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Shopping list for Penguins deadline day

February 26, 2018, 10:09 AM ET [357 Comments]
Ryan Wilson
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Today is the day. The NHL trade deadline is upon us. The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a much better spot than most of the league right now. They have a roster that could go into the playoffs as is and be just fine. That’s of course no guarantee that they win it all, but they have a good a chance as any to do so.

This is a great situation for Jim Rutherford. He doesn’t have to panic or do anything desperate. If there is a bigger move that he wants to make it would more than likely also have the big picture in mind and that is comforting. That doesn’t mean the Penguins can’t or won’t make any other moves. Jim Rutherford has been pretty open about making deals that improve the team. If something piques his interest today he will consider it.

So what could he be looking for?

Backup goaltender

I’ll start by saying that this is not a necessity. Tristan Jarry has shown for the most part that he’s an NHL goalie. However, he does run hot and cold and when he’s cold you get what happened against the Panthers. That isn’t unlike any other goaltender, but the fact of the matter is that most NHL general managers want a name brand in net. Jarry is not that, yet. Aaron Dell from San Jose is a name that was thrown out earlier in the year. He seems to still be on TSN’s trade bait list. Robin Lehner is another player who would potentially be on the block.

It’s not something I think is very likely. I do think the chances are greater than zero.

Edit 12:54 PM Chances are definitely better than zero. Matt Murray left practice after being hit in the head by a shot today


Scoring winger

There are always a lot of options to be had at the winger position at the deadline. I could see the Penguins trying to make a play at a top six scoring winger if they were able to shed the contracts of Conor Sheary and Matt Hunwick. It’s crazy to think about the Penguins thinking they need another forward, but if the right situation arises today you can’t rule it out. I also believe that Daniel Sprong isn’t safe yet. He could easily be used as trade bait still and especially if it is for a proven scoring winger.

There are some really big fish out there like Max Pacioretty, Mike Hoffman, Mats Zuccarello. There’s also some players who could potentially be of service at a cheaper price like Patrick Maroon or Thomas Vanek. I wouldn’t entertain the Vanek idea.



It’s also worth noting that Rutherford recently referenced Matt Cullen’s ability to play wing. For some reason this rumor won’t die even though it should. Cullen’s tank is on empty and the desire to acquire couldn’t possibly be based on on-ice merit at this point. If the team wants a depth center Derek Ryan is a way better option.

Bottom pairing defenseman

After losing Ian Cole to acquire Derick Brassard the Penguins have a hole in the bottom pairing. The Penguins aren’t happy with what they are getting from Matt Hunwick. They could use Chad Ruhwedel with Oleksiak, but Ruhwedel hasn’t played a lot this season. Rutherford may want to add some depth in case he can’t handle it. Johnny Oduya was just put on waivers. That option is not appealing to me. His cap hit is too high and you’d be asking Ottawa to retain money.

Jack Johnson is available. Let him remain available.

Related to Columbus: Ian Cole is now a Blue Jacket.

So the Penguins could entertain one of those or do nothing at all. There is still intrigue despite the big Brassard move. Stay tuned

Thanks for reading!
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