I don’t usually comment on rumors from other media outlets but it’s time to put one bogus rumor to bed. That’s the one involving the Penguins having serious interest in Edmonton Oilers forward Ethan Moreau.
As TSN’s Bob McKenzie will state from time to time, It’s “amateur hour” and it has been.
Late last week, Hockeybuzz.com reported that the Penguins were in on Moreau and even reported on Sunday that a deal was close that would send Ruslan Fedotenko and a #2nd round pick and a 3rd round pick to Edmonton for Ethan Moreau and Gilbert Brule.
Here’s the exact quote; “Hunting down a rumor that would send Fedotenko and a #2, #3 to Edmonton for Moreau and Brule. Then I am told Brule may be moved.”
The Penguins sending a 2nd and a 3rd round pick for Moreau and Brule is even more ridiculous than the Penguins being mentioned as a suitor for Moreau.
This bogus rumor of the Penguins having interest in Moreau was even picked up by local Pittsburgh news station on Sunday I’m told.
It’s gets better, the Moreau/Penguins rumor even made it on ESPN’s NHL Rumor Central section via some site I’ve never heard of Hendricks hockey that is reporting “According to our Hockey Insider, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers have a trade in place. The target is believed to be Ethan Moreau. The hold up is the fact that the Penguins are looking at Alexei Ponikarovsky as well.”
Funny thing is, the Penguins are not even in a suitor for Ponikarovsky yet as one team source described him as a bigger version of Ruslan Fedotenko who is soft in the corners.
On to Moreau, he’s 34 years old and has 5 goals and 9 points on the season, including a minus-16 rating.
He also has one year left on his contract with a cap hit of $2 million for the 2010/2011 season. He sure sounds like the winger that Evgeni Malkin doesn’t have.
The argument that Moreau would provide leadership for the Penguins is also laughable. This isn’t the 2006-2007 Penguins that didn’t know how to win yet.
There’s a better chance of Eddie Johnston suiting up for the Penguins in goal this season than the Penguins trading for Ethan Moreau.