Hossa, Dupuis Will Make Penguins “Special”
Jesse Marshall | Pittsburgh Penguins
Feb 27, 12:34 AM | Hype this story!
The talk of the town is Marian Hossa, and with good reason.
The Penguins shocked the hockey world on Wednesday by sending a boatload of players down south for both Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis.
The dividend should be nice. Sidney Crosby finally has a proven threat at wing. The Penguins have two deadly scoring lines.
There’s more than meets the eye to this trade, however. As I write this line, the Penguins stand 25th overall in the penalty kill at a meager 80.6 percent. They are 23rd overall in Power-play Goals Against with 55.
Both Dupuis and Hossa provide valuable experience on the penalty kill. Dupuis brings a pedigree in defense and works like a bigger version of Max Talbot. His departure from Atlanta was hard on fans that had come to know and love Dupuis for his hard work on each shift. His presence on the PK will be welcome and he took regular shifts on it in both Minnesota and Atlanta.
Marian Hossa is not only apt defensively, but he’s deadly short-handed. Hossa wastes no time testing the oppositions power-play prowess as he’ll gladly take the puck up ice for a shorthanded rush.
Throw in Hal Gill, acquired from Toronto, who plays more shorthanded minutes than any player in the NHL, and you’ve got the right recipe to vastly improve a penalty killing unit that has been very sub-par in 2008. Gill is also a workhorse that is no stranger to playing 20+ minutes of ice time per night.
The newcomers are slated to make their debut this Thursday night against Boston, a team that Marian Hossa imparticular is rather familiar with. Hossa has 38 career points (16+22) in 40 total games against the Bruins.
Until Thursday, sit back and enjoy this beauty of a goal against the Bruins from “The Hoss” earlier this year.
Comments
henkegbgskea
Feb 27, 02:19 AM
I think the winners of that trade are Thrasers and Toronto.
why?
How will Crosby react when his best friend no longer is on the team????
Trade away 4 players and get 2 back ????
To costly for pens…
And 2(!) draftpicks for Gill way to much.
But i shouldnt complain since i thought nothin would happen.
But giving up EC and Colby ???
i would have prefered EC and Tyler K.
´
This drafting year for pens surely will be a poor one only 3 playes to draft …
hmmmm not good
c
Feb 27, 04:17 AM
These guys aren’t 12 years old, Henk. They’re big boys in a big boy business. Sid will be just fine, especially now that he’ll have a wing that can finally bury his sweet passes, unlike Armstrong, without having to steal the other star center on the team to play wing. I’m sure Sid and Colby each have cell phones; they can still be buddies. The team is much better today than it was yesterday.
DaBich
Feb 27, 05:31 AM
I’m impressed with these trades. I think Shero did very well indeed.
I’ll miss Colby, but for sure, we got a good deal here.
Henke, look how many young players we have now. We won’t be huring in the draft department this year.
Jon
Feb 27, 07:50 AM
EC had NO place on this team…he was a waste for us…and will have a chance to DO SOMETHING somewhere else
Army, though loved, really wasn’t the on-ice guy we need. We have a bunch of Colby’s already, he is/was replaceable
The 1st rounders from last year and this year hurt….but, we have such young talent already, I think we’ll be OK waiting til 09 to draft another young guy….plus, our draft # this year isn’t going to be much, so it’s not like you’re trading away a 1st overall pick.
Move the Needle
Feb 27, 11:19 AM
I was disappointed that the pens blog to not trade for Jesse Marshall. I heard so many rumors but I think the pens blog was concerned that they would not be able to keep Jesse out of Fred’s Divot on a nightly basis.
DaBich
Feb 27, 11:25 AM
ROFL!
Josh
Feb 27, 01:08 PM
I think this trade makes plenty of sense when you look at it from Shero’s point of view. Here’s why: – The first round pick is what put your deal over-the-top for the Thrashers. Look at the other deals on the table for Hossa; no other team was parting with a first-rounder.
- Esposito was a luxury. You had to assume he would be a trade-deadline asset for this team when they picked him last year. He has hype, he has upside, he has the name recognition. But, on a team with enviable depth down the middle, he has no spot. The best way the Penguins were ever going to turn him into a top talent winger for Sid was by including him in a trade for one.
- You give up Christensen, another center on a team full of top flight talent down the middle. It seemed inevitable that he’d be traded sometime within the next season as more talent came up through the ranks. Personally, I find it sad to see him go for the flashes of offensive brilliance he shows from time to time. Could he develop into a player that fills Pens fans everywhere with regret? (see: Markus Naslund) We will see, but the bottom line is that the Penguins were never going to see him develop into that player on THEIR team as a third line center.
- Finally, you lose Colby Armstrong. Colby is an “X-Factor” player. He does so many things that do not show up on the stat sheet. The intangibles. He hits, he plays with fire, he’s a character guy, he’s a leader. For this, he had to have been the toughest piece of the puzle to let go. Honestly, how do you place value on a guy like that? It’s tough. But, again, you look at the rest of the team. Look at the quality minutes that call-up players have logged throughout the season. With all the injuries the Pens have been through, they’ve had the opportunity to test the depth of their organization. Tyler Kennedy, Jonathan Fliewich, Nathan Smith, Jeff Taffe, Chris Minard, Tim Brent, Ryan Stone, Connor James…the list is huge. All of these guys can play a third-line grit, energy role – the most pressing void left by losing Army. Sure, Colby’s presence in the locker room will be missed, but the Pens have the organizational depth to fill in his spot on the ice.
And you get Marian Hossa. He brings serious offensive threat without the defensive liability. He brings speed and a finishing touch. He’s a world class player. And don’t give me this junk about his playoff numbers. Buccigross pointed it out: throw away his rookie year and last year when the Thrashers were dominated by the Rangers. Hossa had 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points in 37 games in a three consecutive playoff appearances. Those numbers are sure to explode with Sid and Geno alongside.
In the end, the Penguins gave up somewhat expendable parts for a world class offensive player. And if Hossa won’t resign in Pittsburgh, you could even see Shero pull a David Poile and trade him to a team who wants a crack at signing him before Free Agency starts. So let’s not worry about next season before this one is over…the Penguins now have a real shot at winning the Stanley Cup.
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