An interesting subplot to tonight's home game against the Ducks:
The Penguins just shipped Ryan Whitney to Anaheim in return for Chris Kunitz and prospect Eric Tangradi. This gives Anaheim a pretty significant upgrade on the blue line in return for their top left-winger and a major future (Tangradi is only 4 points behind John Tavares for the OHL scoring title).
Long-term, this might be a steal for the Pens. If Tangradi turns out to be an A-list stud, he could be no small threat as a compliment to Crosby or Malkin.
Short-term, the Ducks are going to come into Boston missing a very significant player in Kunitz. They'll need to juggle their lines for a game or two, which could mean a few extra turnovers or missed forechecks tonight.
No word yet on whether Whitney joins the Ducks tonight, but I'm guessing not. The Pens play in Chicago tomorrow and I'd imagine they're already en route. [update: glove tap to Bobby Orr's Bastard for pointing out that Whitney left the Pens yesterday to "be with his family" (aka get fitted for a Ducks sweater) in the Boston suburbs. Guess that means he's playing tonight.]
2 comments:
Apparently Whitney missed last night's Pens game due to 'family matters'... Where does his family live you might ask? Why in Scituate, a suburb of Boston.
Sounds like the trade was already in the works and Whitney headed up to Boston early to ensure he could play in tonight's game for the Ducks.
How very convenient :) Thanks for the info.
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