3 Pittsburgh Penguins Trade Assets

The Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to be busy before the March 3 trade deadline. General manager Ron Hextall locked up his core last summer and now the fine tuning begins. The Penguins are in the market for some depth up front and have a surplus of defensemen who could be shipped out of town. Let's dive into three Penguins trade assets this season:

Pierre-Olivier Joseph

The one-time top prospect has played in more games this season than ever before. The Penguins tried to move POJ before the start of the season and didn't have any luck, however with his strong play of late, perhaps talks pick up steam. So far in 27 games, the 23-year-old eight points and is an impressive +10 rating. Considering how hard it is to find cheap reliable defenseman, the Penguins may be able to get a solid return in this trade.

Ty Smith

The player Joseph beat out for the job is Ty Smith, who was acquired from the New Jersey Devils for John Marino in a big offseason move by Hextall. Likely one he's regretting as Marino has been on fire this season. Smith on the other hand is in the AHL and has put up 13 points in 23 games with Wilkes-Barre Scranton. Smith is 22, signed for $863,333 this season and is a pending restricted free agent. Last season with the Devils the mobile defender put up 20 points in 66 games. There's certainly still a trade market for his services.

Kasperi Kapanen

The Penguins have moved Kapanen all over their lineup this season and sometimes to the press box as well. Of late, Kapanen has been playing much better and has found his offensive touch. He's best suited for a checking role, and with his $3.2 million salary this season and next, he'll need to be packaged for another team to take him on. So far in 22 games, Kapanen has recorded 13 points. Last season he put up 32 points in 79 games and landed a $6.4 million contract. The Vancouver Canucks could have some interest here, as too the Anaheim Ducks.

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