The Pittsburgh Penguins are sliding right now and we can’t seem to figure out why.
With hockey fans and critics trying to figure the Pittsburgh Penguins out, people are still trying to look back at the past rather than the present. This week, I’ve been seeing a whole lot of people online bring up the Ryan Reaves trade as a reason for our downfall, somewhat.
Pittsburgh Penguins
But I mean, really? Do we really still have to debate this? It was a controversial trade. Some felt like we needed the grittiness of Reaves, some felt like we needed to keep our draft picks. There’s always two sides to a trade.
But with our downfall recently, there’s been more critics than usual. So let’s take a look at what I think about the trade once and for all.
The Injury Bug
Last year was horrible for injuries. We lost so many players to injury and at times we were struggling to fill holes. Luckily our main stars like SIdney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin or Phil Kessel, were able to stay healthy.
But these are the players that opponents always go after. Our stars need to be able to stay safe. We needed the toughness to prevent injuries. That’s exactly what Ryan Reaves was brought in for.
While many may think that the tough guy role is dead, I strongly believe that a Ryan Reaves type player is needed on any team, especially one with as many high-stake players as we have.
Ryan Reaves’ ability to defend our guys and giving our team a more tough persona will make teams fear us just a little more. That’s important.
Was it Worth it?
But was it worth the 31st pick in the 2017 draft? That’s what everyone’s really been debating.
I think it was.
We are a win now team. Not a win later team. We still have our core locked up and we want to win as many Cups as we can. The 2017 class was visibly weaker than past draft classes. Giving up a prospect who won’t play for a few years, and even that might not happen, is something I would definitely be willing to gamble with.
As far as this trade goes, I’m still for it. Let’s let the season pan out and see. There’s no doubt Reaves’ addition will help us win now. I can’t say for the future.