With rumors flying all over the place that the Boston Bruins had put together a big time trade that would rival or even surpass the two that the Penguins had just made around midnight last night, I can just picture Penguins Assistant Coach Tony Granato running over to Head Coach Dan Bylsma and saying, “Do the jingle, do the jingle” Bylsma then proceeded to sing, “Like a good neighbor, Ray Shero’s there with a Superstar winger?”, and lo and behold, the Penguins GM went out and landed Jarome Iginla right out from under the Bruins’ noses.
This isn’t the first time Iginla has been traded to aid in the run for a Stanley Cup. As a highly touted first round pick(Number 11 overall) of the Dallas Stars in 1995, he was part of the deal that was sent to the Calgary Flames to acquire Joe Nieuwendyk after which the Stars went on to win the Cup three years later. Now, it is Iginla’s turn to be the guy traded for to help a team win it all.(Preferably this year and not in three)
The two most Googled names in North America this morning are Ben Hanowski and Ken Agostino, two former draft picks neither of which the Penguins had even signed to contracts yet. How Shero was able to pull off three major trades and not lose even one player one the active roster is just amazing, and before you go bashing him for giving up our top three draft picks, just remember, those picks are hopefully going to be the 30th in each round.
Like I asked in a previous article about Brenden Morrow, exactly where should the Penguins play Iginla to get the most out of his skills and not upset the chemistry of a team currently riding a 13 game winning streak? If it was up to me, and usually it’s a good thing that it isn’t, here would be my line combinations when the Penguins take the ice on Saturday Vs. the New York Islanders(And for fun’s sake, we’re going to assume Malkin makes his return that game):
Line 1A. Morrow – Crosby – Iginla
Line 1B. Kunitz – Malkin – Neal
Line 3 Cooke – Sutter – Dupuis
Line 4 Adams – Vitale – Kennedy
Before everyone jumps down my throat for moving Kunitz away from Crosby, let’s look at this objectively. Crosby and Iginla clicked during their brief time together at the Olympics in 2010, and Morrow would give the two of them a physical presence in front of the net and in the corners. Kunitz clicked just fine with Geno while Sid was dealing with his concussion issues, and I have to believe he would click with him again. Cooke/Sutter/Dupuis give the Pens an offensive third line and Sutter the offensive winger he has yet to have with Dupuis, and Adams and Vitale together give you two good face off Centers on the same line for taking those late game face offs in your own zone.
- The 1927 Yankees
With his amassing of superstar talent from within and without, Ray Shero has now assembled the 1927 Yankees of hockey. If, and I shutter to even think the thought, somehow this team stumbles along the way like the 1992-93 Penguins did and do not win the Cup, it will be an epic fail for the ages. Now all I want to hear to Disco Dan sing is, “Like a good neighbor, Ray Shero’s there – With a Stanley Cup!!!!!”
hmmmmmmmmm…with all the latest talent pitt has bought, if they dont win the cup.they will definetly be the laughing stock of the league.
Or
Crosby Dupuis Kunitz
Malkin Neal Bennett
Sutter Morrow Iginla
Jeffrey Cooke Kennedy
All out offense. No one else does it because they can’t.
UH Kennedy out..Glass in
But the other lines are fine
Bylsma hardly keeps lines together for more than 3 shifts anyway so everyone will get a chance to see if they fit with everyone! The fact that we would be ok with iggy on the third line is just hilarious that it makes sense though! Haha
They were amazing in the Olympics they’ll be amazing now RAY RAY IS A GENIUS
Joanne if you don’t want to mess with a good thing throw him on the 3rd line. You will be thinking otherwise once you see the way he plays. Sid brings the best out of everyone he plays with and dupuis has nothing on iginla.
Keeping other teams from getting these players is also good strategy
this may be too naive but, dude! Mr. S why mess with a good thing? Are the Pens NOT the winniest team right now? Are they NOT having an incredibly A-MAzing winning streak?!! I don’t know…is there something I’m missing? Am I old school-no go school?…cause the way I see it…if your players on the ice are doin the game justice, don’t through them under the bus and Change Up Your Line Up. Maybe the dude is just wanting to be prepared for what if’s
Be careful, Stu. People take their Yankees metaphors very seriously around here. I’ve been holding onto my “Iginla to Alberta media: I’m taking my talents to South Side” joke for fear of the deluge of comments about how inaccurate it is to compare Iginla’s trade to Lebron’s. Haha…
The difference is that Lebron wasn’t traded to Miami, he went there as a FA, and the 1927 Yankees, like the Penguins, mostly built from within only buying Ruth from the Red Sox whereas the current Yankees teams just buy every available free agent and really only have Jeter, Rivera and Cano as homegrown talent
Sometimes you take me way too seriously, my man.
Someone seriously needs to invent the Sarcasm font and quickly
My only question would be, if they’re able do the whole jingle thing, why waist time asking for a superstar winger when they could just ask for the Cup?