The NHL Trade Deadline this year is March 3rd, and as you know Ray Shero the Pittsburgh Penguins GM has been very active this time of year the last few years landing players and “rental” players to help the Pens make it to the playoffs. Everyone seems to have a prediction or idea about who the Penguins will be or should be acquiring and who the Penguins should and will trade.
This is your big chance to shine. What we want from you is a list of 3 players from any league that you think the Penguins will be acquiring before the deadline and 3 Penguins Players or prospects that the Penguins will be trading away. Please do not list upcoming draft picks as your picks.
All picks should be in by February 10th, if a trade is made before the 10th and you pick a player after the trade was already made, we will disqualify you. If you pick the player before the trade, it counts, so get your picks in fast. No changing picks once they are made.
All you need to do is leave your list in the comment section below, it’s that simple.
Anyone who gets all six will be crowned PenguinPoop Trade Predictor Extraordinaire and have your picture pasted on our front page for a week.
Good Luck.
Dr. – Unfortunately, that trade can’t happen and neither can most of the ones folks have predicted here on the site. According to Rob Rossi, the amount of room between the Penguins’ salaries and the league’s salary cap is less than paper thin. He has found that the Penguins can not take on a player whose salary is more than $1.5 million without giving up players in return. Therefore the Penguins could not take on those 3 Blue Jacket players while only giving up 3 minor leaguers in return. Someone from the major league roster would either have to be traded away or sent down to WB/S to languish in the minors. The only chance you have of trading a player back to another team is if it is someone with an expiring contract or a someone who is signed at such a good deal that the other team would be foolish not to take him. In the former category, the only real players the Pens have to trade with expiring contracts are Fedotenko, Cooke, Skoula and Guerin. They certainly aren’t going to trade Cooke or Guerin and Skoula doesn’t really free up that much space. That leaves Fedotenko. As for players signed to really good salries, the list is pretty much Pacal Dupuis and Alex Goligoski. Where the Pens are really hamstrung is with Kunitz’s deal calling for him to make 3.725 for the next two years. With Shero already saying that he is unlikely to deal a top pick or prospect, I’m starting to think the Pens will stand pat with what they have, or possibly find some way to pry Andy Sutton from the Islanders and sending someone to the minors.
I’ve decided to throw my hat into this game:
The Penguins and Blue-Jackets in a barn burner –
Pens get: Nikita Filatov, Raffi Torres and RJ Umberger.
BJ’s get: Jeffery, Johnson, Caputi (and #1 pick)
Arriving: Raffi Torres, Peter Mueller, Ray Whitney
Departing: Tangradi, Lovejoy, Talbot
OUT: Gonchar, Fedotenko, Talbot
IN: Kyle Beach (assigned to WB/S), Colby Armstrong, Cam Barker
Gonchar going because of the cardinal rule: “do not give a player over 35 a multi-year contract”
Coming to the Burgh
Ponikarovsky, Colby Armstrong, Marty Biron Although with the trades Leafs just made, Pony boy could be staying put as Leafs need to hang onto someone that can put the puck in the net. It may end up being Raffi Torres instead of Alex P.
Headin’ aht of tahn
Talbot, Fedetenko, Nick Johnson
To get the Crown I have to predict all six! LOL….
Getting:
— Selanne
— Kariya
— Sutton
Leaving:
— Skoula (on the next stage, hopefully)
— GOALESSgoski
— Luka BAZOOKA Caputi
Adios – Kunitz, Gonchar & Fedotenko
Welcoming – Ponikarovsky, Tkachuk & St. Louis
Kunitz to Maple Leafs for Ponikaovsky
Draft Picks to Blues for rental of Tkachuk
Gonchar & Feds to Lightning for St. Louis > Shero let’s Tampa talk to Gonchar to make sure he’ll sign for a few years.
Getting:
Alexei Ponikarovsky
Colby Armstrong
Anthony Stewart
Losing:
Nick Johnson
Luca Caputi
Ruslan Fedotenko
Going:
Talbot
Goligoski
John Curry
Coming:
Ray Whitney
Illa Kovalchuk
Dion Phaneuf
GIVING:
JOHNSON (BRETT)
GONCHAR
GOLIGOSKI
GETTING:
PHANUEF
BIRON
PRUST
Theory is if you don’t play Johnson and play a goalie with a broken finger ahead of him how valuable can he be. Gonchar and Goligoski to Calgary along with a couple draft picks to get Phanuef and Prust is thrown into the deal.
Biron is a better backup than Johnson.
I gotta feelin’ the Calgary trade ain’t gonna happen 🙂
Nice selection as Prust and Phanuef do get moved.
Getting
Exelby, Ray Whitney (not Ryan) & Andrew Ference
Giving
Talbot, Fedostinko & Jeffrey
I also believe we will get a quality rental winger but couldn’t decide – Torres or Frolov – We would have to give to much for Kovalchuk Atlanta wants 4 or more quality prospects.
Taking:
Raffi Torres, Alexander Frolov, Joe Corvo
Giving:
Gonchar, Fedotenko, Kunitz
I’m taking this a step further:
I think Gonchar or Kunitz is going to LA for Frolov and O’Donnell
Fedotenko to Columbus for Torres
Ray Whitney and Joe Corvo picked up from Carolina for Draft Picks, maybe Jeffrey, I heard the Sens are also interested in Whitney, I could care less if we get him but I needed another pick.
The whole everyone suggesting the Pens pick up a rental player thing is funny because if we can’t sign Gonchar, he would still be a good rental player for us.
Aquiring:
JAGR, Selanne, Ponikarovsky
Trading:
Goligoski, Jeffery, Caputi
Jagr claimed that if he comes back he will most likely go to Edmonton. It would be incredible to have him back though – I don’t know when the KHL season is over, but he could come back (as a rental player), play the playoffs and win a cup with Pittsburgh again and then head to Edmonton next season.
I’ll take a stab at this:
Trade For:
Ray Whitney, Rod Brindamore, Ilya Kovalchuk
Trade Away:
Gonchar, Dustin Jeffrey, Cooke