A wrench keeps getting thrown into Ray Shero’s plans.
At the beginning of the season, Shero was looking to move a defenseman, that was until the Penguins lost their top four defensemen to injury. Tthe latest injury, Pascal Dupuis going down for possibly the rest of the season with a knee injury, will have a significant impact on the rest of the Penguins moving forward. Dupuis’ loss increases the chances of the Pens making one impactful trade or a few mid level trades. Due to their lack of depth at the forward position, there is a gaping hole on the first line and the Pens need to acquire another winger to play on the third line.
Since the start of the season, the Penguins have inserted many players from the baby Pens into their lineup with a list that reads at least five forwards. While these players have played admirably during the regular season, the postseason is a completely different animal. As the season continues to progress, players will return from injury and will be ready to be re-inserted back into the lineup and send someone else packing.
Matt Niskanen has been nominated as a likely trade candidate since the beginning of the season, though.
Niskanen has been the healthiest of defensemen to play on a nightly basis for the Penguins and is having his strongest campaign in a Pens’ uniform. On the year, Niskanen is a +18, which ranks better than any other Pens’ defenseman by a significant margin. While the 27 year old defenseman is still young, the Penguins believe prospects like Derrick Pouliot and Scott Harrington have more upside than Niskanen, which makes his trade value now stand at an all-time high.
Don’t rule Brooks Orpik out of the equation, either, as No. 44 is in the final year of his contract.
Orpik, a solid defensive minded player would attract a lot of attention from other teams looking for a veteran defenseman to solidify their blue line. Orpik does however have a no-trade clause in his contract. But history with Shero has shown us that the general manager of the Penguins prefers to lock up core players one year prior to them hitting free agency. Clearly this hasn’t been the case for Orpik, thus leaving his future with the Penguins in question.
Another trade option would be Simon Despres as he is by no means one of the favorite prospects in the organization.
As we know, Despres was penciled in as a top-four defenseman by Bylsma in the off-season. Instead, Despres showed up to camp out of shape all but killing his momentum going into the season. While Despres has played solid lately, the beginning of the season was pivotal for the young defenseman. For that reason, Despres didn’t start the season at the NHL level after falling into the dog house of the coaching staff. With the emergence of Olli Maatta who has become a proven player in his own right, he’s possibly paved the way for Despres’ one way ticket out of town.
Bylsma’s system will keep this team together. Byslma will also have to continue juggling line combinations until Shero decideds to pull the trigger on a deal. The loss of Dupuis leaves the Pens’ without one of their top penalty killers, locker room leaders, and breaks up one of the most potent lines in hockey.
For Shero and the Penguins, making one major trade or a few mid level trades will be on the horizon as this only proves how valuable Dupuis is to the Pens.
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