{"id":69261,"date":"2020-02-20T08:30:17","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T13:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=69261"},"modified":"2020-12-21T14:58:43","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T19:58:43","slug":"nhl-rumours-pittsburgh-penguins-ottawa-senators-florida-panthers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2020\/02\/20\/nhl-rumours-pittsburgh-penguins-ottawa-senators-florida-panthers\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Trade Rumours: Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to yet another edition of Last Word on Hockey’s NHL Trade Rumours<\/a>. 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<\/a>, Ottawa Senators<\/a>, and Florida Panthers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NHL Rumours<\/h2>\n

Pittsburgh Penguins<\/h3>\n

Rumour: Per an interview with Pittsburgh general manager\u00a0Jim Rutherford<\/a><\/strong>, NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger reports that the Pens are still looking at adding<\/a> both offence and defence.<\/em><\/p>\n

Analysis:\u00a0<\/em>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\u00a0Nick Bjugstad<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Evgeni Malkin<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Sidney Crosby<\/a><\/strong>, Pittsburgh was able to stay afloat. With contributions from players like rookie defenceman\u00a0John Marino<\/a><\/strong> and call-ups like\u00a0Sam Lafferty<\/a><\/strong>, the Pens have still been a dominant force in the Metropolitan Division. Add in\u00a0Jason Zucker<\/a><\/strong>, who’s played with Crosby since his acquisition from the Minnesota Wild<\/a>, and you’ve got an elite team vying for a Stanley Cup once again.<\/p>\n

Problem is, the injuries haven’t ended. Marino is out with a facial problem, and defensive stalwart\u00a0Brian Dumoulin<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>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<\/a>, they’d do best to make their team foolproof. Ironically, there’s a strong chance for a first-round rematch this year.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Ottawa Senators<\/h3>\n

Rumour: According to David Pagnotta over at The Fourth Period, the Sens are still trying to find a new home for many players<\/a>, including\u00a0Vladislav Namestnikov<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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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 $<\/p>\n

\u2014 David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) February 19, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n