A trade for Ray Whitney?
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Hurricanes forwards Eric Staal, right, and Ray Whitney celebrate the a goal as Penguins forward Ruslan Fedotenko skates away during a game in December.
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Q: Would the Penguins consider trading for Ray Whitney? He has great creativity around the net and could be that winger the Penguins could use down the stretch drive and Stanley cup playoffs with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. He seems to me he would be a player that the Penguins could get for a light cost to their core (say a draft pick and a minor leaguer).
Andrew Kosek, Sunbury, Ohio
MOLINARI: Yes, Whitney would seem to be a very nice fit for the Penguins, who could use a right-handed winger capable of playing on one of their top two lines and working on the No. 1 power-play unit.
He leads Carolina in goals (16) and points (39) and is in the final season of a contract that carries a salary-cap hit of $3.55 million, which means that when it is pro-rated for the final month or so of the season, the Penguins probably could squeeze it in.
And while Whitney hardly is in the prime of his career -- he will turn 38 May 8 -- Bill Guerin was in the same age bracket when the Penguins acquired him in 2009, and that didn't prevent him from being a major contributor in their Stanley Cup drive.
The trouble is, all the things that make Whitney so appealing to the Penguins have attracted the attention of other teams that plan to be buyers as the March 3 trade deadline approaches, and that is sure to drive up the Hurricanes' asking price.
While nothing is certain at this point, the thinking here is that the bidding will get to be too rich for the Penguins and that if, as expected, they go shopping for a top-six winger, they will end up looking elsewhere.
First Published January 26, 2010 12:00 am
