Trade Winds Blowing

As we approach another trade deadline, I am like a kid at Christmas waiting to see what Ray Shero pulls out of his hat this year. Two years ago, when nobody thought the Pens were in on the Hossa action, Shero shocked everybody moving fan and team favorite Colby Armstrong, along with Erik Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito, and a first round pick to Atlanta for Hossa and Pascal Dupuis. Despite much whining from the fans here over losing Army, it was a big win for the Pens to pull that deal off. Armstrong has been a very good player for the Thrashers, but Christensen has been waived twice and Esposito is still in the minors. Although Hossa was a rental, and left town right after the season, few would argue that the Penguins would have gone to the Finals that year without Hossa in the lineup. I view the unsuccessful trip to the Finals, as the crucible that molded last years core into a team that knew what it took to win it all. Dupuis is an integral part of the lunch pail portion of the Pens line up today. Shero also picked up Hal Gill, who added size and defensive zone coverage and was a big part of the cup runs for both years in exchange for a mid round draft choice. Last year, Shero picks up great penalty killer Craig Adams on waivers right before the deadline, then moves underachieving Ryan Whitney to the Ducks for Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangredi. Kunitz while he has not scored to the level expected, do not underestimate the contribution his vicious forechecking style made to the Pens during last years Cup run. Tangredi is expected to be the next Ryan Malone type forward in the next year or two from the Pens. Finally, Bill Guerin for a conditional draft choice gave the Pens a great netfront prescence, big game goal scoring, and leadership that put them over the top! Guerin has had a big influence as a leader on this team, and has had a positive impact on the maturation of Sidney Crosby. Guerin is on his way to 20 plus goals on Sids wing again this season. What will Ray do this year? The conventional wisdom is that the Pens need experienced depth at defense with another stay at home physical type defenseman and a scoring winger to play on one of the top two lines. Some of the possibilities as I hear them:

Nick Boynton off of waivers-At 6'1" and 218 lbs Boynton offers the stay at home style and decent sized defenseman coveted by the Pens. He was in the running during this offseason as the Pens selected McKee instead. To pick him up off of waivers would not cost the Pens an asset in return, but his 1.5M annual salary hit would create no room for the Pens under the cap even if they waived Skoula to make room;

Ray Whitney-at age 37 and in the final year of his contract, Whitney would likely be a rental, but he is a pure sniper who can put the puck in the net, score on the PP and at even strength, but the asking price right now is a first round pick and a prospect. That will likely not happen, but there are many suitors looking for Whitney, and my guess is he will fetch at least a second round pick or prospect. Whitney has a no trade clause so he can pick and choose amongst the offers the Canes would get. This could favor the Pens, as I am sure Whitney would only look at teams with a legitimate shot at the hardware;

Alexei Ponikarovski-At 6'4" and 229lbs, and a natural left winger with 19 goals this season Pony would be a huge impact for the Pens. If you plugged him into the Pens lineup right now, he would be tied with Malkin as the teams second leading goal scorer. Many think his size would give Malkin a winger similar to Malone, which made the Pens second line lethal as a unit. He is a UFA, and would require the Pens to move some current assets to open up cap space. If the Pens can get the right deal, and think they can sign him after this season, this is a very solid move for the Penguins;

Dan Hamhuis-Another solid stay at home defenseman currently playing for the Nashville Predators who look good as a Penguin. The rumors stem mostly from his style of play and Sheros ties to Nashville as their former GM;

These are some of the players that are supposedly tied to the Penguins on the current rumor mill, but hey, anything or nothing can happen. Despite the fact that the Pens appear to be a solid contender more in need of a tweak than a major move for this seasons playoffs, I would not be surprised to see a bigger trade, as the Pens have only two of their current defensemen signed beyond this season and Shero needs to balance now with the future needs of the team. Unfortunately, when this season comes, you lose a player you have come to like and admire, and some potential players who could be on the move include:

Jay McKee-After a great start, and despite his prowess as a shot blocker look for McKee to be moved for the right deal. He is too slow to fit in well in our system, and he will command more money as a UFA after the season than the Pens would ever offer;

Martin Skoula-I dont know why they dont waive him and bring up Lovejoy or Engelland TODAY;

Ruslan Fedotenko-Despite Feds' reputation as a playoff player, he could be at risk to be moved as he as been an offensive disappointment, a defensive liability, and earns close to 2M per year. That kind of cap space could allow for a more effective forward;

Maxime Talbot-gulp! I said it, and on many levels losing Mad Max would make me sick, BUT he has not been an asset all year, he makes 1.05M, and the Pens seem to have other players who play a similar style. This would be a risky move as Talbot is a BIG part of the heart of this team, but in a salary cap era, they may choose to move on;

Chris Kunitz-His aggressive forecheck and sandpaper style have a definite role on this team BUT at 3.75M per year, he could be at risk if the Pens need to free up big cap space for a scoring winger. This is also risky as Kunitz puck retrieval skills, speed, and grit are all tailor made for the Pens style under Bylsma, but he earns at a level where point production may be more valued. Management's confidence in the younger forwards like Johnson, Letestu, Caputi and Tangredi will factor in here;

Any of the Penguins young forwards or defensemen in the AHL could be bargaining chips for the right player, as they have many that could play at this level. Time will tell, and IN SHERO WE TRUST