Jiri Tlusty - A potential depth player?

Jiri Tlusty - A potential depth player?

Jiri Tlusty is an unattached free agent this summer after being traded to the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline from Carolina for a third round pick in 2016 and a conditional sixth round pick in 2015. Tlusty was a consistent performer on the  Hurricanes, a team which has struggled for offense. He carried over his production to the Jets this season.

In his final three seasons he played 168 games for the Hurricanes and scored 52 goals and 91 points. That totals a 0.54 PPG and a G/PG ratio of 0.30. When you consider the supporting cast that has attempted to produce in Rayleigh those are decent numbers. In his brief stint at Winnipeg he put up 8 points in 20 games.

To show Tlusty's importance to the Hurricanes it is worth looking at how many goals he was involved in proportionally last season. He scored 23 points in 52 games in the 2014-15 season. The Hurricanes scored 188 goals this season which means that Tlusty was involved in 12.23% of their goals. Had he played the whole season he would have, going by his season pace, finished with 36 points which would have put him fourth on the team.

In terms of his on ice statistics he had a good season in terms of possesion. He had a 54.1% Corsi which has continually improved season on season since 09-10. This is a good indication of a possession player who is able to keep the puck and contribute to generate chances, something the Penguins need in their top 9.

One problem with Tlusty is that he doesn't have much play-off experience and was held pointless in the four games that he played this year in the series against the Anaheim Ducks. That could be partly attributed to the Ducks being able to dominate the Jets though and the sweep is evidence of that.

In terms of salary he would be one of the cheaper options available. He is currently on a $2.95m a year contract. I don't believe he would ask for a rise and would be able to sign for a similar amount. The biggest issue is if he can continue his production with better line-mates. Going by logic he should but then hockey can be a funny sport. I believe he would be less of a risk than Beleskey and could add some good offensive depth to the team.