NHL rumors: Penguins seeking rental defenseman before trade deadline
Cody Franson may be on the Penguins wish list as a rental option on defense. (USATSI)
In his brief tenure as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jim Rutherford has been aggressive. If he has an opportunity to improve the team, he's going to take advantage as he showed with the trade to acquire David Perron from the Edmonton Oilers in particular. It does not sound like he is done yet.
On Thursday night's edition of Insider Trading on TSN, Pierre LeBrun reported that Rutherford is looking to add a forward, and likely is seeking a defenseman to bolster the Penguins for a Stanley Cup run. More from LeBrun (transcription via nicholsonhockey.com):
"The Penguins have already made a couple of deals, Jim Rutherford adding David Perron. Adding Max Lapierre. He's going to add a forward. And we're finding out now he's going to add a defenseman, a rental. We're looking at a Cody Franson or maybe a Jeff Petry. And to a lesser degree, whether it's a Scott Hannan or Jan Hejda, I think Jim Rutherford because of some of the youth on his blue line would like to add some experience before March 2. They're going for it. They're a contender. And they want to get better there."
The Penguins are without Olli Maatta for the rest of the season, which has left a pretty big hole. The good news is that both Rob Scuderi and Simon Despres have performed well in elevated minutes, while top rearguards Paul Martin and Kris Letang have been about as good as any in the league, particularly of late. Christian Ehrhoff has been injured, but is expected to return soon.
If the Penguins were to add a player like Franson of the Toronto Maple Leafs or Petry of the Edmonton Oilers, that defensive depth goes from good to really good in a hurry. But they shouldn't feel the need to overpay for a rental. With eyes on trying re-sign Ehrhoff and getting Maatta back healthy next season, there's not as much pressure on finding a defenseman they can re-sign before the deadline.
That said, the Penguins are clearly gunning for the Stanley Cup, which might make them a tad more willing to overpay for a guy like Franson, who is probably one of the most sought-after assets as the deadline approaches. That aforementioned aggressiveness from Rutherford makes him a real wild card heading into the final weeks before the deadline.
Either Franson or Petry would be strong additions on the Penguins defense. They'd also decrease the reliance on Scuderi and/or Despres, but either would likely be fairly costly to add.
That's why Hannan or Hejda, both 36 years old, might be more realistic options, if the Pens are going to make a deal for veterans on D. They'd be cheaper in a trade than Franson or Petry, but they also wouldn't be big-impact additions either.
Of the two, Hejda is the more attractive option. He still logs top-four minutes for the Colorado Avalanche and can play in a variety of situations. As a physical, stay-at-home defender, Hejda might actually be better in a more limited role. He's not going to help the team's possession numbers any, but can eat some shutdown minutes and protect the defensive end well enough.
Hejda would presumably be a lot harder to pull away from the Avalanche as they are still in a playoff race and he's a valued defender. That might end up pushing the price north of what the Penguins would (or should) be willing to pay.
Hannan is also a stay-at-home defender, Hannan is averaging the fewest minutes since his rookie season with 16:08 a night for the Sharks. He hasn't looked particularly good in 43 games this season, but the Penguins probably would only need him in very limited minutes. He's getting passed by younger defensemen in San Jose, which means the Pens shouldn't be willing to pay anything above bargain-bin prices.
There could be other names in the mix, but it appears the market could be extremely competitive for rental defensemen as the postseason nears. With uncertainty tied to next year's salary cap projections, general managers most likely will try to shy away from adding players with multiple years left on their deals without shedding salary themselves.
http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on...eking-rental-defenseman-before-trade-deadline
