Two Trade Targets Emerge at the Top of the Penguins Wishlist

With the NHL Trade Deadline just days away and the chances of a three-peat very much alive, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has been ‘aggressive as hell’ in trying to swing a deal not just for To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! but also To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

MORE BUZZ

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— TSN’s Pierre LeBrun continues to pump up the Tomas Plekanec to Pittsburgh possibility. He did so again tonight on TSN’s Insider Trading. What I’ve heard on Plekanec is that Pittsburgh has put a feeler out, have their scouts monitoring him, and this would be one of those right at the deadline type of move if it happened.

— Adrian Dater who always has a great pulse on the Avalanche, mentioned yesterday that he’s hearing Pittsburgh has some interest in Carl Soderberg, if they can’t get a guy like Brassard.

When Ian Cole’s agent was given permission in late November to seek a trade, Colorado was interested in Cole and there were trade talks with the Penguins. Soderberg’s name had come up then, but Pittsburgh wasn’t interested in taking on the contract in full that has 2 years left with a $4.75 million cap hit.

Surprisingly, though, didn’t get a lot of pushback that Pittsburgh isn’t interested when looking into Soderberg today, but the belief is Colorado’s looking to move Soderberg’s salary off their books (owed $9 million in cash next two seasons) and did try to engage the Penguins in talks again, so that’s where some of this might be coming from.

Even if Colorado took Matt Hunwick as part of the deal, (something one NHL source floated tonight) don’t think Soderberg at age 32 moves the needle much at the third line center spot over a much younger Riley Sheahan.

— Some trade chatter surrounding Florida’s Nick Bjugstad who has three years left on his deal with a $4.1 million cap hit, has emerged around the league in recent days. The Penguins were said to be looking pretty hard at Bjugstad around December, when they were discussing some shakeups with the roster that would have had multiple players being moved in at least two deals that were shelved.

However, it’s unclear if this is a type of deal they’d still be willing to do as Florida has put Bjugstad out there in an attempt to get multiple roster players back on good contracts.

With the team surging, Pittsburgh is more in the moving top prospects-high draft pick currency route, compared to a few months ago where they were willing to move players out. [/hide]

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