Ron Hextall and the Pittsburgh Penguins still eye Scott Laughton?
Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia: Again, this is one that does not seem to go away. Scott Laughton rumors have persisted for some time and they are definitely linked to Ron Hextall and the Pittsburgh Penguins. This is not something that was blown out of proportion. Most just presumed that it was.
It does not feel like Laughton is approaching UFA status and yet he is. The crazy thing is the 2012 draft pick has generated as much interest as he has. Laughton carries a friendly cap hit and is on an expiring contract. He makes the perfect rental. Also, extending him may not cost as much as most expect.
The real question boils down to this. Philadelphia wants a high price for Laughton come this Monday. Do the Pittsburgh Penguins need to pay that price and better yet, will they?
The Ron Hextall trade deadline plan for the Pittsburgh Penguins
Josh Yohe of The Athletic: Can the Pittsburgh Penguins contend for a Stanley Cup by standing pat at the trade deadline? This is one of the main questions Ron Hextall poses to himself, probably daily. The last six weeks have seen several guys step up unexpectedly which causes Hextall to pause a bit and wonder.
Hextall wants to be prudent and by his tone, it’s obvious.
“We would like a big, physical forward,” he said. “We’ve said that right from the start. The right guy has to be out there at the right price. Sometimes you have to wait for something to come along that a team is willing to part with. You can always use depth in the middle. It’s reality. There’s a lot of centers that can play the wing. There aren’t a lot of wings that can play the middle. You always like having depth at center. But in the past four or five weeks, a couple of guys have proven they can be effective for us down the middle.”
Apparently, Kasperi Kapanen and Evgeni Malkin will definitely be back before the season’s end and with time to play some games. This means Hextall can wait, pick, and choose if he wants to pull the trigger before Monday at 3:00 pm EDT. In the meantime, the waiting game continues.