Early Saturday morning it was announced courtesy of TSN’s Bob McKenzie that a trade had come to fruition. David Perron and Adam Clendening of the Pittsburgh Penguins were traded for Carl Hagelin of the Anaheim Ducks. Other than the late hour that it was completed, it was a perplexing move because its seemed like mostly a lateral move skill wise.
Hagelin is due three more years on his contract after this season at a hit of $4 million per season. It is slightly cheaper for the the Penguins in the short term, but Perron and Clendening were going to be free agents after this season, so the deal could have some long-term ramifications.
Hagelin has yet to pass the 40-point mark in a season which is troublesome for a player they are looking to contribute in the top six. He seems like a better option on possibly the second or third line as he is a bit of a tweener. Perron on the other hand is a player who has scored over 50 points a few times before, but just didn’t seem to find the mark with the Penguins. He won’t continue to shoot at 4% on the season but it seems like he needed a change of scenery to jolt his game forward.
Clendening is the wild card of the bunch as he is a player most teams would salivate having on their roster. At one point he was a 0.75 ppg player in the AHL, which should translate well to the NHL, but he has bounced from team to team with seemingly no way of securing a spot. While Hagelin and Perron were a straight swap with both of their current production pathes, Clendening has an opportunity to weasel his way into a crowded, young blueline in Anaheim.
