Pens Trade Whitney to Ducks for Kunitz, Tangradi
Does this mean another Ducks blueliner is on his way out of town?
about 3 years ago
J.P.
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If so....
There’ll be a hell of a wrangle to get him. BOS, NJD, WSH, and PHI are all supposedly interested, if only because they don’t want to see one of their competitors get him. ANA’s in a pretty good spot with him right now. My bet is that one of those four teams bites.
Devil's Advocate...
OR….it could mean that Anaheim is finding other ways to relieve some cap space in the hopes of keeping Pronger if Niedermayer decides to retire.
Actually, I have no idea.
It seems like we’d have to shuffle a bit to get him (Pronger) if Anaheim is willing to move him, but I really don’t like the idea of him going to BOS, NJD or PHI!
by PaintDrinkingPete on Feb 26, 2009 12:30 PM EST reply actions
it could mean that Anaheim is finding other ways to relieve some cap space in the hopes of keeping Pronger if Niedermayer decides to retire.
I think Whitney’s cap hit for next year is higher than Kunitz’s
Yeah, without looking anything up, I wasn’t sure on that, which is why I added the “Actually, I have no idea” on my post. That was just something I read elsewhere earlier.
by PaintDrinkingPete on Feb 26, 2009 3:41 PM EST up reply actions
Whitney is $3.5 in 2009, $4.5 in 2010, $5 in 2011, $5.5 in 2012
Kunitz is $3.6 in 2009, $3.8 in 2010, $4.0 in 2011
My opinion is the deal is probably pretty fair because of the contracts. It does surprise me that Pittsburgh could not get more considering the teams that would want a puck moving defenseman, which Whitney is. His poor defense may have brought his value down though.
by CapsFanSince1979 on Feb 26, 2009 5:24 PM EST up reply actions
If you’re paying Kunitz $3.5 per year why couldn’t you figure out a way to keep Malone?
Russian Machine Never Breaks
we do have two things anaheim needs one of…a young goaltending prospect.
maybe package neuvirth or varlamov (pardon spellings) with the rights to a younger cheaper defenseman (like schultz though he is a rfa this year) and a 1rt rounder…it aint impossible
after seeing Varly play I’d rather keep him long term, an older defenseman isn’t worth a money goal tender that will save your team for years to come. Neuvirth on the other hand…
What does Pittsburgh really gain from this? Kunitz isn’t going to be that winger for Crosby… I know that they had some extra blueline talent but I thought Whitney would have been worth something more towards filling the gaps that the Pens have.
actually he might have just become the best winger they have by default…frankly a little Lego hockey player with a Penguins decal would be 4th on their depth chart right now.
by luketheriault on Feb 26, 2009 12:37 PM EST up reply actions
They gain:
a bit of cap space
a lack of Whitney on their D (addition by subtraction), not to mention a spot for Goligoski
a winger that can be king of the mediocre on their team
a great forward prospect that’s actually not a center (something they’re not flush with)
All in all, a pretty good trade for the Pens given Whitney’s poor play and bad contract.
financially speaking we’d need to move nylander, but frankly i think columbus wants a playmaker for nash so bad they might take him contract and all. (they have cap room right now for him)
…Of course, you’d have to overlook Nylander’s no trade clause…
by PaintDrinkingPete on Feb 26, 2009 12:39 PM EST up reply actions
No movement clause (a nitpick, but there is a difference, so pick that nit I shall!)
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these are good, but nylander can handle a defensive system, particularly with his puck control skills, and columbus is a good young team thats going to make the playoffs so its not like we’re dropping in the waste-lands of long island to finish his career
by luketheriault on Feb 26, 2009 12:43 PM EST up reply actions
Bob McKenzie says this doesn’t impact Pronger’s availability. He is just as available as he was and that if someone is willing to toss them an offer they can’t refuse then he’ll be moved. But if not, they’ll just wait until the summer when the list of teams willing to give up young roster players and able to take on salary would be longer.
by Langway on Feb 26, 2009 12:42 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
Great stuff on the BMac link, Langway. Rec’d.
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Frankly, I’m beginning to hope they decide to keep Pronger. I’d love to see him on the Caps but would prefer even more to NOT see him on BOS, NJD, or PHI.
Amen to that. If he comes East but not to DC, it shakes everything up, and not in a good way.
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In all likelihood, it also means that the Ducks will move one of their two high-priced rearguards – either Chris Pronger or Scott Niedermayer – before the deadline.
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Please don’t let it be Niedermayer to NJD.
by Scott in Shaw on Feb 26, 2009 5:50 PM EST up reply actions
I am so not getting this trade. It looks sideways to me for both teams. Kunitz has Sykora-like numbers, but he’s quicker and plays with more of an edge (he’ll be on Crosby’s left in his first game…maybe Shero thinks it’s a compaticility thing…Kunitz might be a better style and temperament match than Crosby’s left-wing-du-jour). The Pengs get marginal cap relief in the exchange of contracts.
As for Whitney, it sure isn’t Brian Burke’s team anymore. I don’t know that this means Pronger gets traded now. The Ducks look to be $3.5M (annual) under the cap. It could be insurance for Niedermayer in that if he re-ups, they can then move Pronger in the summer for a bigger, or at least more suitable return.
Maybe the key is Tangradi. He went to Wyoming Seminary — a prep school about ten miles from Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre.
If you've read this far...seek help.
What Whitney does for Anaheim is fills out the D for next year a bit if Niedermayer retires and/or Pronger is moved (I believe Beauchemin is UFA and not sure they have anyone else locked up), so I get it from their side.
Frankly, I’d have thought Whitney would fetch more than Kunitz.
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Don't forget Brookbank!
Apparently Pronger and Brookbank are the only two D they have signed (other than Whitney obviously).
Panic move?
Yes, Whitney was overpaid (for now) but such is life in this new system where any RFA with promise gets to break the bank. Sometimes you get Ryan Whitney and sometimes you get Mike Green.
Still, a 26 year old of his pedigree is a helluva lot more valuable than Kunitz.
Russian Machine Never Breaks
Tangradi is grade B prospect (with good taste, see photo above) but is never going to be a star. He’ll be a solid, every day player…maybe a Craig Laughlin type.
As for Kunitz, he’s overpaid for what he’s contributing now, but he was a 60 point guy 2 years ago, and last year he had 50… the Ducks were likely looking to unload him and the found a buyer in Pitt. That they could land Whitney will help them, but sure doesn’t help the Pens back line. The Pens are now in the defensman market, although they’re looking for a depth guy, not a top pairing guy.
He was talking about the dude’s periwinkle polo. Duh.
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That's violet.
And kids or not, they’re cute.
by Scott in Shaw on Feb 26, 2009 5:51 PM EST up reply actions
Well,so’s Tangradi… he’s barely 20 (turned it 16 days ago!). And that sure looks like an over-21 beverage in the hand of the lady on the right. :)
Either way, he doesn’t seem upset about the situation…
by MikeL-Pivonka on Feb 26, 2009 4:13 PM EST up reply actions
You don’t want to trade Erskine within the division… he’ll come back here to DC and light up one of our goaltenders for a hat trick…
by MikeL-Pivonka on Feb 26, 2009 4:14 PM EST up reply actions
The scary part?
With this trade, and having Gill and Boucher come off the books, the Penguins could be potential huge players for Bouwmeester, assuming he files for FA.
"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."
Getting him as a FA? I don’t think that’s happening, given the committments to Malkin, Crosby, Gonch, Orpik, Kunitz, Staal. They’re already over 47M for next year and they need to sign about 7 more players.
Russian Machine Never Breaks
What, Gonch can’t take a buyout? I can’t push a panic button?
"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."
by Bald Pollack on Feb 26, 2009 2:10 PM EST up reply actions
Why in the world would they do that?
Pittsburgh Black And Gold -- So new, it still smells like paint!
The Pens aren’t going to go after JayBo, too much top heavy contracts as it is…
They wanted to get Whitney off the books, Goligoski and Letang are younger and have had better seasons. The Pens flipped him for a pretty reliable top 6 winger (doubling their total their) and a prospect power-forward that’s #2 in OHL scoring, behind only Tavares. Solid deal.
They basically moved their bad contract for Anaheim’s, with both teams taking on a contract at a position where they can use a guy.
The prospect is nice, but Kunitz is Miro Satan/Ruslan Fedotenko, the sequel. Time to see if Sid can really make someone better, I suppose.
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I agree with you the position swap is the key, but I think Kunitz deserves a little more credit…Fedotenko’s career high in points is 41, Satan’s numbers have dropped every year since the lockout.
Kunitz at least is a pretty consistent 20-25 goal, 30-35 assist guy and more physical and better in the corners than ’Tenk or Satan. And if he meshes with Crosby who knows?
I see it almost as a mini-Ryan Malone with better wheels and a good prospect the Pens just picked up for a superfluous piece in Whitney….Can’t ask for much more than that given how Whitney’s played this season.
And I’m not sure I’m quite ready to put him in the “consistent” 50-60 point range, when he’s not on pace for that this year, hit 50 last year, 60 the year before that and 41 the year before that.
Crosby’s a great player, of course, but Kunitz has had plenty of time with Getzlaf who ain’t too shabby.
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Last year…Marian Hossa.
This year…Chris Kunitz.
That’s all, that’s the punch line.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Feb 26, 2009 3:47 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
Beauchemin
The trade could be for all of the above or it could be just that they are looking for a puck moving defenseman to replace Francois Beauchemin who went down early in the season. There’s been a lot of speculation that his injury is one of the reasons the Ducks have struggled so much this season.
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