News: Ducks trade Chris Kunitz for Penguins' Ryan Whitney
Maligned for their lack of scoring depth, the Pittsburgh Penguins swung a trade for the present and the future on Thursday, dealing promising defenceman Ryan Whitney to Anaheim. In return, Pittsburgh receives scoring left-winger Chris Kunitz and prospect Eric Tangradi, a left-winger with the Ontario Hockey League's Belleville Bulls.
In an interview with CBCSports.ca, Ducks centre Todd Marchant expressed sadness in having to say goodbye to a good friend in Kunitz but also excitement as far as what the six-foot-four, 220-pound Whitney could bring to the team's back line. "He's a big defenceman, and we hope that he can come in and help us," Marchant said by phone from Boston. "We're in a playoff fight, and every point is going to be huge for us, so we're looking for him to play his game, and that'll take care of itself."
The NHL's trade deadline is March 4 at 3 p.m. ET.
The Penguins entered play Thursday in 10th spot in the NHL's Eastern Conference and out of a playoff spot with a 30-26-6 record. At 30-27-5, Anaheim is 10th in the West. Pittsburgh is fifth in the East with 186 goals scored, but 73 of those have come from three players: Evgeni Malkin, Petr Sykora and captain Sidney Crosby, who is currently nursing a groin injury.
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