Jim Britt glanced at the game clock as Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann made their way toward the ice at PPG Paints Center in Pittsburgh.



Forty seconds.



Less than a minute to spare for the two newest members of the Pittsburgh Penguins.



After the game Bjugstad compared it to a familiar nightmare coming to life: Not getting to work on time.



But you want to talk stress, walk in Britt’s shoes for a few hours.



The director of team operations for the Penguins found out around noon EST on Feb. 1 that he had to find a way to get two players acquired from Florida into a Penguins jersey and on the ice for a 7 p.m. local start time.



“That Friday was one of the most extreme situations,” Britt said. “There were so many NHL roster players involved in the trade we had to get them to the game or we would have been shorthanded.”



When a deal looks like it is getting close, either Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford or...