Pittsburgh Penguins: Three Realistic Third Line Trade Options
With training camp looming, the Pittsburgh Penguins are going into camp with no clear cut third line center on the roster.
The Pittsburgh Penguins recently brought in Jay McClement on a PTO, but he fits more of a role as the 4th line center, replacing Matt Cullen. Scott Wilson is an interesting candidate to fill in on the third line center roll, but that is an option that should not be discussed for a few more years while he develops more in the big league.
Many names like Marcus Kruger and Matt Duchene have been rumored to come to the Pens, but those seemed unrealistic. So, lets look at a few realistic options the team should look into while finding a new body to fill in down the middle.
Ryan Spooner
The first name that comes to mind is Ryan Spooner. Spooner is coming off of two very productive seasons with the Boston Bruins. He net 24 goals and scoring 88 total points in that two year span. He was already playing in a third line roll with the Bruins playing behind Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, so he knows the roll well.
The area Spooner could use the most work on is the defensive side of the ice. He has a -15 career +/- rating. Head coach Mike Sullivan is big on his centers coming back and helping in their own zone. That is something Spooner will have to work on if he were to play for the Pens.
The biggest troubling thing about Spooner is his current contract. The Bruins avoided arbitration by signing Spooner to a one year, $2,850,000 deal this offseason. While that amount of money is what GM Jim Rutherford is looking for in a third line center, he was rumored wanting upwards of $4,000,000 from the Bruins.
Colin Wilson
Someone else the Pens should look into trading for is former Nashville Predator Colin Wilson. The former first round pick was recently traded to the Colorado Avalanche. But it would be no surprise to see Wilson on the move again, especially to the Steel City.
Wilson has been a consistent point producer for the Preds throughout his career averaging around 35 points a season, the amount he put up last season. The only concern about Wilson is he only played a full 82 game season one time in his career, and put up another 81 game season one other time. Injuries are a concern when it comes to him, but he is well worth the risk.
He is an effective penalty killer that can put up 35 points a year in a third line roll. Who wouldn’t want that?
Mikael Backlund
Last is Mikael Backlund. This is a player that the Pens most likely already looked into, but Backlund would be a perfect fit on this team. A player that can kill penalties, be a constant plus player, and con score 40-50 points a season is someone you should want on your team.
Backlund put up 53 points this season and was one of the Calgary Flames best players in the regular and post season adding 3 points in 4 games. He is a guy that would become so much better playing under a team with as much star power as the Penguins.
There are really no third line center options already in the Penguins organization right now. The best option would be Scott Wilson. But he should get another full year of hockey in before the team tests out that option. For now, making a trade is the best choice to go.