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Penguins Trade Away Wotherspoon for Big D-man Korczak; Full Analysis
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- Penguins Trade Away Wotherspoon for Big D-man Korczak; Full Analysis
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Pittsburgh Penguins' trade on Tuesday afternoon was a shocker.
A day after the Pittsburgh Penguins traded depth defenseman Jack St. Ivany to the Winnipeg Jets for big defensive center David Gustafsson, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas moved quickly to add another righty on his blue line by acquiring Kaeden Korzcak, but did so at the expense of his top blue line pairing, giving up Parker Wotherspoon in return.
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Wotherspoon, 28, was the Penguins' top-pairing lefty defenseman for the entirety of last season and submitted a career season after signing a two-year free agent deal paying him only $1 million per season.
In 80 games, Wotherspoon not only properly balanced Erik Karlsson but also set a career high with 30 points, including 27 assists. Wotherspoon functioned as a No. 2 defenseman. He far exceeded expectations and also earned an invite to play for Team Canada at the World Championships.
Adding to the surprise, the Penguins also ate $500,000 of Wortherspoon's salary.
Korczak, 25, is entering the first year of a four-year extension he signed last summer, which will carry a $3.25 million average annual value. He played in 78 regular-season games, notching 16 points (3-13-16), but was occasionally a healthy scratch on Vegas's run to the Stanley Cup Final.
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He sports good mobility and size at 6-foot-3, 201 pounds. However, Korczak played in only 13 of the VGK's playoff games, otherwise serving as a healthy scratch.
Full Analysis
Korczak is a young defender who Vegas was very high on, and they lavished him with a four-year deal, but they are clearing salary cap space. The Penguins further helped Vegas by eating salary.
As Korczak made his way through the Vegas system, the book on him was that he could be the next Brayden McNabb, a steady, stay-at-home defenseman with good all-around skills. But his development began to plateau last season.
Money isn't an issue for the Penguins, so Korczak's $3.25 million salary cap hit and $500,000 of Parker Wotherspoon's cap hit aren't issues, but the roster construction is now imbalanced to the point of urgently requiring attention.
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Curiously, the Penguins now have four righty defensemen, including Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Harrison Brunicke, and Korczak, and the trade would appear to block Brunicke from earning a spot on the NHL roster because the team would assuredly want Brunicke to play every day.
The move also depletes the left side of the Penguins' blue line, as the only regular who remains is Sam Girard. Ryan Shea appears to be leaving via free agency on July 1, and prospect Owen Pickering might be able to claim a spot, but that is far from guaranteed.
There are numerous left-handed defensemen on the free agent market, but they, like Wotherspoon, would be gambles.
The overall difference between Korczak and Wotherspoon is probably small, but the role Wotherspoon played is not easy to fill, and the projected role for Korczak was to be filled by Brunicke, a defenseman important to the Penguins' future.
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It would seem more trades are coming, or a busy July 1 free agent frenzy. Something else has to give, but at least this trade makes dealing away Jack St. Ivany for a redundant asset make more sense.
The post Penguins Trade Away Wotherspoon for Big D-man Korczak; Full Analysis appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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