Poll) Kings and Penguins make a trade!

[yave1964]

Two struggling teams decided to shake things up a bit, the Kings traded Tanner Pearson to the Penguins for Carl Hagelin. 

 

  Both have struggled fitting onto the right line with their team, it is a curious move IMHO for the Kings as Hagelin is an UFA at years end and Pearson is signed to a very manageable deal at 3.75 million through 20-21. Hagelin has struggled with only 1 goal this year GM Rutherford has stated this may not be the last move as he is trying to shake things up with the aging team.

 

 

What I’m seeing I don’t like," Rutherford said last Wednesday. "Nobody likes it. We’re trying to figure out what’s gone wrong here.

"I’d like to say we have an answer for it. We don’t right now. We’re watching it really close. Certainly if this continues, in short order, we’re going to have to make some changes."

But Rutherford indicated the team's most recent move might not be the last.

"This could be the start of more changes. We'll see how it goes," Rutherford said Wednesday. "The way things have gone, it's obvious that we had make a change. I feel bad — Hagelin is a popular guy. I like him a lot personally. He was part of winning a Cup ... but changes are necessary."

[yave1964]

Both have been pretty awful this year Hagelin has one goal, Pearson has zero and is a minus nine but I voted for the Penguins because Pearson is four years younger and signed through 2021 so  I voted for the Penguins.

[ruxpin]

I voted "nobody," but agree with the reasoning to vote for the Pens.  Both have been so horrible that it's going to take one of them unexpectedly clicking with new linemates. 

 

But both have been God awful. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

I will reiterate what I said in the shoutbox...

".....Early vote: Pens win this trade"

Reasoning?
While I agree both have been horrid, if you look at the history of not only both players, but of the organizations acquiring them, the Pens have the better record of taking a struggling player and turning him into a productive one. 
Like it or not, you can almost say the Penguins have a 'Midas Touch' when it comes to that sort of thing....they just touch a player, and he becomes gold, more times than not.

As for the players, look, in the shape both these guys are in, I will excuse anyone who thinks neither are NHL players...
But over the last three seasons, Tanner Pearson has at least been a steady 35-40 pt player on a usually woeful scoring LA Kings squad, who outside of Anze Kopitar and maybe Jeff Carter (when he is actually playing), have very little in the way of star forwards or anything resembling prolific scoring.

Meanwhile, Carl Hagelin, despite playing on a team with the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, and whatever young hotshot player the Pens have in their lineup, over the same span as Pearson, has managed 30 pts only once, and put up sub 30pt production the other seasons.
Extending him further back with his Ranger days, and you are looking at a guy, now 30, who still had not broken 40 points...in any season.

Hagelin himself was a Pens acquisition who did alright at first (he was lights out his first season as a Pen in the playoffs), but went downhill to be who he is pretty quickly. And, IMO, at 30, he is who he is.
He may very well rejuvenate a bit with a new team in LA, but to me, he is the type of guy who relies on his linemates to make him better, not that HE makes the lineup better....and I just don't see who in LA can possibly elevate him anymore than linemates on the Pens could or have.

Meanwhile, Tanner Pearson, by no means a stud star player, is the kind of guy who made his own way on a low scoring Kings team, and due to his "do a bit of everything" nature, should find new life with higher end linemates in Pittsburgh, while he brings along some of the grinding, blue collar style the Kings are known for.
He has hockey skills to work with....and even if short term, I can see a team like Pittsburgh bringing that out in him, ala, Patric Hornqvist.

So, this trade can go lots of ways.....or it may turn out to be a big nothing.
But, if I were forced to place a bet, today, right here, right now, as to who came out better, my money goes to those blasted Penguins with the younger, more versatile, more upside player in Pearson, than what the Kings get in Hagelin, who admittedly, brings some much needed speed to their lineup....but IMO, not much else that would be immediately beneficial to LA.

[FD19372]

The Kings need speed and a playmaker, which they got in Hagelin...although getting a little long in tooth. The Penguins get Pearson who is younger, and maybe a bit more physical IF Pearson makes up his mind he wants to play that way. He can definitely shoot the puck hard.  He has equal ability to Hagelin if not moreso at this point to put the puck in the net. Excellent trade for both teams. Win -Win. The Kings can't add enough goal scoring at this point.

[OccamsRazor]

PUSH!!!