Pittsburgh may have found a top six winger and it will not cost them any assets. Strong rumors have the Penguins signing KHL winger Sergei Plotnikov.
TASS news agency, citing a source "familiar with the situatuon", says the #Pens will sign forward Sergei Plotnikov. Ovechkin's RUS linemate.
— Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) June 24, 2015
A Penguins official just confirmed to me that the Penguins are indeed intending on signing Plotnikov.
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) June 24, 2015
Plotnikov has consistently been one of his team's leading scorers in the KHL. He led his team in scoring in both 2012-13 and 2013-14 while in 2014-15 was one point behind the team leader.
Plotnikov's alledged weakness is his skating. I asked Slava Malamud about a month ago about this potential weakness and this is what he had to say.
@GunnerStaal One way to find out. I think, he can compensate. His hockey sense is tremendous, at least on the Euro ice.
— Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) May 27, 2015
Assuming the rumors are true this signing was something of a must for the Penguins. They don't have enough assets to fix all the team's problems. This signing helps along the same lines as what acquiring Mike Reilly would have been. A player with talent that has yet to prove it in the NHL with no asset expenditure to find out. His cap hit should also be very manageable. They can even give him Brandon Sutter's 16.
If nothing else this should at least lessen the odds of the Penguins making a complete panic move for a top six winger that they might regret down the road.
Hearing Stars, Penguins and Panthers are teams most interested in #Blackhawks' Patrick Sharp. Asking price still too high.
— Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc) June 24, 2015
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