Pens Labyrinth
Fansided

Pittsburgh Penguins Talk: Going Back to the Deadline for the Playoffs

By Matthew Rodrigopulle

Apr 14, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Patric Hornqvist (72) celebrates with the bench after scoring an empty-net goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 14, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Patric Hornqvist (72) celebrates with the bench after scoring an empty-net goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
"Apr
"Apr /

Matthew Rodrigopulle

OK. I might be thinking a little to big here. But a trade for a big-shot winger from Toronto worked before, maybe it could work again.

Looking at the Penguins roster right now, I have to say it looks really good. Honestly, before injuries, I could say that the Penguins had a near perfect roster. However, with injuries to players like Kris Letang and especially Carl Hagelin, I felt our offence could have been better.

The main hole that I feel the Penguins have is that first or second line left winger spot. Now I like our first line. Jake Guentzel is great with Crosby and Sheary, so I’m talking more about the second line winger spot. Don’t get me wrong here, Bryan Rust is great, but I feel like he fits in better as a third line winger. He may just be filling in for Hagelin, but hey that’s a hole we could potentially want to fill. There’s always ways to make your team better, even if it is not necessary.

James Van Riemsdyk could be perfect for this first or second line winger spot. He’s a very good, underrated winger, considering he put up 29 goals and 33 assists over a full 82 games this season. He also has another year left on his contract that pays him only 4.25 million per year. That’s a steal, and Pittsburgh could be looking to take advantage of that.

Toronto is a good team. They’re a playoff team. Keeping JVR really helped them make the playoffs. But they’re still a rebuilding team nevertheless, and if we’re talking about a deal that would have been made at the deadline, the Leafs mentality may also have been different.

The rumour was that Toronto was up to trade JVR if the price was right. I think a rebuilding team would have been willing to make a rebuilding move for JVR.

Next: Penguins Have Toughest Road to the Cup

Toronto’s a rebuilding team that lacks defence. They’d be looking for picks and a defenceman. If I were the Penguins, I’d offer our first rounder from this year, considering we’d go pretty far in the playoffs with James Van Riemsdyk. On top of this, I’d possibly give up a defensive prospect or a third rounder as an insurance marker. Derrick Pouliot may be off limits, so maybe somebody like Lukas Bengtsson.

For the record, we don’t NEED JVR. But if we’re going back to the deadline and trying to make this team even better than they already are (if that’s possible), JVR could definitely be worth a look.

Home/Penguins News