A couple of teams looking to make a trade
TSN: With the start of the season getting closer and training camp is winding down, there are still some teams looking to make some moves.
Darren Dreger: The Minnesota Wild and Pittsburgh Penguins are two teams that are looking at the trade market.
“You’ve got a rookie GM in Billy Guerin who is now general manager of the Minnesota Wild and he’s willing to be aggressive but he’s also a realist. He wants a top centre. Or a second-line centre. How do you acquire that piece? The Minnesota Wild have an abundance of wingers, they’ve got a good draft pile in terms of prospects, and they also have a good picks list as well. So, he’s willing to use all of that as bait. But, again, he’s also careful knowing that the market just doesn’t throw a player like that out there.
Pittsburgh will trade a defenceman. There’s been much speculation out there about Jack Johnson. That’s a tough contract to move, but Jimmy Rutherford will move one of his blueliners.”
It may not be easy for the Penguins to trade Johnson
Rob Rossi of the Athletic: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson was scratched last night and it appears that it’s something that could be a trend.
The Penguins are over the salary cap by just over $300,000 and carrying a $3,25 million 7th defenseman isn’t ideal.
To trade Johnso the Penguins would likely have to retain some of his salary. It may be a move GM Jim Rutherford would prefer to make as opposed to moving someone like backup goalie Case DeSmith.
Rutherford previously told The Athletic that the goalie market was heating up. They’d prefer to keep DeSmith as they handed him a three-year contract extension last season.
Multiple sources said last night that “nothing was going on” with regards to Johnson trade. He is entering the second year of his five-year deal.