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!

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!

Pens host Ducks tonight.

The Anaheim Ducks are in town tonight in the middle of a long sretch of road games for the team to take on our Pens. The Ducks have 8 games in 15 days on this road trip and tonight will be their 4th stop. They played last night in Minnesota.

After having a bad start to the season, the Ducks fired their coach, Randy Carlyle, and hired a very familiar face, a little more familiar with barbecue sauce around the mouth, in Bruce Boudreau, the former coach of the Washington Capitals. Since the coach change, the Ducks have slowly been becoming a better team and were one of the best teams in January with a 9-2-1 record.

The Ducks have plenty of talent in the lineup and we must be up to the challenge. Going down 2-0 has not been detrimental to us very recently, but making a pattern of it surely is not on the list of things to do for the Pens. Not to mention that although the Ducks goaltender, Jonas Hiller, had a rough start to the season, he has been making up for it. In the past 17 games, the netminder has a .927% save percentage and has a 1.86 GAA. The Pens will have to be in control and look to start out better tonight and not give the 2-0 advantage to the other team. Our top line has been consistently strong as of late and some secondary scoring has been adding an extra bonus and has been a welcome sight. The Pens need to continue to be a strong team in every facet of the game and good things can continue.

Speaking of good things, Arron Asham skated with his teammates for the first time yesterday, with no contact. He says he hopes to play as soon as this weekend for the Pens.

Pens news.

What a great weekend it was for the Pens! With two wins and plenty of goal-scoring, it was a great weekend to be a Pens fan and also a great weekend for Adele fans as well as she scored big at the Grammys. Adele may have won a grammy for each of the 6 categories she was nominated for, but she is still second in my book behind the Pens for a great weekend.

First came an 8-5 win against the Winnipeg Jets. It featured some back and forth goal scoring, but the Pens then ran away with it topping it off with 8 goals. The best thing about that win may be the fact that those 8 goals came from 7 different scorers. For a team that has been featuring scoring from mainly one line as of late, that is welcome and wonderful news.

Then came a 4-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning last night. Evgeni Malkin scored two to help us edge out the Lightning and Kris Letang had another goal last night to make it a 3 goal weekend for the defenseman.
Kris Letang had a great weekend not just offensively, but also defensively. Last night Letang, along with defensive partner Brooks Orpik, were matched up against Steven Stamkos most of the night. Stamkos leads the league in goals with 37 and Letang and Orpik held Stamkos and his line without any points in the game, certainly not an easy feat.

Things were clicking well for the Pens this weekend and the two teams did not make it necessarily easy on the Pens either. In both games, the Pens went down 2-0 before staging a comeback and winning both games. While going down 2-0 is not a trend we would like to continue, it is not such a large hole that the Pens can not get out of. However, that trend will not always end in the Pens' favor, so the team still needs to look to start games stronger. It is nice to know though that going down early in the game does not mean we can count the Pens out. They always prove to be exciting.

With such a great weekend, the NHL named Evgeni Malkin the second star of the week. The Phoenix Coyotes' goalie, Mike Smith, was named the first star of the week, as he has been doing some spectacular work over in Phoenix. The St. Louis Blues forward, David Perron was the third star of the week for his offensive work of the past week.

In other news, Mike Comrie, who was a member of the Pens last season, announced his retirement from the NHL today. It was not unexpected as he has had health issues, mainly with his hip, and has had 3 hip surgeries the past 5 years, most recently having a hip surgery two weeks ago. Retiring at the young age of 31 still must not be an easy decision though and I wish him and his wife, Hilary Duff, the best also wishing them luck with the upcoming birth of their first child.

The Pens have a couple days off before they take on the Anaheim Ducks at Consol Energy Center Wednesday night and then have a couple days off before another busy weekend for Hockey weekend in America. Don't forget to wear your Pens gear on Friday and into the weekend!

Tangradi: "I'm over Philly. I'm excited to be in Pittsburgh."

Eric Tangradi was part of the trade that sent Ryan Whitney to Anaheim and Anaheim sending Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi to the Pens. While Chris Kunitz is paying off playing alongside Sidney Crosby, Tangradi is also capable of being a great asset that we received in this trade. Though Tangradi is from Philadelphia, he now says, "I'm over Philly. I'm excited to be in Pittsburgh." Which is great news! Tangradi is a winger with size and toughness. He loves to be in front of the net and wearing down the other team. He views the Pittsburgh Penguins as a great organization and a great team. He also says that the thought of one day playing with the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Jordan Staal is a motivation for him and will be a huge motivation during his summer workouts.
I am excited to see Tangradi some time in the future and seeing what he is capable of. This is a player that I will keep tabs on and wait to see what he does.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=414517

Whitney gone to Anaheim, Kunitz and Tangradi join Pens.

Ryan Whitney has been traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Left Winger Chris Kunitz and prospect Eric Tangradi.
For info on the two acquisitions:
http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=411184

Now, I know Whitney has not been performing to the best of his abilities since he came back from injury this season, but I get too attached to players and I will miss Whitney. That's just how I am. I do see potential in trades and I expected Whitney to be traded, so this is no real surprise. I wish Whitney the best of luck with his career and I am sure he will get back to playing like he did when he was at his best for the Pens. Let's hope Kunitz can be the help on wing we need.