IGGY!

No. Words.

Forget what you heard about Jarome Iginla going to the Bruins.

Earlier tonight, it was reported that Iginla to the Boston Bruins was pretty much a done deal. Everyone was just waiting for official confirmation from the Calgary Flames GM Jay Feaster. Well, we got confirmation of a trade. It just wasn’t to where we were expecting.

Jarome Iginla is now a Pittsburgh Penguin. We were trolled hardcore.

The Penguins didn’t give up much. They gave the Calgary Flames  Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski, as well as the Penguins’ first round pick from the 2013 draft. Amazing.

No word on when Iginla will play his first game as a Penguin, or what line he’ll play on, but one has to imagine he’s going to be playing with Sid. It resulted in some golden results last time (sorry, I had to. Canadian pride and all).

Two-Morrows

The Newest Pittsburgh Penguin, Brenden Morrow

The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting stuff done before the trade deadline.

This afternoon, the team announced they have acquired forward Brenden Morrow from the Dallas Stars for- wait for it- AHL defenseman Joe Morrow (not related, although that would be a fun story) and a fifth round pick. We also received a third round pick in that transaction.

Yeah, somehow, Ray Shero managed to get the captain of the Dallas Stars and a third round pick for an AHL defenseman and a fifth round pick. Amazing.

Morrow, Brenden that is, has some history with the Pens. He was teammates with James Neal and Matt Niskanen in Dallas until those two got traded to Pittsburgh in 2011, and he was on Team Canada at the Winter Olympics in 2010 with Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury, where he won a gold medal.

He also got into a fight with Kris Letang during a game in 2010 (the same game Crosby and Niskanen fought in). So if you play on the Dallas Stars and fought with one of the Pens, you’ll be traded to that team in a couple of years.

No word on when Morrow, Brenden that is, will make his debut with the Penguins, but I’m sure a lot of us can’t wait to see what he does!

Tangradi Traded To The Jets

Bye, Tangradi!

The Pittsburgh Penguins have just announced that forward Eric Tangradi has been traded to the Winnipeg Jets for a a 7th pick at the 2013 NHL Draft.

Originally drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, Tangradi was traded to the Pens, along with Chris Kunitz, in 2009 for Ryan Whitney.

In 40 NHL games played, Tangradi had scored 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists).

It’s no secret that Tangradi struggled a bit with the Penguins, so maybe a change of scenery in Winnipeg will help him.

Good luck, Eric! See you on Friday, when the Pens take on the Jets!

Lovejoy Goes To Anaheim

We’ll miss that smile!

The Pittsburgh Penguins have traded defenseman Ben Lovejoy to the Anaheim Ducks for a 5th round pick in the 2014 draft.

In 98 games played with the Pens, Lovejoy scored 4 goals and 21 assists. He only played 3 games this season, and was often a healthy scratch. This trade will most likely allow Lovejoy to play more minutes in Anaheim. It all works out well! Good luck, Benny. We’ll always have your fat face from 24/7.

In related news, the Pens have recalled defenseman Dylan Reese from Wilkes- Barre/Scranton. Reese currently leads all the WBS defensemen in points, with 3 goals and 12 assists. It’s not too insane to think that Reese will play against the Caps on Thursday.

So Who Are The Pittsburgh Penguins?

SIGH (source: Flickr/ztil301)

Let’s be real here. I bet a lot of us have actually forgotten who the Pens acquired over the off season. There were some massive trades, and some not so big signings, but the team we saw last season is not the team we will see this year. What’s changed? Let’s check it out!

Brandon Sutter Is Excited To Be A Penguin

Welcome to the Pens, bro

After finding out he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, no one could blame Brandon Sutter for going into hiding. After all, he wasn’t expecting the trade, which sent center Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes for Sutter, an 8th overall pick, and a prospect. But after letting the news settle over the weekend, he’s excited about becoming a Penguin, and (hopefully) play in a playoff game.

“I’m four years into my career now and I’m still yet to play in a playoff game,” Sutter said. “For me, I’m at a point now where it’s about winning. That’s what I want to be there for and I want to help with that.”

A defensive forward, Sutter was a key piece in Carolina’s penalty killing. But don’t compare him to Jordan Staal.

“I’m coming in to do what I’ve done,” said Sutter. “I’m my own player. I don’t feel like I’m here to replace anyone. Jordan’s a great player and playing against is player you want to be like. Hopefully one day I can try and find that level that he was at in terms of offensive numbers.”

However, Sutter is hoping for a bigger role on the Pens than the one he had with the Hurricanes.

“One thing I did mention to them was I felt there were times when I was stuck,” Sutter said. “They were always expecting me to be good defensively, which is fine, but in terms of offense, there wasn’t a whole lot of opportunity. I think that comes with playing with different guys and maybe different chemistry. I think playing with maybe different players — on a roster that’s deeper than what we’re used to in Carolina — and a chance to maybe play with more talented players can help. I think for myself, I don’t want to be looked at as just a defensive player. I want to score goals and do things too.”

While Sutter admits he doesn’t really know any Penguins personally, he has already spoken to Ray Shero, coach Dan Bylsma, and Sidney Crosby. He also wants to get to know the city better before the season starts. My advice? Get someone like Geno to take you out on the town.

Fun fact: Sutter scored his first career goal against the Penguins, and his uncle, Rich Sutter, played 9 games with us in the early 80s.

I’ll admit, I was a little wary when I heard Sutter hadn’t talked to the media yet. I was not going to put up with a Jeff Carter on my team, but hearing him talk today has definitely warmed him up to me. No one can replace Jordan Staal to me, but it will be nice to see what Sutter can do for us.

Staal’s Gone To Carolina

Never forget ❤

Excuse me if this makes no sense. I’m typing this through my tears.

After 6 years and a Stanley Cup, Jordan Staal has been traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for Brandon Sutter, the Hurricane’s number 8 pick this year, and defenceman Brian Dumoulin. The 8th pick was used to draft defenseman Derrick Pouliot.

Thank you for everything, Jordan. I hope that you become the star you deserve to be in Carolina. And have fun playing with your brother!

Breaking: Mark Letestu Traded For Fourth-Round Pick

Tuesday evening, it was confirmed that Penguins center Mark Letestu was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.

Though sudden, the move isn’t surprising. The Penguins are deeper at center than ever before and that has left Letestu a healthy scratch for a majority of this season.

With players like Kennedy and Crosby set to return soon, and the stronger-than-ever presence of Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin, this was a smart move by GM Ray Shero.

With this new pick acquired, the Penguins now own 8 selections in the 2012 NHL Draft, which we all know will be held in the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The Pens now have 1 pick in the 1st round, 2nd round, 3rd round, 5th round, 6th round, and 7th round, along with 2 picks in the 4th round. It will be interesting to see how these picks will be used. Will we actually use them? Or will we trade them away to add more players to our team? Only time will tell!

We wish Letestu the best of luck in Columbus! We also wish the fans the best of luck in coming up with catchier nicknames than “Testtube.”