Ryan Wilson: Potential Top Four Defense Trade Target For Pittsburgh Potential Top Four Defense Trade Target For Pittsburgh

Yeah this was a poop full blog

What do u guys think if they make a push for Eric Gudbrandson? Or Kevin shattenkirk?

1. Adding Barrie is very unlikely.
2. This team's problems are far greater than simply adding another top 4 dman.

Hmmm... As the generous person I am... I will offer the Avs a plethora of "veteran" leadership... in Scuds, Kunitz, and a mid round pick for this guy.

1. Adding Barrie is very unlikely.
2. This team's problems are far greater than simply adding another top 4 dman.
- jfkst1

Agree on both. There's very few "hockey trades" these days. Especially early in the season. This coach has to figure out a winning formula for these players. Changing players won't be easy this time of year.

Yeah keep throwing bodies at this problem team. It has been so successful year in and out.

Sid and Kuny for Duchesne Landeskog and T Barrie Do it This team needs a real shake up and wake up

Agree on both. There's very few "hockey trades" these days. Especially early in the season. This coach has to figure out a winning formula for these players. Changing players won't be easy this time of year.
- madmike71

Bringing in Barrie is like putting a new paint job on a car that is on blocks with no engine (Crosby) or transmission (Letang).

Barrie doesn't solve our most pressing issues. Anyone with a brain knows this. The cost would be Pouliot and Sprong, if I were Colorado and I'm not sure that helps them.

Yeah keep throwing bodies at this problem team. It has been so successful year in and out.
- Reverend Killtaker

I think you need to separate the problems. Pens likely need a top 4 dman no matter what the other issues are. If you can solidify your lineup, you do it, no matter what other moves you need to make in regards to coaching or whatever.

I think you need to separate the problems. Pens likely need a top 4 dman no matter what the other issues are. If you can solidify your lineup, you do it, no matter what other moves you need to make in regards to coaching or whatever.
- rival22

I'm not so quick to pull that trigger. If a coaching change were to happen I want to sit back and see how the team responds to the new coach as well as the system. Then I want to look for additions/replacements that will complement the new system and coach. For the sake of preserving whatever picks we have left I want to make as few moves as possible.

Barrie doesn't solve our most pressing issues. Anyone with a brain knows this. The cost would be Pouliot and Sprong, if I were Colorado and I'm not sure that helps them.
- Oneonta Penguin

RHD (so moving a RHD Barrie is stupid and not happening) and Top 9 winger depth...quality wingers not old crap ones like Kunitz, they have guys like him in Tanguay to fill that role.

Barrie isn't being shopped, nor he is available, that whole snippet from Friedman was pure speculation. You could say that about any teams notable RFAs...teams will be watching if Team X can't resign Player X. People are jumping to conclusion without actually using comprehension in what Friedman said

would love to have him on the team but it ain't the problem that is dragging this team down atm.

RHD (so moving a RHD Barrie is stupid and not happening) and Top 9 winger depth...quality wingers not old crap ones like Kunitz, they have guys like him in Tanguay to fill that role.

Barrie isn't being shopped, nor he is available, that whole snippet from Friedman was pure speculation. You could say that about any teams notable RFAs...teams will be watching if Team X can't resign Player X.
- DDM-Coga

everyone is for sale. just some more than others and stupidity is also a big part.

everyone is for sale. just some more than others and stupidity is also a big part.
- martox

point is, its a fabricated story out of really nothing. Like Duchene being shopped. The avs ex-beat writer Dater, who was fired last year for being a creep to girls on Twitter, tweets out that Duchene will be traded...he also went on in his rant about Iggy and Varly being shopped.

TSN buddies pick up on his "report" and he so happens to be on the Avs 7 game Eastern road swing "working for Bleacher Report" while he is stopping in at Boston, Montreal, and Toronto to talk Av trade talk, getting on all the radio shows, etc.

Sakic already came out and said they were not shopping him, the rumour came out of right field and he has no idea how this stuff starts, but they havent had any trade talks.

Now Dater has deleted all his tweets about Duchene trade, and yet its still a story?

As I said in the previous blog I'd love to get Barrie but realistically the pieces we'd need to move to get him would do more harm then good. There needs to be a coaching change immediately and then maybe give Clendening a shot even if sheltered minutes.

Move Maatta and Letang to the top pair, leave the Dumo/Lovejoy pair as 2 and then Clendening/Cole as the 3rd pair. Let that ride for a few games with a competent coach. As for the forward lines I'm lost, I think you put the energy guys together and maybe shift Crosby/Kuni/Dupes to the 3rd line or 2nd if need be, while Malkin's line takes first line shifts.

I'd like Sprong to get more minutes maybe 2nd line with Fehr and Bonino...I don't know I'm not going to pretend to know more than the GM's etc but I do know that I've seen enough of HCMJ/Tocchet to realize they have no answer to the current NHL and are absolutely wasting this season with this roster.

1. Adding Barrie is very unlikely.
2. This team's problems are far greater than simply adding another top 4 dman.
- jfkst1

Very unlikely indeed. The Pens are up against the cap, therefore they must send equal or greater value to Colorado. David Perron and Chris Kunitz are the only players who do not have no trade clauses and are of comparable salary. I can't see Colorado trading straight up for either.

That puts us at eight defensemen, we would then have to add one of Maatta, Cole, Lovejoy, Clendenning or Dumoulin with Dumoulin or Maatta being the guys Colorado would likely target. Therefore we are not adding a top four but swapping top fours.

Send Bennett back to where he played college.

Send Bennett back to where he played college.
- acdc1206

Colorado is one of the few organizations out there that may just be stupid enough to take a Kunitz deal and think they've won. Trading away Hornqvist at the moment is just swapping holes and shouldn't be done unless it's a stupid return like Shattenkirk or Headman or something.

Lmao, Most* Pit fans seem to be smarter than the blogger on this one.

Colorado is one of the few organizations out there that may just be stupid enough to take a Kunitz deal and think they've won. Trading away Hornqvist at the moment is just swapping holes and shouldn't be done unless it's a stupid return like Shattenkirk or Headman or something.
- Victoro311

Colorado traded ROR for mostly futures. Their season is already over in the Central. They will probably want the same from Duchene or Barrie. So goodbye two of Murray, Pouliot, Sprong. Kunitz would be the cap dump portion. Also, Hornqvist, Kunitz, Hornqvist, and Scuderi all have NTCs so there is zero guarantee the Pens could even trade any cap dumps to Colorado to begin with.

Send Bennett back to where he played college.
- acdc1206

DU alums like me are still sick he wasted a spot on the roster. Have no problem sending him to Colorado for a seventh round pick.

Colorado traded ROR for mostly futures. Their season is already over in the Central. They will probably want the same from Duchene or Barrie. So goodbye two of Murray, Pouliot, Sprong. Kunitz would be the cap dump portion. Also, Hornqvist, Kunitz, Hornqvist, and Scuderi all have NTCs so there is zero guarantee the Pens could even trade any cap dumps to Colorado to begin with.
- jfkst1

They traded him for futures because no one was anteing up anything notable as far as good veteran players. Colorado's farm system sucks so that trade helped a bunch. Plus, the guy is a scumbag.

I wouldn't trade Pouliot, Sprong and Murray for Barrie, who doesn't solve the major problem we have.