NHL Trades: Why Maxim Lapierre Won’t Help the Pittsburgh Penguins

January 28th, 2015 by Michael Nellis Leave a reply »
The Pittsburgh Penguins made some noise on the trade front on Tuesday, as they dealt Marcel Goc to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Maxim Lapierre. However, with the Penguins looking to solve depth issues, this signing may not be in their best interest.

When the Penguins said they needed to improve their depth, they specifically needed a checking winger and some versatility. While this was acquired in 2013 with the signing of Goc, and more recently David Perron, the latest deal has spiraled away from general manager Jim Rutherford’s mandate.

Additionally, the Pens already have the grittiness that they wanted when they signed Steve Downie, and this latest swap draws questions as to why another agitator is needed in Pittsburgh’s bottom six.

The Goc signing was engineered by former general manager Ray Shero in his final season on the job. Goc gained a reputation as a team player, and as Rutherford told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Josh Yohe, it was tough to let him go.

“It's never easy when you lose a player, especially someone like him,” Rutherford said. “He's such a good guy and a good tea ...

Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by

Advertisement

Comments are closed.