On the Penguins: Who couldn't use another blue-liner?
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Dylan Reese, #42, the Islanders defenseman from Upper St. Clair, still is working to establish himself as an NHL defenseman.
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The Penguins have six players who have dressed for each of their first 49 games in 2011-12.
Not one of them is a defenseman.
And it's not because there haven't been enough who have tried; after all, the Penguins dressed no fewer than 12 of them before the season was half over.
The physical nature of the job, and its potential for injury, explains why defensemen don't usually turn up on ironman lists. And why teams intent on making a playoff run like to make sure their depth charts are well-stocked at that position, if possible.
Consequently, there should be a high demand for defensemen between now and the Feb. 27 trade deadline, and precedent suggests "rental" players -- players scheduled to qualify for unrestricted free agency this summer -- will command particular interest.
That's especially true of those working for teams likely to sit out the postseason, because their current employers will be in danger of losing them for no return in just a few months.
Here's a look at defensemen (along with their salary-cap hits) from some of the league's bottom-dwellers who might be traded, or at least asked about, before the trade deadline arrives at 3 p.m. Feb. 27:
Bryan Allen (Carolina, $2.75 million): Big and strong with decent mobility but won't do much for his team's offense.
Chris Campoli (Montreal, $1.75 million): A good skater with a fair offensive game who is regarded as weak, physically and defensively.
Brett Clark (Tampa Bay, $1.5 million): Able to move the puck and block shots but relies too much on finesse.
Mark Eaton (New York Islanders, $2.5 million): Heady and an excellent shot-blocker but continues to be prone to significant injuries. None of which should surprise the Penguins after his time with them.
Bruno Gervais (Tampa Bay, $525,000): A good puck-mover who is prone to inconsistency.
Matt Gilroy (Tampa Bay, $1.5 million): A strong skater who handles the puck well.
Hal Gill (Montreal, $2.25 million): Still effective in a shutdown role and hasn't gotten any less mobile since leaving Penguins as free agent in 2009. Mostly because that wouldn't be possible.
Tim Gleason (Carolina, $2.75 million): Could be one of the hottest commodities on the market the next few weeks because of his strong defensive work, toughness and intangibles.
Milan Jurcina (Islanders, $1.6 million): Great size (6 feet 4, 253 pounds) but doesn't move well and has earned a reputation for being disinterested at times. That's not a mindset teams want in the playoffs.
Pavel Kubina (Tampa Bay, $3.85 million): Pretty solid overall game, although, at 34, he's well past his prime.
Brett Lebda (Columbus, $700,000): Skates well and can move the puck but can be a liability in his own end.
Radek Martinek (Columbus, $2.2 million): Always has struggled to stay healthy and currently is recovering from a concussion.
Mike Mottau (Islanders, $800,000): Currently recovering from a concussion. Smart and mobile but suspect in his own zone.
Dylan Reese (Islanders, $635,250): An Upper St. Clair native, he skates well and can move the puck but still is working to establish himself as an NHL defenseman.
Jaroslav Spacek (Carolina, $3.83 million): Smart, reliable and responsible but, at age 37, probably not capable of filling anything more than a third-pairing role over an extended period.
Steve Staios (Islanders, $1.6 million): Willing to play a rugged game despite being 38 but is prone to taking bad penalties and probably is best cast as a depth guy.
Andy Sutton (Edmonton, $2.12 million): A hard hitter who is best-known in recent years for marginal -- and sometimes flat-out dirty -- checks he has thrown.
Ex-prospect: It was time
Tim Wallace isn't a defenseman, but he's scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent July 1.
Just like he was last summer.
Wallace, 27, is a blue-collar right winger who broke into pro hockey when he signed with the Penguins as a free agent in 2007.
He spent most of his five seasons with the organization playing for its American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre, but he did dress for 24 games in the NHL.
Coincidentally, that's precisely how many he has played in this season with the Islanders, with whom he signed last summer after being offered a contract that pays him $700,000 in the NHL, $105,000 in the minors.
Whether going to New York was the right thing for his career is hard to say -- "Maybe in the future we'll find out, but every decision you make is a risk," Wallace said recently -- but he doesn't seem to regret the time he spent with the Penguins.
"Mutually, I think I was ready for another opportunity elsewhere," he said. "I spent five years there and I learned a lot. I developed my game into what I am today and I'm really thankful for that. But I think it was time [to move on]."
First Published January 29, 2012 12:00 am
