Ryan Whitney was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Chris Kunitz and prospect Eric Tangradi. We're sure there are plenty of Pens fans who were happy to see Whitney go since he's been the target of a lot of people's complaints as of late. Personally, we're not exactly unhappy over this because we weren't huge fans, but we weren't exactly on the bash Whitney bandwagon either. If Chris Kunitz turns out to be a compliment to Sidney Crosby, we'll be more than happy with this trade. With Kris Letang being young and a good defenseman and having Alex Goligoski available, it seems like a good deal.
Chris Kunitz sounds like he could be good for Crosby. We can't say we've watched him personally, but we've heard he's got speed and he's willing to go to the net and be the gritty player the Pens could use, as well as willing to stick up for teammates and drop the gloves. He has 148 hits. He's averaged around 20 goals a season and has decent numbers. Crosby has the ability to make players around him better with his play-making skills. Some have argued he's had wingers in the past and hasn't done that. One thing to keep in mind is that not everyone can keep up with Crosby and maybe Kunitz will be able to do that.
Eric Tangradi is a prospect that seems to have a really good upside. Shero said their scouts really liked him his draft year and he's doing well in the OHL where he is the captain of his team, the Belleville Bulls. Tangradi is a 20 year old forward who stands at 6 feet - 4 inches tall, and weighs in at 221 pounds. He was drafted in the second round in 2007. Shero says he will be ready to turn pro next year.
Some reading material:
Kunitz adds grit to lineup (Molinari - PG)
Penguins fans will miss Whitney soon (PG, none other than Ron Cook)
Ducks Acquire Whitney from Pittsburgh (Ducks perspective including a conference call with Whitney)
The Pens have recalled Tim Wallace from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and re-assigned Janne Pesonen back to WBS as well as placed Chris Minard on waivers. If Minard clears waivers he too will go back to WBS.
Sidney Crosby missed practice again on Thursday and says he is still day-to-day and will see how he feels on Friday.
The Penguins will play the Chicago Blackhawks tonight at 8:30 p.m. in Chicago. This is the first game of a five game road trip. The Pens need to get points on this trip and that won't be easy. They need to play better than they did against the Islanders or this could be one really long road trip. We hope Crosby is ready to go so we can see him and new winger Kunitz and what they can do.
It's time to buckle up. Let's Go Pens!
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