville up for the future.