Benn Ferriero to NY Rangers for Chad Kolarik
In 34 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Ferriero had 4 goals and 14 assists. He also added 14 penalty minutes and was a -1. During this past offseason, the Pens had signed Ferriero to 1 year, two-way contract worth $700,000 if he was in the NHL. He never fit into the long-term plans as a depth acquisition, so it's no loss for the big team.
Kolarik is having a very productive season for the Connecticut Whale and will join WBS. He has 16 goals and 19 assists in 41 games this season to go along with 38 PIM and a +2 rating. The soon to be 27 year old (Jan 26th) has been a career AHLer so far, only playing 2 games with the Blue Jackets during '09-'10 and 4 games with the Rangers in '10-'11. His AHL numbers have always been strong though, so expect that to help out some of the more NHL-worthy guys on WBS.
My take: The Pens traded a potential NHL 4th line guy in Ferriero (who has no spot on the team) for a well-rounded scorer in the AHL who could help the development of some prospects. Always trade what you don't need, right?
Carl Sneep to Dallas for a Conditional 7th Round Pick
The Pens also traded away NHL point-per-game defenseman Carl Sneep for a conditional pick. Okay, so he has 1 assist in 1 NHL game, but it's still the truth. Sneep spent most of the past two seasons with WBS before getting buried in Wheeling of the ECHL due to defensive depth. In 29 games with Wheeling this season, he had 15 points, 22 PIM and was a +12. He was called up to WBS and rewarded with 1 game played and the status of a healthy scratch once the lockout ended.
I have no clue what the condition is for the 7th round pick to move up, but Sneep will start off in the AHL. As Mike Colligan pointed out on twitter, Sneep was the last remaining player in the organization from Shero's 2006 draft:
1st - Jordan Staal (Carolina)
2nd - Carl Sneep (Dallas, AHL)
3rd - Brian Strait (NYI)
5th - Chad Johnson (Phoenix, AHL)
7th - Timo Seppanen (TPS Turku, Finland)
My take: Good for Sneep. He wasn't going to get any playing time or move up in this organization and this is marginally better than seeing him leave for nothing.
Line Changes
New line combos per the Penguins Report:
Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Neal-Malkin-Kennedy
Cooke-Sutter-Glass
Tangradi-Vitale-Adams
Odd man out: Jeffrey
Few thoughts:
- Moving Tangradi to the 4th line is doing neither him nor the team any favors. As I've mentioned before, Tangradi looks even more lost on the 4th line than he does the 2nd. Additionally, how is Tangradi supposed to shape his game when he's bouncing from 2nd to 4th line during games and permanently after 3 games during a formative stage in his career. If there is some sort of Tangardi experiment, don't half-ass it.
- While Cooke-Sutter-Kennedy as a line weren't exactly impressive as a group, Kennedy has looked very strong this season on the 3rd line and has always looked strong as a 3rd liner. Shifting him up to Malkin's line might be a great way to hinder his game as he faces tougher D pairs. Also, Neal-Malkin is clearly a 2 man group that requires a perfect complement to join their clique. I don't think Kennedy is that guy.
- No qualms about Glass on the 3rd line, I think he's proven himself capable through 3 games of going out for any shift on any line at this point.
- If I was changing the lines, and Tangradi HAD to be in the lineup, I'd shift Kunitz to the 2nd line and Tangradi to the 1st. We already know what Neal-Malkin-Kunitz can do as a group; there is a very nice comfort level there. Also, though it was only a few shifts, I think Tangradi has looked much better on the ice with Sid than he has with Geno. I get the sense he doesn't understand what he should look for with Malkin on the ice, but he keeps it far simpler with Crosby (at least from the few shifts I've seen it this season).
- It's a shame Jeffrey apparently blew his one shot at a lineup spot and will forever be benched again. Tough luck Dustin, I don't understand it.
Read yesterday's thoughts while you're at it.
No comments:
Post a Comment