Penguins Trade Deadline 2016: One Week To Go...

Oh Pens fans, rejoice!  Rejoice!

We are one week away from one of the most fantastic days of the NHL season:  Trade Deadline Day.

I am truly a junkie for the day.  I've skipped high school classes, college courses, and I've called off work just to sit home and follow Trade Deadline happenings with the TV on, phone in one hand, tablet in the other all while staring at my computer screen and continuously refreshing my Twitter feed.  My set-up is very similar to that you'd see of Darren Dreger and "The Bobfather" on TSN.

It's exciting to me not only for who the Penguins may acquire, but also to see what the competition is doing.  With the East being as tight as is it is this season, it is absolutely crucial that the Penguins make the best moves possible.  

​That's what this blog is going to attempt to do.

To Move or Not to Move...Tis the Question

The biggest question every season for the Penguins are do they move bodies in and out or do they stand pat?  With a slew of injured players currently rehabbing (Evgeni Malkin, Nick Bonino, Eric Fehr, Beau Bennett), those returning players could make as much of an impact upon their return as compared to if General Manager Jim Rutherford were to make some deals.

I, along with every Pens fan, love to see trades as long as they make sense.  For the last two seasons, I didn't believe they needed to make a deal, but this season I feel that a couple may be necessary.  I'll hit that up in a few seconds. 

Flirting

My favorite website to research leading up to this holiday is The Fourth Period.  Their list of "Top 25 Players Available" is almost always spot on and my main frame of reference.  Below, I'm going to list the players the Penguins currently have their names attached to and my opinions on those options.

1. Andrew Ladd- LW (WPG).  Ladd is a versatile winger whose name has been attached to Penguins for the past couple of seasons.  Back-and-forth discussions between the Jets and Ladd have fallen off of the map for now and at a friendly cap hit, Ladd is sure to be a valuable asset to whatever team he may join on February 29.  While he'd look great in a Penguins uniform, I believe the cost is going to be much too high for Pittsburgh.  Possibility of landing in PIT: 0%
   ​UPDATE: Ladd traded to CHI.  Correct on this prediction.
   
2. Jonathan Drouin- LW (TB).  Drouin is an absolute wonderful talent.  The discord between he and Tampa Bay is unfortunate as I believed he should have thrived alongside Steven Stamkos.  The smaller, craftier winger is attracting a lot of interest throughout the league, but Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman has already said that if he does trade Drouin, he'd prefer to get him into the Western Conference.  Again, one I'd love to see in PIT, but highly doubt it.  Possibility of landing in PIT: 0%
3. Jiri Hudler- C/RW (CGY).  Hudler is a very interesting option in my opinion.  Like Ladd, Hudler provides versatility, a veteran presence and has had his name attached to the Penguins in trade rumors in the past.  While the Flames would love to sign him to an extension, if talks can't develop, he may be on the move and it has been rumored that Rutherford has looked into this periodically.  What would it take to land Hudler?  I'm not positive, but I could certainly see him in a Penguins jersey if the price was right and he believed they could be a contender.  Possibility of landing in PIT: ~15%
4. ​Mikkel Boedker- RW (ARI).  Now this is a player that I would gladly make a risky trade for.  Boedker is an incredibly underrated sniper in the league and has quietly put together consistent seasons for the Coyotes.  Another potential UFA, Boedker is going to drum up a ton of interest.  I believe his size, skill, and ability to play on a contender could only elevate his play to another level.  Plus, being 26 years old, his youthful energy would gel well with this current squad.  Is it worth trading a defenseman like Ian Cole or Derrick Pouliot?  If there was a strong possibility of him resigning, I'd have no issue with either player plus a draft pick being included in the deal.  Possibility of landing in PIT: ~20%
5. Dan Hamhuis- D (VAN). From this list, he is easily the one I would go all out for.  It is no secret that the Penguins could use some help on the defensive side of the game.  While they have been playing well recently, it never hurts to add a quality top-four defenseman.  With an injury riddled season and a long list of teams desiring his service, plus a no-trade clause, this deal may be a bit trickier to land.  However, Rutherford did make a solid swap of Brandon Sutter for Nick Bonino and Adam Clendening.  It's possible, but I'm not holding my breath.  Sadly.  Possibility of landing in PIT: ~5%
6. Radim Vrbata- RW (VAN). Read my views on Hudler.  It's essentially the same thing here.
7. COMBINATION: P.A. Parenteau (TOR), Dale Weise (MTL), Kris Versteeg (FLA)- RW. I combined these three players because they are all in my same track of thinking.  Depth scoring at a cheap price.  I personally don't believe any of these players would make the Penguins exponentially better and if there were one player from those three that could make a difference, he'd be overpaid for.  And that's Dale Weise.  I don't think any of these players make their way to the Pens, especially with some of the chemistry built with the WBS kids.  If there was a likely scenario, I could see P.A. Parenteau joining the Pens.  Regardless, I'd stray away from these players, personally.  Possibility of landing in PIT (COMBINED): ~35%
8. Roman Polak- D (TOR). Another defenseman with his name attached to the Penguins, Roman Polak appears to be a likely candidate for a potential trade.  He's big and physical, but would he gel well with the Penguins?  I personally don't think so.  I don't believe he's a top-four defenseman, but he could be a slight improvement.  I'm iffy on this deal, if I'm being honest.  However, I could see it certainly happening.  Possibility of landing in PIT: ~75%
   UPDATE: Polak was traded to SJ 2/22.  Now making the Possibility of landing in PIT: 0%
9. Teddy Purcell- RW (EDM). Stay.  Away.  I did not think he deserved the contract he received in Edmonton and I don't think his cap hit is worth absorbing for the streaky play he could bring to the team.  I don't see any way that he'd fit in with the Penguins.  Don't get me wrong, I like the guy, but I don't see him in a Penguins jersey and I don't think I'm alone in that regard.  Possibility of landing in PIT: ~5%​

Final Thoughts

I'd love to see the Penguins make a move for a defenseman, and that's about it.  Maybe two.  I believe when the forwards listed earlier are healthy, that's a huge upgrade to the team.  No one on the market, within the realm of realistic possibilities can offer what Malkin, Bonino, or Fehr can for this squad.

I do believe that a couple WBS kids deserve to stay on the main roster such as Conor Sheary, Scott Wilson, and Bryan Rust.  While I like the play of Tom Kuhnhackl, Kevin Porter, and Oskar Sundqvist, I could see them easily being the ones substituted out of the lines.  

To me, players like Jeff Zatkoff, Ben Lovejoy, Beau Bennett, Ian Cole (I say on the fence), Derrick Pouliot and Matt Murray are the best trade chips.  Read into it what you will, but I don't risk sending away Patric Hornqvist or Chris Kunitz at this point.  Things are finally clicking for them.  

There's so much more to cover, but what I can proudly say is that I will be live tweeting the Trade Deadline and offer coverage as best as I can.  I'll have write-ups and hopefully a special edition of the Pensimist Podcast to follow.

Stay tuned, folks!  Things are going to get very interesting over the next seven days.

And I can't freaking wait!