GM Jim Rutherford and the Pittsburgh Penguins were very busy this offseason. GMJR made the biggest splash of free agency in the NHL acquiring elite sniper and right winger, Phil Kessel from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Penguins also got in return some upside, bringing in big power forward Tyler Biggs and former first round draft choice, Defenseman Tim Erixon. In return, they sent first rounder Kasperi Kapanen, Nick Spaling, and defensive prospect Scott Harrington, including a second round draft choice.
If you look at who came out big in this trade, the Pittsburgh Penguins recieved the missing piece they have been searching for. Kessel is a prime scorer and has blazing speed. He fits nicely on the right side of Sidney Crosby, who likes playing with wingers who have tons of speed and compliment their speed with skill. Being that Kessel is an elite player, he brings something to the table in terms of offense the Pens haven't really seen since Marian Hossa back in the 07'08 season where they made the Cup finals but lost to Detroit. Kessel won't pull a Hossa and leave the team for the Stanley Cup winning team due to the fact he is locked up for 6 more years with Toronto retaining part of his salary.
Many people thought Kapanen would have been in the NHL this season but evidently he became a huge part in the tradd. No one really knew how good Kapanen was going to be once or if he made the team. He could have burned out like in the Hossa deal when the Pens dealt highly touted prospect Angelo Esposito to the Atlanta Thrashers. Esposito never saw NHL action. It was better to ship him off now than wait for a few years and have his trade value drop. Scott Harrington, will provide the Maple Leafs a young look on defense. Harrington is a stay at home Defenseman with a huge frame and can lay the body. Spaling didn't pan out to we'll since coming over in the deal with Patric Hornqvist for James Neal and had a pretty large cap hit for someone who played the bottom six mostly. He can only provide depth to a struggling Maple Leafs organization.
The Pens turned to the Russian hockey league, KHL. They then pried Sergei Plotnikov, a 25 year old forward who has had success in the KHL. Pittsburgh signed him to an entry level (low risk) contract. Plotnikov is expected to play either a bottom six role or on the second line with Malkin. GMJR stated though for now they will place him in a bottom six role. Plotnikov is a huge body at 6'2 and has a scoring touch netting 15 goals 36 points in 57 games played. He also has a bit of a fight in him showing in his scouting report he is not afraid to drop the gloves.
Not so much later GMJR made another big splash by sending Brandon Sutter and a 3rd round draft choice to Vancouver for center Nick Bonino, defensive prospect Adam Clendening and 2nd round draft choice. Nick Bonino is a huge upgrade over Sutter. He has a more offensive upside and plays the PK. Clendening is a young puck moving defenceman who could find himself playing for Pittsburgh if there is an injury to someone on the blue line. For now, look to see him in the AHL awaiting his chance.
Immediately after the trade with Vancouver, they went on and signed former Washington Capital Eric Fehr to a three year contract. Fehr under went elbow surgery and will miss part of the regular season. Look for him to be installed on the wing in the third line. He played center for a season in Washington showing his versatility. With Bonino and newest member Matt Cullen the 3rd and 4th line center positions are locked up. The Pens are the deepest they've been since winning the Stanley Cup in 2009.
They recently gave former Penguin and Stanley Cup champion Sergei Gonchar and Tom Sestito, the big enforcer formerly on Vancouver to tryout contracts.
Look back a few months to this passed draft, the Pens came up big. They drafted a top 20 North American prospect coming into the draft. He fell to the 2nd round and the Pens grabbed him. He has a huge offensive upside and a blistering shot. At 18 years old, he was signed to an entry level deal for three years and will be at training camp come September. It's highly unlikely he will make the roster but has a good chance at the Baby Pens of the AHL.
Some rumors have been circulating around that the Pens are in the market for a defensman. The blue liners took a hit with Paul Martin and Christian Ehrhoff leaving via free agency. It has been reported that New York Ranger Keith Yandle and Winnipeg Jet Dustin Byfuglien are on the market. Chris Kuntiz and Brian Dumoulin are the asking price including a couple of picks. As of now, GMJR is looking at possible traded but it's likely he will wait till the training camp is over or even into the beginning of the regular season.
As of now the NHL lines seem to be:
Kunitz-Crosby-Kessel
Perron-Malkin-Hornqvist
Plotnikov-Bonino-Dupuis
EMPTY-Cullen-Bennett
Look for players such as Scott Wilson, Bryan Rust or even center Oskar Sundqvist to play that empty wing spot until Fehr returns from injury. Tom Sestito if given an official contract will not be an everyday player.
Defense goes as followed:
Letang-Maata
Cole-Pouliot
Domoulin-Lovejoy
Scuderi
Stay tuned.
If you look at who came out big in this trade, the Pittsburgh Penguins recieved the missing piece they have been searching for. Kessel is a prime scorer and has blazing speed. He fits nicely on the right side of Sidney Crosby, who likes playing with wingers who have tons of speed and compliment their speed with skill. Being that Kessel is an elite player, he brings something to the table in terms of offense the Pens haven't really seen since Marian Hossa back in the 07'08 season where they made the Cup finals but lost to Detroit. Kessel won't pull a Hossa and leave the team for the Stanley Cup winning team due to the fact he is locked up for 6 more years with Toronto retaining part of his salary.
Many people thought Kapanen would have been in the NHL this season but evidently he became a huge part in the tradd. No one really knew how good Kapanen was going to be once or if he made the team. He could have burned out like in the Hossa deal when the Pens dealt highly touted prospect Angelo Esposito to the Atlanta Thrashers. Esposito never saw NHL action. It was better to ship him off now than wait for a few years and have his trade value drop. Scott Harrington, will provide the Maple Leafs a young look on defense. Harrington is a stay at home Defenseman with a huge frame and can lay the body. Spaling didn't pan out to we'll since coming over in the deal with Patric Hornqvist for James Neal and had a pretty large cap hit for someone who played the bottom six mostly. He can only provide depth to a struggling Maple Leafs organization.
The Pens turned to the Russian hockey league, KHL. They then pried Sergei Plotnikov, a 25 year old forward who has had success in the KHL. Pittsburgh signed him to an entry level (low risk) contract. Plotnikov is expected to play either a bottom six role or on the second line with Malkin. GMJR stated though for now they will place him in a bottom six role. Plotnikov is a huge body at 6'2 and has a scoring touch netting 15 goals 36 points in 57 games played. He also has a bit of a fight in him showing in his scouting report he is not afraid to drop the gloves.
Not so much later GMJR made another big splash by sending Brandon Sutter and a 3rd round draft choice to Vancouver for center Nick Bonino, defensive prospect Adam Clendening and 2nd round draft choice. Nick Bonino is a huge upgrade over Sutter. He has a more offensive upside and plays the PK. Clendening is a young puck moving defenceman who could find himself playing for Pittsburgh if there is an injury to someone on the blue line. For now, look to see him in the AHL awaiting his chance.
Immediately after the trade with Vancouver, they went on and signed former Washington Capital Eric Fehr to a three year contract. Fehr under went elbow surgery and will miss part of the regular season. Look for him to be installed on the wing in the third line. He played center for a season in Washington showing his versatility. With Bonino and newest member Matt Cullen the 3rd and 4th line center positions are locked up. The Pens are the deepest they've been since winning the Stanley Cup in 2009.
They recently gave former Penguin and Stanley Cup champion Sergei Gonchar and Tom Sestito, the big enforcer formerly on Vancouver to tryout contracts.
Look back a few months to this passed draft, the Pens came up big. They drafted a top 20 North American prospect coming into the draft. He fell to the 2nd round and the Pens grabbed him. He has a huge offensive upside and a blistering shot. At 18 years old, he was signed to an entry level deal for three years and will be at training camp come September. It's highly unlikely he will make the roster but has a good chance at the Baby Pens of the AHL.
Some rumors have been circulating around that the Pens are in the market for a defensman. The blue liners took a hit with Paul Martin and Christian Ehrhoff leaving via free agency. It has been reported that New York Ranger Keith Yandle and Winnipeg Jet Dustin Byfuglien are on the market. Chris Kuntiz and Brian Dumoulin are the asking price including a couple of picks. As of now, GMJR is looking at possible traded but it's likely he will wait till the training camp is over or even into the beginning of the regular season.
As of now the NHL lines seem to be:
Kunitz-Crosby-Kessel
Perron-Malkin-Hornqvist
Plotnikov-Bonino-Dupuis
EMPTY-Cullen-Bennett
Look for players such as Scott Wilson, Bryan Rust or even center Oskar Sundqvist to play that empty wing spot until Fehr returns from injury. Tom Sestito if given an official contract will not be an everyday player.
Defense goes as followed:
Letang-Maata
Cole-Pouliot
Domoulin-Lovejoy
Scuderi
Stay tuned.