Pens Make “Minor” Deal

Nate Guenin, we hardly knew thee.

In what appears, at least on the surface, to be merely a swap of minor-league defensemen, the Pens traded Guenin to St. Louis for Steve Wagner. Signed as a free agent this off-season, Guenin only played 2 games for the Pens.

Wagner, like Guenin a U.S.-born product, has played 46 games in the NHL – all for the Blues. He has 4 goals, 8 assists and 26 penalty minutes. He’s been confined to the minors this season, however, and has 15 points (3-12) in 46 games with the Peoria Rivermen. Wagner, 6’2”, 200 pounds, was undrafted out of Minnesota State-Mankato and signed with St. Louis as a free agent.

Could this deal be the precursor for something bigger? We shall see, but it will have to wait a while. The Olympic roster freeze goes into effect today at 3 p.m. I can’t see Wagner moving ahead of Skoula, Ben Lovejoy or even Deryk Engelland on the Pens’ depth chart. But if the Pens decide to trade a defenseman off their current roster, Wagner does have more NHL experience than Lovejoy and Engelland combined. My guess is that this is just what it looks like: a minor-league deal.