On the Pittsburgh Penguins …
Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: A source is saying that the Pittsburgh Penguins have shown interest in New York Rangers winger Michael Grabner.
Grabner is a fast skater and comes with a reasonable salary. The pending UFA makes $1.65 million and he can play on either wing.
Grabner can play on the power play and kill penalties.
The Rangers will be looking to get maximum value from their players, so they may be okay with trading within their division. They are believed to be looking for a first-round pick for Grabner.
There will be several teams interested in Grabner.
Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Penguins GM Jim Rutherford plans on adding more to his roster by the deadline.
“Yeah, I do,” Rutherford said. “The stronger we can make our team and have depth at all positions, it helps us in the long run.”
The Penguins have shown interest in Derick Brassard. The asking price could be a first-round pick, Daniel Sprong, and NHL regular and maybe more.
Rutherford has said that they’ll likely go forward with Riley Sheahan as their third-line center. Rutherford won’t close any doors.
Rutherford on if they could look for a fourth-line center.
“It depends on what comes along,” Rutherford said. “Certainly depth at that position would be good. Carter Rowney played as one of our centers throughout the whole finals last year. He’s a capable guy. He’s a gutsy player. That’s why he’s been in and out of the lineup; he’s blocking shots. If somebody comes along where we can add some insurance there, we’ll try and do it.”
Rangers winger Michael Grabner has been tied to the Penguins of late. Grabner and his $1.65 million salary cap hit would be a nice fit for the Penguins. Would the Rangers trade with the Penguins?
The Penguins could also stand pat and not add at the deadline.
“We can go with the team we’ve got,” Rutherford said. “We’re capable of winning with the team we have, as you can see, assuming we play the way we’re capable.”