More trade deadline.

Rick Nash had been the talk of the deadline this year and he is still a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Yesterday's game against the Pens and Blue Jackets was talked about as the potential last game of the season for Nash in a Blue Jackets uniform. Losing 4-2 to the Pens yesterday, the Blue Jackets still have Nash on their team today.

Blue Jackets GM, Scott Howson, said today that Nash asked to be traded as well. There was considerable attention and plenty of discussions for Nash, but the price was high for the team captain and no deal could be reached.

Trade Deadline Day

Trade Deadline Day in the NHL is like a holiday. Some may even compare it to Christmas. A new acquisition can feel just like getting something new on Christmas Day, though the real test is when you get to put it into play following Christmas and the same goes for Trade Deadline Day. How will those players fare with a new team and how much of a difference can they make? It's a day all hockey fans are glued to multiple devices waiting for updates on their own favorite team or waiting to hear about the big deal of the day, whether it was involving their team or not.

Well, today's trade deadline day is almost like the Christmas that you did not get exactly what you wanted. I, myself, am pleased that the Pens remained intact. There wasn't much out there that could benefit the Pens and with speculation that Sidney Crosby will return this season and/or for the playoffs, that may just be the best acquisition a team could get.
However, I like to see some big blockbuster trades take place and there weren't really any HUGE deals. Vancouver and Buffalo were part of some big trades today though pretty close to the wire. Here's a look at all the trades that went down today:

*F = Forward
D = Defenseman

Vancouver acquires Andrew Gordon, F from Buffalo in exchange for Sebastian Erixon, D

Vancouver also acquired Zack Kassian,F and Marc-Andre Gragnani,D from Buffalo in exchange for Cody Hodgson,F and Alexander Sulzer, D.

Anaheim acquired Mark Fraser,D from Toronto in exchange for Dale Mitchell, F

Nashville acquired Paul Gaustad,F and 2013 4th-round pick from Buffalo in exchange for 2012 1st-round pick.

Rangers acquired John Scott, D from Chicago in exchange for 2012 5th-round pick.

Minnesota acquired Steve Kampfer, F from Boston in exchange for Greg Zanon, D.

Boston acquired Brian Rolston, F and Mike Mottau, D from the Islanders in exchange for Yannick Riendeau, F and Marc Cantin, D

Chicago acquired Johnny Oduya, D from Winnipeg in exchange for 2013 2nd-round pick and 2013 3rd-round pick

San Jose acquired Daniel Winnik, F, T.J. Galiardi, F, and 2013 7th-round pick from Colorado in exchange for Jamie McGinn, F, Michael Sgarbossa, F and Mike Connolly, F.

Ottawa acquired Matt Gilroy, D from Tampa Bay in exchange for Brian Lee, D.

Vancouver acquired Sami Pahlsson, F from Columbus in exchange for 2- 2012 4th-round picks.

Toronto acquired Carter Ashton, F from Tampa Bay in exchange for Keith Aulie, D.

Minnesota acquired Tom Gilbert, D from Edmonton in exchange for Nick Schultz, D

Tampa Bay acquired Mike Commodore, D from Detroit in exchange for a conditional 2013 7th-round pick

Nashville acquired Andrei Kostitsyn, F from Montreal in exchange for a 2013 2nd-round pick and a conditional 2013 5th-round pick.



News on the Pens had been light and while there was some chatter on players I have mentioned, the market was not one for the Pens this season and I am happy to see the Pens have a strong team and if they continue to build on their play and if they happen to get Crosby back, the Pens will surely be a scary team to go against in the playoffs.
Now, after these trades, we will have to see which ones turn out to be great or which ones are a bust for teams as we finish off the season and venture into the playoffs. Happy Trade Deadline Day and I think it should be a happy one for Pens fans!

Call-ups, practice, and trades.

Matt Niskanen was back at practice today after missing yesterday's due to sickness. However, Brent Johnson was not at practice today and apparently he may have tweaked an injury in practice yesterday. Therefore, Brad Thiessen was called up again and we will have to see who will be backup for tomorrow's afternoon game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Johnson is listed as day-to-day and so is Brooks Orpik with his upper-body injury.

A pretty big trade took place in the NHL yesterday, with the Los Angeles Kings acquiring three-time 30-goal scorer Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Jack Johnson and a first-round selection in either the 2012 or 2013 NHL Draft. The Kings have not been doing so well offensively this season and they hope Carter can help to rectify that. They hope he can be better than he was with the Blue Jackets.
Jeff Carter was also part of a big off season trade from the Flyers that drew a lot of attention along with teammate Mike Richards. Richards and Carter were close friends on the Flyers team and were involved in some off-ice antics that were said to be bothering the Flyers and they were dealt. Carter went to the Blue Jackets while Richards went to the Kings and now his good friend Jeff Carter is joining him. Maybe now that they are on the same team again, Carter can step it up. People in the NHL have described Carter as a bitter person, so maybe being back with his friend will turn that frown upside down. Perhaps he was just suffering from some seperation anxiety.


The trade deadline has not brought us many huge trades at all this year, but there are still rumors around about Rick Nash and Dustin Brown and some other players. We will have to see what the weekend and and the early part of Monday bring in trades.

Updates.

Game day is still a couple days away for the Pens, but they were practicing this morning. Sidney Crosby was out there with the team for practice, but settle down... he was not in any contact drills.
Brooks Orpik was practicing and is slowly recovering from his upper-body injury but he says he is not sure if he will play this weekend or not. Brent Johnson was back in practice from his sickness but Matt Niskanen did not practice today due to illness.

The Pens sent Cal O'Reilly down to the Baby Pens. If we want to bring him back up at some point O'Reilly will have to clear waivers to rejoin the team.

That trade deadline keeps getting closer and closer. For the Pens, it is a different situation than most teams. Crosby's status and whether he will return this season or for the playoffs is unknown and if the Pens were to get him back, that would be just about the best move any team could ever make. Though, if Crosby does not improve, then the Pens might want to get someone to be a little extra help down the stretch. The uncertainty of the situation for Shero makes things a little tricky, but we have seen how good of a lineup the Pens have without Crosby certainly, so there is not a ton of pressure to pick up a player this year. While there doesn't seem to be as much going on as other years for the Pens, you just never know. The trade deadline always seems to bring some surprises, who knows what this year's deadline will bring to the Pens or other teams.

Presidents' Day news.

Happy Presidents' Day to you. If you are one of the unlucky people who did not have off today, I am sorry.

Hockey fans are also aware that a week from today is the trade deadline day. I may have to take off this day; it should be a holiday just so we can all stay home and stay connected for all the updates.

Rick Nash, of the Columbus Blue Jackets, continues to be the biggest name thrown out there and it has been reported that the New York Rangers want him. However, the price for Nash is quite high and the Rangers have not given in. Some players the Blue Jackets look for in return are supposedly untouchables on the Rangers roster. We will have to wait and see if Nash will be traded to the Rangers or any team or if the Blue Jackets keep him.
The Detroit Red Wings could be in the market for a forward or defenseman to add depth to their already stellar lineup.
Toronto could use some help on defense and could be looking to add an elite defenseman.


The Pens called up Eric Tangradi today.

Tomorrow night the Pens will host the New York Rangers at Consol Energy Center. They have to be a lot better than they were in Buffalo yesterday against the Sabres if they want a win. The Rangers are one of the best teams in the league and yesterday the Pens did not play their best. The Pens lost 6-2 and the score reflects that the defense needs to be better. We can not play the way we did yesterday and expect many wins. Now, we put yesterday's game behind us and move on to the Rangers. We need all of our focus and attention on tomorrow night's game.

Close, tight scoring game.

The Pens have had their share of tight scoring games this season and last night's game did not fall in the Pens' favor. The Anaheim Ducks came out the winners last night with a 2-1 win over the Pens. To break away from the usual format of games most recently, the Pens scored first rather than going down 2-0. Jordan Staal had his 17th goal of the season to open the scoring, but it would be the only Pens goal of the night. The Pens had some times of strong play but others when things could have been better. It is all about keeping momentum and playing a 60-minute game. The Pens will be back at it this weekend in back to back games for Hockey Weekend in America.

I forgot to congratulate the Detroit Red Wings in my post yesterday on making a new NHL record with 21 consecutive home wins the other night. That is a pretty amazing streak. Seriously, not one team could beat them just once while in that streak so they wouldn't have something else to brag about??

Also, February seems to be passing by quickly and that means that the Trade Deadline is fast approaching. There have been some rumors that the Pens are looking into getting Hal Gill back and some questions are being posed as to whether or not we need another defenseman or a center to help with the absence of Crosby, or some may want us to find a scoring winger. Well, I don't like to go too deep into rumors because you never really know what will happen. With the trade deadline, you just have to wait and see. Only about 10 days left of waiting to see what the Pens will do at the trade deadline.

I mentioned earlier that it is Hockey Weekend Across America this weekend and that means you better sport your Pens gear tomorrow. Check out the Pens website to see what wearing your Pens gear to work or school can get you!