Hockey Trade Rumors

As the clock ticks steadily toward Monday’s NHL trade deadline, general manager Jim Rutherford makes no bones about what’s at the top of his shopping list.

He wants a defenseman.

With Ben Lovejoy out long term with an upper-body injury, the Penguins are down to six players with meaningful NHL experience on the blue line. That almost certainly will change before the deadline.

There’s a growing desperation for scoring around the league. Montreal, Minnesota, Anaheim … the list of potential buyers goes on. And if their desperation enables him to get greater value than what Kessel is providing, he has to consider the option.

http://www.si.com/nhl/2016/01/20/pittsburgh-penguins-phil-kessel-trade-possibility

Keep an eye on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Although shackled to some degree by the salary cap, Pens’ general manager Jim Rutherford is believed to be putting together his shopping list for the days leading up to the Feb. 29, trade deadline. If he can make it work, Rutherford would like to add a top-four defenceman and a depth forward.

* Now’s the time for the Penguins to trade Sidney Crosby. The No-Longer-Kid is on the downside of his peak and won’t achieve his heroics of yesteryear. Still time for the Pens to cash in on a return. Who’d be realistic trade partners? How about the Canadiens, Maple Leafs or Kings?
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