By Brandon J. Koch
With the NHL roster freeze going on, no trades can be made. That doesn’t mean GMs aren’t working their magic.
Evander Kane is the number one player on the trade market right now, with many teams interested in the goal scoring forward.
A team that hasn’t been mentioned but should be on the lookout?
The Pittsburgh Penguins.
Here are a few thoughts on why I’m thinking Pittsburgh:
- Penguins GM Jim Rutherford is an aggressive general manager. He wants that three peat. He has a history of making game changing deals. Kane fits what the Pens need.
- Jason Botterill knows the Penguins organization inside and out, he knows what’s in their prospect system. Of course I’m not saying he doesn’t know other team’s prospect pools, he obviously does. But he has had the most familiarity with Pittsburgh.
- How could the Penguins take Kane’s salary? Remember there were reports of the Sabres willing to take part of Kane’s salary to help make a deal and get more back. According to Capfriendly, Pittsburgh has $1.5 million in current cap space, with a projected $900,000.
- The Penguins also are trying to shop defenseman Ian Cole, who has an expiring contract, just over $2 million. It will be interesting to see if they make a trade that ships Cole out.
- All in all, Botterill will try and get the most out his return for Kane. Just because he was with Pittsburgh doesn’t mean it’s a automatic lock. Botterill will be patient and has said he wants good hockey players back in any trade return, which is obvious.
What the Sabres get back for Kane is a big deal to me. This hockey team has depth issues and they need forwards in return. They won’t be able to get a good puck moving defenseman back. I can’t see a team giving that in return for a player with a expiring contract.
Botterill is hoping for a bidding war for Kane, so am I.
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