Bulletin: Penguins Trade Hornqvist to Florida for Matheson and Sceviour

1. Hi Rick!

   My gracious goodness! My first impression is the following: a WTF trade!

   What is GMJR’s plan? I know that Hornqvist’s contract was a bad one in terms of duration vs salary cap. But Matheson and Sceviour? Matheson’s contract is not what I call a super deal: 6 years at 4.8 million. It is more than Dumo who is, to my opinion, a better D-man than Matheson.

   I think the Pens are not saving a lot of money. I didn’t do the math though.

   I am disappointed about the return. I know that Hornqvist is 33 years old, his body has taken a lot over the last 2 years but I was expecting a more interesting return. I was thinking about Max Domi but I don’t think he would fit Sully’s mould.

   Now, something has to be done with Jack Johnson! It is either a buy out or a trade (as a throw-in). Let’s see what GMJR is going to do next (I am actually scared and worried)!

   1. Hello Jorenz,

      My initial reaction to the trade was pretty much the same as yours. And apparently Matheson’s contract is even worse than it appears on the surface. It’s backloaded, calling for a salary of $6.5 million in each of the last three seasons…not including an annual signing bonus of $2.5 million due in each of those seasons.

      Dear Lord.

      However, I’m beginning to soften a little. It sounds like Matheson can really skate and shoot the puck. I watched a highlight reel of some of his goals, and he’s got a very quick release and a hard, accurate shot.

      He’s not a basher, but he’s not a pantywaist either when it comes to physical play. He’ll block shots and stick his nose in.

      I guess his decision-making under former Panthers coach Bob Boughner was suspect to say the least, although it sounds like he didn’t get a lot of direction from his coach. Not counting a poor and brief playoff, overall he had a better year under Joel Quenneville this season.

      Actually, he sounds similar to Justin Schultz in a lot of ways. A talented guy who was thrust into a prominent role on a poor team before he was ready for the responsibility.

      To borrow a quote from the “Six Million Dollar Man” (yes, I’m showing my age), “Gentlemen…we can rebuild him.” Perhaps coach Todd Reirden can make Matheson over, similar to what he did with Matt Niskanen.

      In terms of the logjam at left defense, of course I’d prefer to move Jack Johnson, who I would still deem untradeable…especially with everyone pinching pennies. I think Marcus Pettersson is more likely to be dealt.

      Anyway, good to hear from you as always. Always enjoy your comments.

      Rick

      1. Hi Rick!

         Don’t worry about your age because I was old enough to watch the Six Million Dollar Man!!

         Well, after a few days, I had time to regain my senses. Matheson can help the team but I see two determinant factors:

         1- With whom is he going to play?
         2- His ability to avoid Sully’s doghouse

         To my opinion (I’m going to play armchair GM here), the best fit for Matheson will be with a stay at home D-man. Dumoulin and Ruhwedel are not fancy in their play. Matheson can skate but he is a turnover machine. So, this is why he needs to be paired with a D-man who is going to cover his mistakes.

         In the qualifying round, the Panthers played against the Islanders and in the 2nd game, Matheson caused 4 turnovers. Quenneville was not happy and Matheson was a healthy scratch the following game. And Sully is not Mr. Patience…I’m curious to see if the assistant coaches will be able to deal with that issue.

         Interesting article as always! Keep up the good work! The same for TOR!

Comments are closed.