Maxim Lapierre is headed to Penguins in exchange for Marcel Goc.
The St. Louis Blues and the Pittsburgh Penguins have made a deal, sending forward Marcel Goc to the Blues, while Maxim Lapierre is headed to the Penguins.
Marcel Goc, 31, is a native of Calw, Germany. He was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the 1st round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Goc is a veteran of 10 NHL seasons, playing in a total of 605 NHL games. Goc has scored a total of 185 points in his career, including 74 goals, and 111 assists. Goc has played in 43 games this season, scoring two goals, and adding four assists. Goc is a -2 on the season, accumulating only four penalty minutes this season. Goc averages less than 20 penalty minutes per season, proving he's a fairly disciplined player.
Maxim Lapierre, 29, is a native of Saint-Leonard, PQ. Lapierre was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2nd round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Lapierre has played in 597 career games, scoring 137 points, including 65 goals, and 72 assists. Lapierre has played in 45 games this season with the St. Louis Blues, scoring two goals and adding seven assists. He was a -2 on the season, and added 16 penalty minutes to his stat line. Lapierre is averaging 10:21 of ice time per game this season. Lapierre averages more than 60 minutes in penalties per season.
Goc actually played tonight with the Penguins, fired four shots on goal, and added an assists in the Penguins 5-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
Lapierre plays more at center, while Goc is versatile, able to play the center and wing position. Lapierre is good on draws, winning 54.9% of his draws this season. Meanwhile, Goc is winning 54% of his draws as well, so the two players are fairly even in the face-off department.
Both players have playoff experience, each totaling 15 points in the post-season, despite Lapierre playing 16 more playoff games than Goc.
This is a pretty even trade. Both Goc and Lapierre centered their teams respective fourth lines this season, both players have similar statistics, and both players are set to become unrestricted free agents after this season. Both also make $1,200,000 this season, the salary is a wash for both teams.
The question has to be, why was this trade made?
Lapierre is an agitator, while Goc plays a more simple game. Goc can slide up in the line up better than Lapierre, but Lapierre can be a real pain to play against. Goc is more disciplined than Lapierre, but Lapierre has more playoff experience and has good chemistry of being a pain on the Blues fourth line with Ryan Reaves and Steve Ott.
This is basically a minor shake up, hoping that the acquired player will be a better fit for each team. Personally, I believe Goc makes the Blues a better team. He has more offensive upside (despite having less points than Lapierre this season, look at the career numbers). Goc can slide up the line up in case of injury, and would be a better option playing in a more offensive role than say.... Steve Ott?
Meanwhile, the Penguins get a known agitator and someone who may fit their fourth line better than Goc did. It's a fairly even trade between the two teams. Each get a guy they think will make their team better, while not sacrificing much in terms of salary.
Goc has better advanced stats than Lapierre as well, if you're into the corsi numbers.
Stay tuned tomorrow for an in depth article regarding Martin Brodeur's retirement and his decision to join the Blues front office staff.
St Louis Blues Blogger • 
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