Faceoff Factor

Penguins Express Interest In Hamhuis?

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

Feb 25, 01:58 PM | Hype this story!

With the Pittsburgh Penguins apparently in the market for a defenseman, rumors have swirled regarding who might be the team’s top target.

While it’s nearly impossible to validate which rumors originated from truth, and which originated from an opinionated reported offering his likely scenarios.

Nevertheless, an article from RDS.ca reports of an ESPN report that the Penguins have expressed interest in impending free agent defenseman Dan Hamhuis of the Nashville Predators.

Lyle Richardson of Spector’s Hockey commented on the rumor, which also listed the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres as Hamhuis suitors, but failed to touch on the Penguins side of things.

He writes: “The Predators aren’t gonna just give away Hamhuis and I suspect they’ll want a young scoring forward or a first rounder for him. The Bruins could certainly offer up a first rounder.”

The Penguins, meanwhile, could offer something worthwhile to the Predators should they dangle left wing power forward prospect Luca Caputi and either a roster player or mid-round draft pick.

The Predators, currently in seventh place in the Western Conference, won’t be keen on being trade deadline sellers, but if they can make a move that simultaneously prevents them from losing Hamhuis while adding long-term (and possibly short-term) help, they’ll likely bite.

Such an addition would be huge for the Penguins, who have struggled defensively for the better part of the season. The concern, however, would come in contract negotiations.

While his stats aren’t overly impressive (16 points and a plus-one rating), his game is one that cannot be measured on paper.

A solid positional defender, Hamhuis has blocked 68 shots and converted 97 hits through 57 games. In Pittsburgh, his shot block totals would be good for sixth among defenders — though it should be noted that the Penguins utilize a very aggressive shot blocking strategy — and his hits would rank second on defense and sixth on the team.

In other words, he’s in line for a considerable payraise over his current $2 million seasonal salary.

Can the Penguins afford to add yet another potentially pricey defender to the mix beyond this season? And if they can’t, would it be worth parting with a legitimate prospect, such as Caputi, for a playoff rental?

These questions are best suited for general manager Ray Shero, who is paid the big bucks to put into action our everyday thoughts.