The local internet is buzzing with T.J. Oshie rumors here, and Phil Kessel rumors there, but how realistic are either of those targets with the table scraps the Pittsburgh Penguins have to offer? It has been all but confirmed that Brandon Sutter is in play by Josh Yohe of DKonPittsburghSports. Also, the possibility of moving Chris Kunitz and Rob Scuderi, while likely not holding much value, would also seem to be paramount. After that it’s a pick and a poke with draft picks and prospects.
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The Pens have stated on numerous occasions that they were interested in bringing in top six scoring wingers. Sutter in his walk year alone is not going to be enough to bring back what the Pittsburgh Penguins hope for in return. The prospect pool that they have to deal with is also low on high impact players, and recent deals have thinned the draft pick cupboard as well. The few highly regarded trade chips in Kasperi Kapanen and our cost controlled young defensemen would seem to be off limits with the youth movement on the blue line in full effect.
This leaves the Pittsburgh Penguins at a marked disadvantage when trying to match up for any potential trade. Having no real strength with excess to trade from creates interesting proposals but very little action. At this time of the year there is a lot more smoke than fire with most news you read.
It has been reported and rehashed through the twitter verse that the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues were working on a deal involving TJ Oshie for Beau Bennett and Anton Zlobin; however, this would seem to be a dramatic underpayment by the Pens.
The possibility of adding Sutter to this deal makes the cap hits a wash and the fact the Penguins are looking to bolster their top six makes this a deal worth looking into for the Penguins. However, this is highly unlikely to happen as the Blues would be redundant to add Sutter considering they already have three solid centers in Patrik Berglund, Paul Stastny, and David Backes.
The reported interest of Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford into high scoring Toronto winger Phil Kessel is also something being bantered about on twitter and the message boards.
This is unlikely to happen as Kessell is set to have a cap hit of $8 million over the next 7 years and he is due a balloon salary and bonus payment of $14 million on the books this year. Adding Kessel would look good in fantasy stats and on NHL 15 but an additional $8 Million tied into the core would have almost $40 million in salary cap space occupied by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kessel, Kris Letang, and Marc-Andre Fluery.
Another trade rumor that has been ongoing since basically GMJR took over is picking up Alexander Semin from his old team the Carolina Hurricanes. It was noted that Semin, being a highly skilled winger, may fit on the top two lines and would possibly fill the role of additional Russian and line mate for Malkin.
This was easily debunked by Rob Rossi last week on triblive radio when he confirmed one of the NHL’s worst kept secrets; Sidney Crosby doesn’t like Alex Semin. Rossi also noted that Malkin wasn’t high on Semin either, making this deal something that should not catch traction in any circle.
Finally, the most ludicrous of the current trade rumors involves the Penguins in the market for Chicago sniper Patrick Sharp. The reported asking price for Sharp is out of the Penguins price range, and Sharp is 33 and carries a $5.9 million cap hit for the next two seasons, or exactly the opposite of what the Penguins are looking for in young dynamic wingers. Chicago cannot afford to keep Sharp due to their approaching cap crunch. However, his destination will clearly not be in the Steel City for the assets that Chicago is seeking.
Next: Should the Pens Target Jiri Hudler This Summer?