Pens swap Sabs for Garon

It's not unexpected that the Penguins would make a trade, given how things have been going lately. But the first move Ray Shero has made for a Penguinomic Stimulus package was not a scoring winger, it was a bailout. Well, a backup goalie, Mathieu Garon from Edmonton. See ya later Dany Sabs!

The Edmonton Oilers traded goaltender Mathieu Garon to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday for goaltender Dany Sabourin, centre Ryan Stone, and a fourth-round pick in 2011.

The next question: what kind of season is Garon having so far?

In 15 games this year, he went 6-8-0 with a 3.17 GAA and a save percentage of .895.

Oh Jesus.

Well, we'll see. Sabourin couldn't bail the Penguins this season when Marc-Andre Fleury went down, just like it was Sabourin who couldn't carry the mail last season, yielding to Ty Conklin. Hindsight is 20/20 but clearly the Penguins should have waived/traded Sabourin before the season started and offered Conklin a contract. Conks genuinely enjoyed his time in Pittsburgh and was happy they gave him the chance to breath live into his dead NHL career, he probably would have been receptive to stay. And his contract with Detroit was reasonable, one year at $750,000. Garon's cap hit is $1.1 million.

Excuse the tangent. Sabourin lost his last six starts and the Pens really did just need to move on. Garon obviously hasn't been Patrick Roy this season himself, but he's a new face and sometimes goalies can get on a hot steak in a new setting. Last season Garon did win 26 games and posted a save percentage of .913 on a fairly weak Oiler team, so he's got the potential.

Speaking of a new setting, Ryan Stone needed that. By going to Edmonton at least he is joining a team with a lot of familiar faces--as Edmonton and Pittsburgh stocked the Wilkes-Barre AHL team with both their prospects a couple seasons ago. Stone played with Kyle Brodziak, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Tom Gilbert and Robert Nilsson.

Stone just never chipped his way into the Penguins lineup. While he had good playmaking abilities and could throw big hits, it never seemed decided if he would slot to be in a scoring role or a checking role in the NHL. Also his skating ability just seemed a notch below adequate and seemed to limit him too. Perhaps he'll be able to make it in a new organization. We certainly wish him well but feel that he is another victim of the Greg Malone curse.

Sydor for Boucher and the implications that follow...

Sooner or later you had to figure Darryl Sydor would be waived or traded. Sydor wants to play, and unfortunately for him with the emergence of young defensemen Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski over the past two seasons the reality was clear: Sydor just isn’t among the top 6 defensemen the Penguins have anymore. To his credit Sydor was the ultimate professional while going through this frustrating time. While others in his shoes coughMark Recchicough often loudly voiced displeasure and anger at having a diminished role; Sydor kept quiet and continued to be a positive example to the boys in the room. The leadership he brought off the ice, especially lately, was very commendable and he deserves much respect for that and we wish him well in Dallas.

On the other hand, we welcome Phillipe Boucher. This is an interesting acquisition; right handed defensemen are in short supply and Boucher did score 19 goals two season ago before battling all sorts of injuries. If nothing else, Boucher should provide a little more “oomph” on the power-play than say, Brooks Orpik, and hopefully steady what’s been, at times a shaky unit on the man advantage. If Boucher can remain healthy (and obviously that’s a big if) he could be a key player down the stretch.

Our forward thinking mind though can’t help but wonder what will happen when Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar return. Whitney is already practicing and should be back sometime in December—though it is too early to say if that will be in the earlier or later part of the month. Gonchar is still in a sling and no where close to coming back, but he should be around come March. It’s a great thing to have a surplus of defensemen at the NHL, especially given the injuries that can happen at any given moment. But having too many NHL caliber players could poison the drinking water—like it may have if Sydor wasn’t such a good sport—and that would be a terrible thing. Boucher, for instance, has said that he is playing for a contract next year and we can’t imagine him being happy or quiet if he’s the odd man out. A lot of the logjam has been created by Goligoski establishing himself as a full-time NHL defenseman right off the bat. If his play wasn’t at such a high level it would be easy to demote him to the minors for further work. But that probably isn’t an option at this point.

So which two of the eight defensemen (this includes Whitney) are the odd men out? Surely not a healthy Whitney or Orpik. Letang’s played well in an expanded role, and as mentioned, Goligoski has been awesome. The team has been very high on Gill (remember Therrien called him a top 4 guy a couple weeks ago) so seemingly he’s in too. This would leave one playing spot for three veteran defensemen: Boucher, Rob Scuderi and Mark Eaton. Eaton’s had a rough season so far and Scuderi, though a solid shot-blocker and reliable guy, is a 5/6 guy that could be replaceable.

If all are healthy, would another trade be coming? In that case it would seem that Eaton or Scuderi would be the most likely candidates.

Whitney-Orpik
Gill-Letang
Goligoski-Boucher

That’s probably how we would line them up, provided Boucher plays well. We realize the risks in looking even that far down the line, but what do you think? Sooner or later when reinforcements trickle back in the Penguins are going to have some decisions to make.

Penguins Acquire Ziggy

No, not THAT Ziggy

Anyways, per the PG:

The Penguins have acquired forward Mike Zigomanis from Phoenix for
considerations. Zigomanis, 27, split last season between the Coyotes and San Antonio of the American Hockey League. In 33 games with Phoenix, he had two goals and an assist; he had 10 goals and 15 assists in 27 games with the AHL Rampage.

Interesting that they liked Zigomanis over Jeff Taffe. They're essentially the same player, good at the AHL level but not too much of an impact player in the NHL --though Zigomanis did tally 14 goals in 75 NHL games two years ago for Phoenix. But don't fool yourself, this is a 27 year old who hasn't established himself in the NHL and was on waivers from a team (Phoenix) expected to be amongst the bottom dwellers of the league...It's not like he couldn't make a forward heavy team lite Detroit or something.

Taffe, btw, cleared waivers and will add a little more offensive firepower to Wilkes-Barre. I'm sure it won't be too long either before he's reminded that he owes the boys down there $500...I wonder if they'll be tacking on any interest?

We'll see how the Zigomanis acquisition shakes out. An interesting development to say the least. The Penguins have taken castoffs before and made them into serviceable players (Adam Hall was the last reclamation project) so we'll see how this turns out.

Brent traded for Danny Richmond

The Penguins today traded forward Tim Brent to Chicago for 23 year old defenseman Danny Richmond.

Richmond has played 49 career NHL games and was originally picked 31st overall in the 2003 draft (one pick before Ryan Stone) by Carolina. He was traded with a 4th round pick in 2006 to Chicago for Anton Babchuk.

Not too much to make of this deal, two teams swapping fringe NHL players--both of whom are restricted free agents and might be looking to stick on a new team. For Richmond though, the task is daunting, as the Penguins have 8 NHL established defensemen on their roster currently, plus impressive prospect Alex Goligoski.

Ray Shero has said he likes to have 10 capable defenseman, and this move gives him that. But by trading Brent, a true center unlike Stone and Jonathan Filewich, this makes it more likely that Kris Beech may be able to stick on the Pens NHL roster. Gah.

The shape of the Wilkes-Barre Baby Pens roster is forming too, and they seem to be solid, if not spectacular. With presumably Goligoski and Richmond on the backline in the 'A', they'll also have TJ Kemp, Deryk Engelland, Joey Mormina, Ben Lovejoy, Jon D'Aversa and perhaps Paul Bissonnette as defenseman. Overall a pretty young and skilled defensive group.

Does this deal signal an idea for another trade down the line--such as the rumored disposal of veteran Darryl Sydor? It appears for now it's going to be a wait and see situation, but the Pens definitely have the defensive depth to go in any direction they choose. And if that choice is to take that reasonably solid organizational depth into the season, well that ought to be a good one for the on ice performance for the big and farm team.

Stunning....Hossa to the Pens

"As with anything, it depends on the cost. It's like when you go shopping for a car. You might like something, but it's way out of your price range, or if you have a family budget, sometimes it's not going to fit into what you want to do." --Ray Shero (yesterday afternoon)

First thought:

• Wow

Second thought:

• Well, this changes things.

Let's look at what the Penguins gave up:

• Colby Armstrong: The best thing he had going for him was that he was Sidney Crosby's best friend and road roommate. Armstrong seemed to find his stride, notching 40 points in 47 games just a couple of seasons ago and throwing several devasting checks last season. But this year he hasn't produced as much and those huge open ice hits have been absent. Army's a great guy and a good locker-room guy, but his NHL ceiling is a 3rd line winger.
• Erik Christensen: Shootout specialist but with the Pens depth chart he never really could get quality minutes and couldn't fit in on the wing.
• Angelo Esposito: Excellent prospect who dropped in the draft and the second person to ever be cut from Team Canada's WJC team three times in a row.

And the Penguins get:

• Marian Hossa. Marian freakin Hossa.
• Pascal Dupuis. I saw Atlanta play in Washington a couple of weeks ago and I thought Dupuis was the Tbombs best forward that night, FWIW.

And perhaps just as important, here's who didn't get Marian Hossa:

• The Ottawa Senators
• The Montreal Canadiens

The East is wide open and the Penguins, out of all the competitive teams were the only ones to drastically improve themselves. Heck, they were the only ones to really improve themselves at all (excusing the Lapointe to Ottawa deal).

For now who cares about whether this will backfire in the long run or whether or not the Pens gave up too much or if it will all work. The great thing about being a fan is the excitement the game gives you. The Penguins just got a dynamic, offensive skilled winger. For the time being we'll let the Penguins front office (who probably knows better than any talking head you head opine) deal with the details.

They must have a plan. But at least it's starting with hopefully a lengthy playoff run.

Pens acquire Hal Gill for 2nd, 5th round picks

Not to say we told ya so three weeks ago, but.....

Also some reports have the Pens hot on the trail for Marian Hossa (!!!). Stay tuned.

Trade Deadline: Part 1 A look at deals since '04

Gearing up for the trade deadline the question was asked: what happens to teams that go and make waves by trading picks/prospects to land that rental player?

Part 1 of this series looks at exactly that; trades made at or very near the trade deadline. What we were looking to discover, namely was:

• How did it work out for the seller, did they parlay a guy who would likely walk as a UFA into a contributing NHL player or two?
• Did the buyer get enough production/playoff wins to justify sacrificing a part of their future for the veteran they picked up?

2007:
--Philadelphia sends Peter Forsberg to Nashville for Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent, a 1st round pick and a 3rd

The result: Nashville bounced in 5 games (Forsberg playoff stats: 2 goals, 2 assists). Upshall has settled into a contributing role for Philly and the 20 year old Parent is one of the best defensive prospects around. Forsberg, of course, has been unable to play at all this season due to foot problems but is rumored to be trying to comeback (the most mentioned destinations: Philly, Colorado and Nashville).

To make matters worse for Nashville, they ended up re-acquiring their 1st round pick they gave up in this deal in exchange for Kimmo Timmonen and Scott Hartnell. So basically that total deal netted out to being 22 games of Forsberg for Nashville in exchange for 3 roster players (Upshall, Timmonen, Hartnell), a terrific prospect (Parent) and a 3rd round pick. Ouch.


--Phoenix deals Ladislav Nagy to Dallas for Mathias Tjarnqvist and a 1st (Nick Ross)

The result: Dallas bows out in the playoffs in 7 games (Nagy: 1g, 1a). Tjarnqvist has played all year on Phoenix's blueline and they also drafted Nick Ross, a defenseman currently in the WHL. Nagy scoots on to LA.

Hard to tell a clear winner, Nagy didn't make an impact at all really for Dallas (he has since scooted on to LA this season) but it didn't cost them an arm and a leg. Tjarnqvist seems to be a nice player, but he's not a gamebreaker. Ross seems to be as good a prospect as any late first round pick, but obviously the jury's not even close to bringing in a verdict as to whether or not he's going to have a NHL career.


--St. Louis loans Keith Tkachuk to Atlanta for Glen Metropolit, a 1st, a 2nd and a 3rd

The result: Thrashers get swept in round 1, Tkachuk tallies 1g and 2a. Metropolit moves onto Boston and Atlanta trades Tkachuk back to St. Louis for the first they gave up. So this deal was softened since they basically gave up a 2nd and 3rd round pick for a chance at the playoffs with Tkachuk; not as high a price as many think Atlanta gave up. But still, it clearly didn't pay dividends for them last spring.


--Montreal trades Craig Rivet and a 5th round pick to San Jose for Josh Georges and a 1st (Max Pacioretty)

The result: The Sharks are upset in the second round. Rivet played well (11 games, 2g, 3a) and was re-signed by SJ ($14 million for 4 years). Montreal goes on to take a chance that hometown boy Angelo Esposito will still be around at pick 22; the pick they got from the Sharks. Much to the dismay of their fans, he wasn't and Les Habs drafted their second American (!) player of the first round, Max Pacioretty.

This trade was pretty even, especially in the long run if Pacioretty; a highly regarded prospect, pans out into a NHL contributer.


--Bill Guerin to San Jose for Ville Nieminen, Jay Barriball and a 1st (Ian Cole) to St. Louis

The result: As we mentioned, the Sharks got bounced in the second round of the playoffs. After being a pretty good contributer in the regular season [8 goals, 1 assist in 16 games], Guerin battled through injury and was not effective or a force in the playoffs [0g, 2a in 9gp]. Guerin moved on in the summer to the Islanders.

For the Blues they added yet another impressive defensive prospect in Ian Cole at the draft and Barriball is now in his sophomore campaign at one of the NCAA's strongest programs (U. Minnesota)

--Dainius Zubrus and Timo Helbling to Buffalo for Jiri Novotny and a 1st (pick traded; Caps eventually get Phil Desimone and more picks)

Zubrus, a victim of Buffalo's forward depth last season went from riding shotgun with Ovechkin to playing on a 3rd line. Buffalo got bounced in the East Conference finals, but Zubrus didn't really have much of an impact [15 gp, 0g, 8a].

Novotny was given a chance, and pretty much bombed, as being Washington's 2nd line center. They let him walk and he was signed by Columbus where's he appeared in 49 games to date.


--Ryan Smyth for Robert Nilsson, Ryan O'Marra and a 1st (Alex Plante)

The deal that broke a million hearts in Western Canada....Well for the Isles "Captain Canada" was exactly as advertised, he scratched and clawed and produced [18 games 5g, 10a]. The energy and boost Smyth gave NYI was one of the top reasons they made the playoffs, where they were quickly and uncermoniously bounced by Buffalo in 5 games.

After considering his options on the open market, Smyth decided to sign with Colorado rather than return to either one of his "old" teams.

Edmonton got a lot of great prospects out of this trade; Nilsson's been in their NHL lineup almost all season and is starting to be a bit more of a point producer. After starting out the season in the ECHL, the 20 year old O'Marra is now in the AHL and Alex Plante is already a 6'3 and 220 pound defenseman at the age of 18. But one gets the feeling what Edmonton lost (the heart and soul of the franchise) really has taken the wind out of the whole organization's sail.


2006:

--Minnesota trades Dwayne Roloson to Edmonton for a 1st round pick and a conditional 3rd

Roloson went 12-5 in the playoffs with a 2.33 GAA for Edmonton, leading them all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. But then Marc-Andre Bergeron drove Carolina's Andrew Ladd into Roloson in Game 1 of that series and that was all she wrote. Roloson resigned with Edmonton that summer.

Minnesota used this 1st round pick (and Patrick O'Sullivan) in a trade to acquire Pavol Demitra from LA.


--Pittsburgh trades Mark Recchi to Carolina for Krys Kolanos, Niklas Nordgren and a 2007 2nd round pick

A rare success, for both teams involved in a deadline deal! Carolina, of course, won the Stanley Cup, bolstered by veteran acquistions like Doug Weight and Recchi. The Recchin Ball played a supporting 2nd/3rd line role, and he was great in it. He had 7 goals and 9 assists in 25 games for Carolina in the playoffs and then re-signed with Pittsburgh a couple weeks later.

Pittsburgh had the opportunity to give some young guys a chance to sink or swim and the results were, um, definitive to say the least. Nordgren played 15 games with Pittsburgh and did not record a single point. He now plies his craft in Switzerland. Kolanos was brought in to buoy a strong Wilkes-Barre team; he was a solid point-per-game producer in the regular season but only had 2 goals and no assists in 11 playoff games and the organization decided they'd seen about enough of him.

The pick involved was traded in the summer of 2006 to San Jose for Nils Ekman and goalie prospect Patrick Ehelechner.


--Edmonton acquires Sergei Samsonov from Boston for Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny, and a 2006 2nd round pick (Milan Lucic)

With two years of hindsight your immediate reaction might be that Edmonton dearly overpaid. But consider before Samsonov walked as a UFA, he scored 31 points (in 43 career games) for the Oil and was a big reason they made it just one game away from the Stanley Cup.

Marty Reasoner, a UFA himself, jetted back to Edmonton that summer. Stastny didn't catch on in Boston (38 career NHL games, 6 points) and has bounced around the AHL since. The real prize of this deal is Milan Lucic; who's got incredible size, good hands down low, is willing to fight and mix it up. Did we mention he's still 19? Lucic is the prototypical young power forward that all 30 teams chase and covet.


--Nashville acquires Brendan Witt from Washington for Kris Beech and a 1st round pick (Semen Varlamov)

Again Nashville shows they're willing to sacrifice to get veteran talent, and again they last 5 games in the playoffs. Witt would go on to sign a contract that summer with the Islanders.

Before we all get a good laugh in about Kris Beech; consider he went to the AHL (where he belongs) and dominated for Hershey, scoring 28 points [14g, 14a] in 21 games. He helped lead the team all the way to the Calder Cup finals before a goalie on a hot streak (Montreal's Carey Price) knocked them out. Washington's other player from this deal, Semen Varlamov, is a fairly highly regarded goalie prospect but at this point he's probably most famous for getting smoked by Team Canada during last summer's "Super"series.


2004:

--New York Rangers trade Alexei Kovalev to Montreal for Jozef Balej and a 2nd round pick (Bruce Graham)

Ironically the Rangers had to sell off a high price super-star. Kovalev's endured a bumpy ride with the Montreal media and fan craze but he is generally regarded as one of the more skilled and productive players in the NHL. Balej didn't work out in the NHL and has bounced from Europe to this year in the AHL with Manitoba. Bruce Graham (listed as 6'6 and 235) has bounced between the ECHL and AHL this season and at the age of now 22 his NHL prospects seem to be fading.


--Washington deals Sergei Gonchar to Boston for Shaone Morrisonn, a 1st round pick in 2004 (Jeff Schultz) and a 2nd round pick in 2004 (Mikhail Yunkov)

Gonchar, as usual, played well with Boston with 9 points (including 4 goals) in 15 regular season games. Boston was bounced in the first round after a 7 game series, the Sarge had a goal and 4 assists in the playoffs. Gonchar, of course, would go on to sign that summer with Pittsburgh.

Morrisonn has developed into a solid top 4 defensive defenseman (and perfect partner for Mike Green) while Schultz has also grown into an NHL role as a young defenseman. The prospect Yunkov is still in Russia and seems unlikely to be in Washington's long-term plans. Still a great deal for Washington to develop two, young NHL players out of a guy who was about to leave that summer anyways.


--The New York Rangers trade Brian Leetch to Toronto for Maxim Kondratiev, Jarkko Immonen, a 1st round pick in 2004 and a 2nd round pick in 2005 (Michael Sauer)

The Rangers trade away one of their great players for one last chance at a deep playoff run. Leetch played well in Toronto, scoring 15 points in 15 regular season games and added 8 assists in 13 playoff games. But Toronto got bounced in the second round and Leetch would go on to Boston to wear another strange jersey.

The prospects the Rangers got didn't amount to much for them 3 years later: Kondratiev is back in the RSL, playing only 29 games with NYR. Immonen only played 20 games with them and is back in his native Finland and Sauer is playing his first professional season in the AHL.


--Columbus traded Geoff Sanderson to Vancouver for a 3rd round pick in 2004 (Dan Lacosta)

Vancouver added Sanderson (a 30 goal scorer the year before) but it was to no avail, as they were disposed of in the playoffs in game 7 of the first round.

Lacosta, a goalie, has split time between the ECHL and AHL. He has pretty good numbers in his 8 AHL games (4-2-2, 2.28 GAA and a .920%) so perhaps he's a young goalie to keep an eye on.

History of Penguins Deadline Day Deals

Two can play this game (props to my guy japers for the idea)....Here is a summary of the Penguins activity near the deadline since 1990--which was former GM Craig Patrick's first deadline.

• March 6th 1990: Pittsburgh trades future considerations to Edmonton for Brian Wilks
• March 6th 1990: Pittsburgh trades future considerations to Chicago for Alain Chevrier
• March 4th 1991: Pittsburgh trades John Cullen, Zarley Zalapski, and Jeff Parker to Hartford for Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings
• March 4th 1991: Pittsburgh trades Brad Aitken to Edmonton for Kim Issel
• March 4th 1991: Pittsburgh trades Ken Priestlay to Buffalo for Toni Tanti
• March 10th 1992: Pittsburgh trades Frank "The Save" Pietrangelo to Hartford for future considerations
• March 22nd 1993: Pittsburgh trades a 3rd round pick to Tampa Bay for Peter Taglianetti
• March 22nd 1993: Pittsburgh trades Bob Errey to Buffalo for Mike Ramsey
• March 19th 1994: Pittsburgh trades Jeff Daniels to Florida for Greg Hawgood
• March 21st 1994: Pittsburgh trades Mike Needham to Dallas for Jim McKenzie
• April 7th 1995: Pittsburgh trades Martin Straka to Ottawa for Troy Murray and Norm Maciver
• April 7th 1995: Pittsburgh trades Drake Berehowsky to Toronto for Grant Jennings
• April 7th 1995: Pittsburgh trades Greg Brown to Winnipeg for an 8th round pick
• March 20th 1996: Pittsburgh trades Markus Naslund to Vancouver for Alek Stojanov
• March 18th 1997: Pittsburgh trades future considerations to Vancouver for Josef Beranek
• March 18th 1997: Pittsburgh trades Glen "Anyone But" Murray to LA for Ed Olczyk
• March 24th 1998: Pittsburgh trades Patrick Lalime to Anaheim for Sean Pronger
• March 13th 2000: Pittsburgh trades Pavel Skrbak to Nashville for Bob Boughner
• March 14th 2000: Pittsburgh trades Tom Barrasso to Ottawa for Ron Tugnutt and Janne Laukkanen
• March 12th 2001: Pittsburgh trades Jeff Norton to San Jose for Johan Hedberg and Bobby Dollas
• March 13th 2001: Pittsburgh trades a 6th round pick to Columbus for Frank Kucera
• March 13th 2001: Pittsburgh trades Sven Butchenson to Edmonton for Dan LaCouture
• March 2002: Pittsburgh trades a 4th round pick to Columbus for Jamie Pushor
• March 2002: Pittsburgh trades Billy Tibbetts to Philadelphia for Kent Manderville
• March 11, 2003: Pittsburgh trades Wayne Primeau to San Jose for Matt Bradley
• March 11, 2003: Pittsburgh trades Jan Hrdina and Francois Leroux to Phoenix for Ramzi Abid, Guillaume Lefebvre and Dan Focht
• March 11, 2003: Pittsburgh trades Marc Bergevin to Tampa Bay for Brian Holzinger
• March 11, 2003: Pittsburgh trades Ian Moran to Boston or a 4th round draft pick
• March 11, 2003: Pittsburgh trades Shean Donovan to Calgary for Mathias Johansson and Micky Dupont
• March 9th 2004: Pittsburgh trades Brian Holzinger to Columbus for Lasse Pirjeta
• March 9th 2004: Pittsburgh trades Marc Bergevin to Vancouver for a conditional draft pick
• March 9th 2006: Pittsburgh trades Mark Recchi to Carolina for Krys Kolanos, Niklas Nordgren and a 2nd round pick (later traded)
• March 9th 2006: Pittsburgh trades Cory Cross to Detroit for a 4th round pick (Alex Grant)
• March 9th 2006: Pittsburgh trades Ric Jackman to Florida for Petr Taticek
• February 26th 2007: Pittsburgh trades Noah Welch to Florida for Gary Roberts
• February 27th 2007: Pittsburgh trades Daniel Carcillo and a 3rd round pick for Georges Laraque
• February 27th 2007: Pittsburgh trades Dominic Moore to Minnesota for a 3rd round pick (Casey Pierro-Zabotel)
• February 27th 2007: Pittsburgh trades a 4th round pick to Florida for Joel Kwiatkowski
• February 27th 2007: Pittsburgh trades a 7th round pick to San Jose for Nolan Schaefer

Penguins History of Deadline Day Deals

Two can play this game (props to my guy japers for the idea)....Here is a summary of the Penguins activity near the deadline since 1990--which was former GM Craig Patrick's first deadline.

• March 6th 1990: Pittsburgh trades future considerations to Edmonton for Brian Wilks
• March 6th 1990: Pittsburgh trades future considerations to Chicago for Alain Chevrier
• March 4th 1991: Pittsburgh trades John Cullen, Zarley Zalapski, and Jeff Parker to Hartford for Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings
• March 4th 1991: Pittsburgh trades Brad Aitken to Edmonton for Kim Issel
• March 4th 1991: Pittsburgh trades Ken Priestlay to Buffalo for Toni Tanti
• March 10th 1992: Pittsburgh trades Frank "The Save" Pietrangelo to Hartford for future considerations
• March 22nd 1993: Pittsburgh trades a 3rd round pick to Tampa Bay for Peter Taglianetti
• March 22nd 1993: Pittsburgh trades Bob Errey to Buffalo for Mike Ramsey
• March 19th 1994: Pittsburgh trades Jeff Daniels to Florida for Greg Hawgood
• March 21st 1994: Pittsburgh trades Mike Needham to Dallas for Jim McKenzie
• April 7th 1995: Pittsburgh trades Martin Straka to Ottawa for Troy Murray and Norm Maciver
• April 7th 1995: Pittsburgh trades Drake Berehowsky to Toronto for Grant Jennings
• April 7th 1995: Pittsburgh trades Greg Brown to Winnipeg for an 8th round pick
• March 20th 1996: Pittsburgh trades Markus Naslund to Vancouver for Alek Stojanov
• March 18th 1997: Pittsburgh trades future considerations to Vancouver for Josef Beranek
• March 18th 1997: Pittsburgh trades Glen "Anyone But" Murray to LA for Ed Olczyk
• March 24th 1998: Pittsburgh trades Patrick Lalime to Anaheim for Sean Pronger
• March 13th 2000: Pittsburgh trades Pavel Skrbak to Nashville for Bob Boughner
• March 14th 2000: Pittsburgh trades Tom Barrasso to Ottawa for Ron Tugnutt and Janne Laukkanen
• March 12th 2001: Pittsburgh trades Jeff Norton to San Jose for Johan Hedberg and Bobby Dollas
• March 13th 2001: Pittsburgh trades a 6th round pick to Columbus for Frank Kucera
• March 13th 2001: Pittsburgh trades Sven Butchenson to Edmonton for Dan LaCouture
• March 2002: Pittsburgh trades a 4th round pick to Columbus for Jamie Pushor
• March 2002: Pittsburgh trades Billy Tibbetts to Philadelphia for Kent Manderville
• March 11, 2003: Pittsburgh trades Wayne Primeau to San Jose for Matt Bradley
• March 11, 2003: Pittsburgh trades Jan Hrdina and Francois Leroux to Phoenix for Ramzi Abid, Guillaume Lefebvre and Dan Focht
• March 11, 2003: Pittsburgh trades Marc Bergevin to Tampa Bay for Brian Holzinger
• March 11, 2003: Pittsburgh trades Ian Moran to Boston or a 4th round draft pick
• March 11, 2003: Pittsburgh trades Shean Donovan to Calgary for Mathias Johansson and Micky Dupont
• March 9th 2004: Pittsburgh trades Brian Holzinger to Columbus for Lasse Pirjeta
• March 9th 2004: Pittsburgh trades Marc Bergevin to Vancouver for a conditional draft pick
• March 9th 2006: Pittsburgh trades Mark Recchi to Carolina for Krys Kolanos, Niklas Nordgren and a 2nd round pick (later traded)
• March 9th 2006: Pittsburgh trades Cory Cross to Detroit for a 4th round pick (Alex Grant)
• March 9th 2006: Pittsburgh trades Ric Jackman to Florida for Petr Taticek
• February 26th 2007: Pittsburgh trades Noah Welch to Florida for Gary Roberts
• February 27th 2007: Pittsburgh trades Daniel Carcillo and a 3rd round pick for Georges Laraque
• February 27th 2007: Pittsburgh trades Dominic Moore to Minnesota for a 3rd round pick (Casey Pierro-Zabotel)
• February 27th 2007: Pittsburgh trades a 4th round pick to Florida for Joel Kwiatkowski
• February 27th 2007: Pittsburgh trades a 7th round pick to San Jose for Nolan Schaefer

Trade Season

Today's big Ottawa-Carolina transaction may have just opened up the trade deadline season.

Along with the NHL Entry Draft, the deadline day wheelings and dealings may be our 2nd favorite non-gameplay hockey event. Here at TST we've compiled a deep analysis of how trade deadline deals (namely rentals) have effected teams over the past couple years, both the buyers and sellers. We also have a part 2 that shows any moves past Stanley Cup Champions have made. Expect those to be out next week.

For now, here's a list of players that could be changing locations by month's end that we wouldn't mind seeing in the black and vegas gold. Keep in mind there's a myriad of complications (no trade clauses, other team demanding too much in return, etc) that could make a lot of these guys pipe dreams. But if we were running a hockey team---and the last time we checked, no such luck, here's a list of guys that would definitely be on the radar to improve a contender, especially one with the needs of the Penguins.

We're not going to include guys like Hossa, Sundin or Jokinen....While they'd no doubt be terrific acquisitions they don't seem likely to wind up in Pittsburgh. Also Buffalo may well trade Brian Campbell but the Penguins don't need a puck moving defenseman, they need muscle so it doesn't make sense. Think of this as a realistic wishlist. Also, we're going to only point out teams that are likely to be sellers at the deadline, or if they have an impending UFA they might move.

**Also, remember that, to this point contracts are about 2/3 of the way paid, since the season is about 2/3 of the way completed. So if the Penguins pick up someone with a salary of $5 million, they only have to pay the balance of the contract which would add about $1.66 million to the payroll (minus of course any salaries they end up trading). It's been reported the Penguins do have a couple million within their team budget to rise, so seemingly it'll be on Shero, and not the accountants to make this work.**


Columbus
Mike Peca: 43 games, 4 goals 21 assists, -1....Winning 55.4% of his faceoffs. Salary is $1.3 million, UFA at season's end.
Adam Foote: $4.6 million salary, UFA at end of the year

Edmonton
Steve Staios: 57 gp, 6g, 5a, -12, 56 hits, 126 blocked shots. Signed for two more seasons after this one (cap hit of $2.7 million). Is 33 years old and would make a good defensive defenseman on a contender.

Los Angeles
Rob Blake
Jaroslav Modry: 57gp, 1g 2a, -2, 34 hits, 91 blocked shots...36 years old, $1.2 million dollar contract and a UFA at season's end
Dan Cloutier: (just seeing if you're paying attention!)

New York Islanders
Mike Sillinger: 52 gp, 14g, 10a, -10, winning 56.3% of faceoffs...Is 36 years old and signed next year for $2.3 million
Miroslav Satan: 54gp, 11g 19a, -4....UFA at season's end ($4.5 million salary this season).

If the Penguins want another skilled winger for Crosby and Malkin, this could be a guy to watch for. The Islanders and Penguins might make weary trade partners, being as they're division rivals but if Pittsburgh offers them a chance to improve themselves, the Islanders have little choice but to make the deal. These teams might not like each other, but it's not Pittsburgh/Philly or NYR/NYI type hate.

St. Louis Blues
Barrett Jackman: 50 gp, 1g, 4a, -16, 21:51 TOI, 95 hits, 81 blocked shots...$2.2 million salary, UFA at season's end.

It's been reported in the media that extention talks have broken down between the Blues and Jackman's camp, a major stickng point on money. It looks like Jackman might test the open market, and that's a good idea because NHL teams love physical defensemen entering the prime of their careers. If the Blues (2-6-2 in last ten games) continue to slip down the standings the very savvy John Davidson might be inclined to at least get something in return for the former Calder trophy winner.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Vincent Prospal: 56gp, 23g, 28a, -6. $1.9 salary, set to be a UFA in July

Perhaps the most skilled forward that might be a realistic option for the Pens. But even though Tampa is 15th place in the East, they're only 7 points (and a game in hand) back on the Caps. And they're 6-3-1 in the past 10, so it's not as if they've rolled over for dead just yet. So it's still feasible that the Lightning might not be the sellers they were thought to have been even a week ago.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Hal Gill



That's it, that's the list, have at it.

Rob Blake watch begins...

We’re glad to see that we at TST aren’t the only ones with trade deadline fever; famed and reliable Canadian writer Eric Duhatschek (by way of kuklaskorner) writes:

Blake, whose name has circulated in the rumour mill for almost a month now, clarified his position in an interview Friday. He said that at this juncture, he and Kings general manager Dean Lombardi had not spoken about the possibility of him waiving his own no-trade clause to go to a contender as a rental at the deadline.

"It's never been agreed that I'd waive my no-trade and I've never been approached about it," said Blake. "I don't know where that started, but I knew it would eventually creep in, given my situation."

However, Blake did not rule out the possibility of moving at the deadline, if Lombardi pitched the idea to him.
"I don't know how I'd approach it," said Blake. "My philosophy was to come back here and remain a King for the rest of my career.

Unfortunately, when you get in last place, things do change. I haven't really sat down with Lombardi and spoke to him, but I'm sure that's something that will happen in the next little while — that we're going to sit down and discuss what the future holds.

"Obviously, you think about it, but until it happens, I don't know what I'd do in that situation."

Blake, who is still averaging more than 22 ½ minutes of playing time per night, would be a huge upgrade for any number of teams seeking a skilled, physical presence on defence. Beyond his role in mentoring Kings rookie defenceman Jack Johnson, coach Marc Crawford says Blake has been an effective player for the team, "especially in the last two months.

"He's playing just terrific. He's getting lots of shots. His shot totals are way up. When Rob plays, when he's looking to shoot and looking to jump up in the play, that's when I feel he's at his best. Defensively, he's played very physically this year as well. Most of guys, as they get up in years, they recognize it takes a little more out of them to play the physical role. But Rob's physical game has been way higher than it was last year. I think he's feeling good about his body too. He had the off-season surgery for his hip, the labrum problem. For him, he's skating better and I think he's feeling better.

Those things, all in combination, are giving us high-end, quality play from Rob. He's been a pleasure to be around this year for sure."

As for the Kings' goals in the short term, Blake suggested: "It's an important stretch for us to get competitive down the stretch, even if we fall out of the race. We've got the majority of our team, 25 and under, playing pretty well, but they haven't played in a playoff game. They need that experience. Pittsburgh last year played great, got in the playoffs - and that experience is really going to help them this year.

"Unfortunately, we don't have that situation.

If you can’t beat them, Rob…

Also is it fate that earlier in this article the writer only specifically mentioned two players that waived their no-trade clauses last season (Gary Roberts and Georges Laraque)?

Blake’s long been a west coast guy but he’s also very familiar with Darryl Sydor (his teammate in LA from 1992-1996) and Mario (who played with Blake on Canada’s gold medal team in 2002) and probably vets like Roberts and who could help sway his opinion to join up with the Penguins. The Penguins, for their part, could sure use a physical defenseman with an all around game.

Just sayin…..

Cost of a Rental

True, the trade deadline is over a month away, but all this trade inactivity has us restless. We compiled a list of last year’s significant UFA-to-be players and the return they fetched.

--Peter Forsberg for Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent, a 1st and a 3rd
--Ladislav Nagy for Mathias Tjarnqvist and a 1st
--Keith Tkachuk for Glen Metropolit, a 1st, a 2nd and a 3rd
--Craig Rivet and a 5th for Josh Georges and a 1st
--Bill Guerin for Ville Nieminem, Jay Barriball and a 1st
--Dainius Zubrus and Timo Helbling for Novotny and a 1st
--Ryan Smyth for Robert Nilsson, Ryan O'Marra and a 1st

A gold star to those who can pick the trend. For nothing more than about 2-4 months of play from a vet, a team generally has to sacrifice 1-2 young players/prospects and the constant, a first round pick.

With all the whispers whipping up of if Marian Hossa might be on the market, that should throw a bucket of cold water over would-be GMs heads.

Also, the T-bombs just overtook 1st place in the division, largely in part to the offense Hossa supplies. For a franchise still searching for that first playoff victory why deal him when you're a 1st place team at the moment?...If Don Waddell's proven anything it's that he's not afraid to see a UFA walk. Hell, he's the fool that paid a king's ransom of picks for Tkachuk and got virtually nothing in return.