WERE THE TRADES WORTH IT IN SHORT AND LONG TERM?

By Kenny Lindberg...

It started by getting Brenden Morrow, then sneaking under the radar to upgrade the defense to get Douglas Murray, and then into the wee hours of the morning General Manager Ray Shero completed quite possibly the greatest act of trade wizardry that has been seen of recent time in finishing of the trifecta by getting Jarome Iginla. With almost all of the Pens Universe rejoicing over what Shero had just done, very few people noticed the impact of what was lost in negotiation.

To acquire these three premium talents it cost the Pens their first two picks in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, a Second Round pick in 2014, their 5th round pick this year, two average grade college prospects, and top prospect Joe Morrow. You can learn how to place a bet on hockey, but Shero is always willing to make a solid gamble.

The Brenden Morrow trade is a very solid trade for the Penguins. With surrendering Joe Morrow we lost a high quality puck moving defensemen, however had not fit in the best with the Pens system. The price to get Morrow was very steep, as Ray Shero wanted to make sure to get his guy, especially with a team like Boston rumored to be in the mix as well. Lost in all of the talk of this trade is the 2013 3rd round selection that was gained in this trade, which will likely be the Pens first selection of the draft, of which could become an asset in its own right come draft day or even at the impending trade deadline.

In Douglas Murray, the Pens sent two 2nd round picks to San Jose, one in 2013 and one in 2014. For a defensemen whose plus minus is a -8 this may seem to be a bit steep, however considering the prices that Shero paid for the other two this should be considered a real bargain. Murray should immediately provide some shot relief being one of the leagues more physical defensive defensemen.

The two prospects involved in the Iginla deal were Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski are not exactly household names, but neither was Jarome Iginla when he was traded to Calgary for Joe Newendyk (yes the same guy Shero just traded with for Brenden Morrow). The Pens also surrendered their 1st round pick in what was considered to be a very deep round in the draft this year.

I have seen in many places these moves (especially the Iginla deal) be compared to the Rangers trade for Rick Nash being that it will have no effect, and also the New York Yankees in that they pretty much get who they wanted, however this could not be further from reality. The New York Rangers made the mistake of trading away their supplemental role players Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov, to acquire a primary scorer in Rick Nash, who is like a Marian Hossa he’s very good but not as impactful when surrounded by other high caliber players like Marian Gaborik. The Yankees comparison is kind of funny to see because people are treating what the Pens are doing as if there is no cap. When you have a great scouting and development structure like the Penguins have, Ray Shero can make moves like this and send out players who most fans would never otherwise hear about because their development has skied their value in the inner circles of hockey.

In these three moves, Ray Shero has acquired premier talent for the present, while also not mortgaging the future of the Pittsburgh Penguins, of which I would give the moves made a grade of A. In Ray We Trust.