Trade Winds...Episode #2!

Whitney to Anaheim.

We should all wish him all the good wishes in the world. He was a great guy and a great player for this organization, but we just got too deep in the defensive standpoint. I don't want to get too into Whitney here because I want to cover our newbie.

Chris Kunitz.

He reminds me alot of Ryan Malone, only with more skill. A great fit for Sidney Crosby. He seems like a gritty guy that isn't afraid to throw his body around in defense of his teammates. He is a 20+ goal scorer and 20+ assists as well as a + player. He gets his share of PIM as well. Another thing that keeps getting mentioned is that he plays better with better players. What that means is that if he is on a fourth line, he plays like a fourth liner, first, first-liner. He might be the right person for the job of grit and scoring touch. He plays on the power play and the penalty kill as well. I think this is a good deal for the Pens. Sid should be happy. This hole needed filled.

Height/Weight: 6-0/194

Birthdate: 09/26/1979

Birthplace: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

College: Ferris State

NHL Experience: 4

Salary: $3,500,000

Honestly, after reading all the upsides, I would have been happy to see this straight up. Whitney for Kunitz. It gets better though! We also received in the deal a high prospect in Eric Tangradi. He is second in the OHL behind highly touted John Tavares. This looks really good for the Pens.

Height/Weight: 6-3/214
Birthdate: 02/10/1989
Birthplace: Philadelphia, PA
Draft: 2nd Round, 42nd Overall

On an additional note, Chris Minard was released today. I like this move, he didn't seem to be getting anywhere. I believe the organization gave him all the chances in the world, but he just wasn't working out.

I am officially excited for the next week. Who knows what is next. We got a winger for Whitney and a bonus as well. Are we still going to trade Staal? Also, think about this, if we got all this for Whitney, imagine what we can get for Staal. Who knows, Kunitz could be Malkin's other winger with Sykora and something bigger is in the works for Sid.

I try not to talk about every game individually, but this was a necessary point to talk about.
Kudos to Dan Bylsma.
His system finally worked the way he said it would.
I know it was the New York Islanders, but we have been having trouble with everyone we play and they were no exception. If it wasn't for Yann Denis, I believe it could easily have been 5 or 6 to nothing. This style is exciting and fun, it works only because our players are very skilled. Seriously, could you see a team that has half the firepower offensively be able to control the puck like we can? I don't think so. Bylsma saw the skill and speed we have and knew we could play this style and win. I think if we are as successful in Chicago on Friday, Bylsma will be almost on God status in Pittsburgh. I am finally excited to see what happens next. I have been watching the standings and the teams that we need to lose are losing and we are finally winning. This should give us quite a bit of confidence going into the stretch run.

Let's Go Pens!