Welcome back to yet another edition of Last Word on Hockey’s NHL Trade Rumours. As the race to the trade deadline heats up, our team is here. We’re in overdrive providing you with everything we hear from around the league. There has already been a multitude of important trades over the past few days. However, there are still more rumblings to cover. Today, we look at the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers.
NHL Rumours
Pittsburgh Penguins
Rumour: Per an interview with Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford, NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger reports that the Pens are still looking at adding both offence and defence.
Analysis: It’s been an interesting season for Penguins fans, to say the least. After being dealt with a swath of injuries that included their top three centres in Nick Bjugstad, Evgeni Malkin, and Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh was able to stay afloat. With contributions from players like rookie defenceman John Marino and call-ups like Sam Lafferty, the Pens have still been a dominant force in the Metropolitan Division. Add in Jason Zucker, who’s played with Crosby since his acquisition from the Minnesota Wild, and you’ve got an elite team vying for a Stanley Cup once again.
Problem is, the injuries haven’t ended. Marino is out with a facial problem, and defensive stalwart Brian Dumoulin has been out for a while too. If the Penguins want to avoid a repeat of their quick demise at the hands of the New York Islanders, they’d do best to make their team foolproof. Ironically, there’s a strong chance for a first-round rematch this year.
If Pittsburgh even just goes out and acquires a cheap NHL-calibre fourth-line player or third-pairing defenceman for a reasonable cost, it should be considered a success for Rutherford. Anything helps this time of year, considering anything goes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Ottawa Senators
Rumour: According to David Pagnotta over at The Fourth Period, the Sens are still trying to find a new home for many players, including Vladislav Namestnikov.
Sens remain engaged in trade talks re several players (Namestnikov, Pageau, Hainsey, etc), and they’re trying to find a new home for Boedker, whom they’ve scratched. His $4M cap hit ($3M in salary) is an issue, but for the right price, OTT might be willing to retain some of $
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) February 19, 2020
Analysis: Being in NHL trade rumours is nothing new to Namestnikov. He’s been moved around multiple times in his interesting seven-year career. After finding success with the Tampa Bay Lightning playing with their top players, he became a sort of failed experiment in the Big Apple with the New York Rangers. Namestnikov seems to have found new life on a struggling Ottawa team, however, scoring at a rate much more similar to his production in Tampa.
Now, who’s willing to take a flyer on him? His current cap hit sits at just over $3.25 million, thanks to some retained salary. His contract is over at the season’s end. Namestnikov is 27 years old, placing him solidly in unrestricted free agent territory. He has a history of working well with star players, so injecting him into the top six of a playoff-bound team that lacks wing talent could boost his production even more (looking at you, Ken Holland). The final verdict — a helpful player at a reasonable price. He’ll probably be overpaid for considering his pending UFA status.
Florida Panthers
Rumour: The Panthers and general manager Dale Tallon are also continuing their everlasting search for a top-four defenceman, according to Pierre LeBrun on TSN 1050.
Analysis: The day is February 20, 2100.
The 2100 NHL Trade Deadline is fast approaching. The Panthers, coached by a hologram of Joel Quenneville, are sitting just outside of a playoff spot. They’ve done a great job building up a solid offensive core. However, goaltending and defence have underperformed all year, helping swirl the NHL trade rumours circuit.
Such goes the story in Sunrise, as Florida has again been held back by poor defensive metrics and how-is-it-this-bad goaltending. While it’s a little late to add a goalie in order to supplant the $10-million-man Sergei Bobrovsky, a top-four defenceman is a little more attainable. They haven’t been able to find a suitable trade partner despite a well-documented search. While a few names have been thrown around, adding anyone who can cement their top four will surely help Florida and strike fear in the eyes of Toronto Maple Leafs fans everywhere. Any change in structure that possibly helps Bobrovsky get going is a plus in the Panthers’ eyes. It’s smart for them to continue their search.
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