Where might the Penguins stand now that Brandon Sutter is out, and Eric Fehr and Nick Bonino are in?
Advertisement
“He”s actually, believe it or not, one of my favorite guys and I”ve ended up trading him twice,” said Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, the former Hurricanes general manager.
In Sutter, Vancouver gets a trusted two-way centre and a likely new No. 2. “I think there are still a couple of options out there we could explore, but I’m not quite sure as to where that might go”.
In Benning’s view, Sutter’s speed and size is a key reason why he’s an upgrade over Bonino, in spite of the latter’s superior level of offensive production. He saw his first taste of National Hockey League action just last year, appearing in four games for the Hawks and 17 for the Canucks. And he can still bring offence to our team. They sent a third-round pick to to the Canucks.
Bonino’s HERO numbers are significantly better than Sutter’s in nearly every single category. He was, in no uncertain terms, a liability in Vancouver’s first-round playoff series loss to the Flames.
If Sutter ever wanted a big-time long-term deal, now’s the time. “Nick is a very smart player”. In the playoffs, he was good when the games meant something and that’s when he’s at his best.
The second-round pick the Penguins acquired originally belonged to the Anaheim Ducks.
“Willie (Desjardins) will figure out who will be the second centre and who is going to be the third centre iceman”.
Sutter will make $3.3 Million this season and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
What should be tougher to swallow for Canucks fans is the value of this deal.
Horvat’s strong rookie season has some hoping he could in fact centre the Canucks’ second line this season. All of those players carry a salary cap hit well under a million dollars a piece and should be easily to implement.
Draft picks and gritty forward Brandon Prust came the other way in those deals, which opens up spots for some of Vancouver’s younger players to crack the lineup.
“He’s got high-end intangibles”, said Benning. His comments paint the Canucks as the reactive party, both in the initiation of trade talks right through to the haggling over specifics.
“I like our depth at forward now”. “But we’ve been working on it for a month”, Benning said of the process that led to the trade.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed free-agent center Eric Fehr to a three-year contract worth $2 million annually.
Advertisement
“We looked at all the teams in our division and they all improved”, said Benning.
