Patric Hornqvist out long term as trade talk continues in Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been chomped on by the injury bug so far this season and just as Evgeni Malkin returns to the lineup to give the Pens a full lineup for the first time, Patric Hornqvist is out for weeks with a lower-body injury. The only good news for Pens GM, Jim Rutherford, now he has a few more bucks to spend.

As Hornqvist heads to the IR for a long-term, as Rutherford never gives out timelines on his player's injuries, the bold GM will be looking to pull the trigger on unloading some defensive depth for some help up front. Ideally, the Penguins would like to add a right-winger for the 1st line, bumping Dominik Simon down to the third line. They just may have to wait for the trade deadline for their opportunity.

Names like Brandon Saad, Wayne Simmonds, and Kyle Palmieri would all be interesting additions for closer to the trade deadline, but for now, the Pens are circling the likes of the Tyler Toffoli's of the world.

Closer to the trade deadline another name to keep an eye on is Taylor Hall. Hall has made it clear he has no intentions of signing an extension in Jersey, and his current GM just happens to have a tremendous amount of ties to Pittsburgh. The familiarity with the Pens system, could intrigue Devils GM, Ray Shero to send Hall to Pittsburgh for a package.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are open for business, even after completing deals earlier this season. They are looking to move some defense in hopes of finding a spark on offense. Jim Rutherford hopes the spark sets off a fire. Hopefully the injury bug can't stand the heat.