Penguins/NHL
Trade Deadline Buzz
Six weeks out until the trade deadline, TSN released their Trade Bait Board today.
One Penguin made the list with Marc Andre Fleury coming in at No. 19.
With more goaltenders available than teams looking. the list is goaltender heavy with Winnipeg’s Ondrej Pavelec (#9), Jaroslav Halak (#10), Ben Bishop (#13), Steve Mason (#14) and Fleury (#19).
Ondrej Pavelec ($3.9 million cap hit) who can be had for a bag of pucks, Steve Mason ($4.1 million Cap hit) and Ben Bishop ($5.95 million Cap hit) are pending UFA’s.
Halak who is available for next to nothing, cleared waivers, has one year left with a $4.5 million contract.
Among goaltenders available, Fleury has the biggest financial commitment, carrying a cap hit of $5.75 million for the next two seasons.
The Dallas Stars that have kicked some tires on a Fleury trade, are waiting to see what the Lightning do with Bishop, NHL sources say, before they consider pushing forward or not for Fleury.
Bishop is a top target of the Stars and is also expected to be a top free agent target of the Philadelphia Flyers this summer.
He’s the first domino that needs to fall on the trade market whether Tampa Bay keeps him for a playoff push or moves him.
A team that many are watching whether they enter the goalie market full throttle in the next couple weeks is the St. Louis Blues.
Tampa Bay would love to sell St. Louis on a Bishop for Kevin Shattenkirk trade if they can sweeten the pot enough to the Blues liking (with prospects and picks) and that’s a call Penguins GM Jim Rutherford [hide] is surely going to be making if he hasn’t already.
Fleury, though, is a tough sell to St. Louis because of the two years remaining for a budget team that would have over $10 million committed to the goaltending position.
And long-term Fleury would be in the same type of situation, splitting time with a young goaltender. It makes more sense for St. Louis to go the UFA route with a Bishop or Mason, unless they’ve totally soured on Allen.
Guerin will be a name to watch with Islanders
The New York Islanders today fired coach Jack Capuano on Tuesday and replaced him with assistant general manager Doug Weight.
The Islanders, 17-17-8, are last in the Eastern Conference.
The Islanders showed so much promise in 2014-2015 of looking like an organization building something potentially special but they’ve been a completely mis-managed group under GM Garth Snow.
Now when does the other foot fall and Snow gets the axe?
It’s likely only a matter of time.
Islanders owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin have been meeting with multiple hockey people over the last couple months in seeking to hire a Team President/Hockey operations but also to get a feel of the General Manager landscape were the Islanders to make a GM change.
A name coming up in their meetings with other executives, agents is Penguins Assistant GM Bill Guerin.
Guerin is gaining buzz around the league as the next up and coming GM who’s being highly recommended by those inside the game and Guerin’s expected to be among the top names in the mix if Ledecky and Malkin make an expected change by the summer.
Guerin played for the Islanders for a season and a half and had a home in the area years after being traded to Pittsburgh.
Pens Injury News
Eric Fehr benefited last month of getting back in the lineup when Tom Kuhnhackl got injured and after being sent back to the press box, Fehr will benefit again with another injury.
Matt Cullen will be sidelined 3-4 weeks with a broken bone in his foot.
Cullen has eight goals and 17 points in 43 games. He’s averaging 2:30 on the penalty kill, most among Penguin forwards. The Penguins rank 25th in the NHL on the PK.
The injury is a setback for the Penguins looking to embrace a skilled 4th line.
For Fehr, it’s a showcase opportunity for other teams in playing the center position again.
If the Penguins can swing the roster spot and cap space for another callup while Cullen is injured, getting Oskar Sundqvist some NHL time will also be on the table.
Sundqvist having a breakout season, has 14 goals and 18 assists in 37 games for Wilkes Barre.
— Cameron Gaunce was recalled and traveled with the Penguins to Montreal. David Warsofsky was sent down.
— Brian Dumoulin (broken jaw) is also traveling with the team on the upcoming road trip. [/hide]
