The Penguins score with Kessel
Phil Kessel was traded to the Penguins on Wednesday.
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
A trade which was believed to be dead in the water came to fruition today. The hockey world was surprised when Phil Kessel being traded to the Penguins. The Penguins acquire Kessel, forward Tyler Biggs, defenseman Tim Erixon and a second-round 2016 draft pick for two draft picks - first- and third-round selections in 2016 - plus defenseman Scott Harrington, forwards Kasperi Kapanen and Nick Spaling. The following is the fine print for how the draft pick will be determined that was picked up from dkonpittsburghsports.com:
The Penguins essentially stole Kessel from Toronto. The Leafs were reportedly looking to gain some defensemen in return, Oli Maata and Derick Pouliot are still in Pittsburgh. When Rutherford spoke about the trade he revealed that Maata was never on the block, with anyone. Rutherford has improved his negotiation skills since his tenure in Carolina. The Penguins needed to keep the defense in tact and Maata is not just a young player, he is developed and extremeley talented. Kessel is a sniper right winger who is going to provide another element to Crosby's and Malkin's game. The Penguins' superstars have played 10 years without a one timing right hander. There have been too many times when they have raced into the offensive zone they did not have anyone there to offer an intimidating shot off the rush. Just to show you what I am talking about, take a look at these skills: https://youtu.be/fRGf69_mA-o.
Kessel was the long shot and the primary focus for Pittsburgh and Rutherford went top shelf and won the lotto. Kessel was the hottest commodity in the trade market and one of the issues making teams flinch was the salary cap hit they would take. The Penguins managed to work it out where the Leafs are going to pay Kessel $1.3 million to play against them. The Leafs paying some of Kessel's hefty salary helps Pittsburgh maintain some of their roster. However, a blow was struck when Paul Martin signed with the Sharks for four years. However, no one was expecting Martin to stay in Pittsburgh because his salary is going up as well.
Not only did the Penguins pull the trigger on Kessel they also added a top Russian winger from the KHL, Sergei Plotnikov who signed a one year entry level contract. The left-handed winger turned 25 a few weeks ago, he is 6 feet 2 inches, and weighs in at 205 pounds. Plotnikov played for the LoKomotiv Yaroslavl where he scored 26 points last season, and 71 penalty minutes. Rutherford addressed his team's need for a top six winger, twice. The Penguins were looking for a Russian linemate who could play with Malkin and make him feel comfortable.
It is still too early to tell how the Kessel trade is going to shake out. The plus side of the trade is that Kessel is going to have an opportunity to get to know the Penguins staff and players over the summer. Training camp is going to help him learn the system Mike Johnston is working with which will allow Kessel and the rest of the superstars to build their chemistry. When Jarome Iginla got to the Penguins at the trade deadline a few years ago he had trouble adjusting. Iginla was playing in a different system which cause his production to drop. Kessel now has the entire summer to adjust to Pittsburgh, the team, and the system.
