The Penguins have traded center Marcel Goc to the Saint Louis Blues for center Max Lapierre, general manager Jim Rutherford announced after Tuesday night’s 5-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
Lapierre, 29, is a 6-foot-2, 215-pound center from St. Leonard, Quebec. He is in his ninth NHL season. So far this year with the Blues, he has two goals and seven assists, 16 penalty mintes and a minus-2 rating.
“He’s a big guy,” said Rutherford. “He plays with energy, he plays with an edge. He’s capable of scoring a little bit, so I think this is a good addition for us.”
Previous to his time with Saint Louis, Lapierre had NHL stints with Vancouver, Anaheim, and Montreal. Lapierre has earned a reputation as a player that is frustrating to play against, as Penguins fans may remember from the 2010 playoffs when he was with the Canadiens.
“It seems that we’re getting into more physical games than I would have expected,” Rutherford said. “He will help that group of guys that we already have. He’s a hard guy to play against, especially when you get into a playoff series.’
The Penguins had high hopes for Goc when the acquired him from Florida at the trade deadline a year ago. The Penguins parted with a third-round pick in 2015 and a fifth-round pick in 2014 to get the German center, but after 54 games with Pittsburgh, he has just two goals and five assists.
Both players’ contracts will expire at the end of the season. Lapierre’s salary for this season is $1.1 million, while Goc was making $1.2 million.
The Blues had yet to play following the all-star break. It is unknown if Lapierre will be able to join the Penguins in Washington for Wednesday night’s game.
Photo credit: St. Louis Blues
