NHL trade season is upon us. Based on recent history, with a week and a half to the NHL trade deadline, we can expect that the deals will now start to be made. The first such deal was seen yesterday with the Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins making the exchange. This should come as no surprise as its not exactly the first deal between Ray Shero and Joe Nieuwendyk who also made the James Neal and Matt Niskanen for Alex Goligoski swap in 2011.
The Dallas Stars sent twelve year veteran and long time captain Brenden Morrow to the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with a third round pick in the 2013 draft. In exchange they receive prospect defenceman Joe Morrow and a fifth round pick in 2013. Brenden Morrow had a no trade clause which he waived in order for the deal to be completed.
Brenden Morrow is slated to be an unrestricted free agent on July 5th. His current cap hit is $4.1 million per season, and he has 6 goals and 11 points in 29 games this season. He is known as a gritty power forward and a strong character player in the dressing room. He will provide a net front presence to the Penguins, along with strong board work, playoff experience and leadership.
However Brenden Morrow’s numbers have been in sharp decline the past two seasons. The Penguins are hoping that being on a line with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin will spark him back to previous levels, however it must be questioned how much more gas is left in the 34 year old’s tank. Due to his highly physical style he has a history of shoulder, neck, and knee injuries in his NHL career.
Brenden Morrow has 243 goals and 528 points in 835 career games. He has a further 17 goals and 42 points in 78 career playoff games. His biggest accomplishment in hockey to date is being a member of Canada’s 2010 Olympic Gold medal winning hockey team.
In Joe Morrow the Dallas Stars get a top notch defence prospect who is playing his first season for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL where he has 4 goals and 15 points in 57 games this season. Morrow was drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
I reviewed Joe Morrow as part of my Pittsburgh Penguins Top Shelf Prospects piece last summer. You can click on the link for a detailed report. In summary though, Morrow is an offensive catalyst from the blue line who combines phenomenal skating ability with a booming slapshot and good vision and passing skills to make him a natural powerplay quarterback. He still needs time to hone his defensive game, but the Stars are getting a very good prospect in this deal who is just 20 years old.
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