Penguins/NHL
Goligoski on the Stars radar
A top priority for the Dallas Stars is acquiring a young puck moving defenseman and while the Stars are among several teams expressing interest in Kris Letang, making a play for Letang would cost at least one of the Stars “big” young guns James Neal or Loui Eriksson.
Hence, the Stars have significant interest in puck moving defenseman Alex Goligoski, sources tell me.
The Stars have even made young stay-at-home defenseman Mark Fistric and 20 year old winger Jamie Benn to a much lesser extent, available in a potential deal for Goligoski, a league source tells me.
Fistric, 23, 6-2 232lbs, has 8 points on the season and has a team high plus-15. Fistric is regarded as a stay-at-home defenseman who has a physical edge to himself. He’s a player that Pittsburgh really likes and a talent evaluator I spoke to this evening, told me Fistric would fill a much needed void on a Penguins team defensively that ranks 20th in the league.
Fistric is signed for two more seasons, with a cap hit at $1 million.
Meanwhile, Benn is a highly regarded prospect who has 11 goals and 25 points on the season.
Goligoski who has many defensive short-comings, remains highly regarded around the league and in the Penguins organization.
Many scouts see him developing into a 50+ points player and his salary is desirable around the league.
The Penguins have a high asking price for Goligoski and a straight swap of Fistric for Goligoski is not an option from Pittsburgh’s standpoint, and I’m told Dallas knows that, which is why other players like Benn have been discussed.
However, discussions regarding Goligoski with Dallas and elsewhere, have been only described as “preliminary” because of the uncertain status of defenseman Sergei Gonchar.
Gonchar’s contract status before the trade deadline won’t be known until during or after the Olympic break.
Nashville, Columbus, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Florida, Minnesota, and Vancouver have been among several teams to inquire about Letang and or Goligoski.
