After Sidney Crosby went down, it was pretty predictable that the Penguins would have to move for another center. They’re all in this season and they’re wasting no time.
So to fill the void while Crosby is out, Jussi Jokinen will be playing center for the Penguins, coming over in a trade from the Hurricanes in exchange for a conditional draft pick, with the conditions unnamed thus far.
Jokinen is a solid top six player, but has struggled to produce in Carolina this season, with only 11 points in 33 games. A large part of his lack of production though, has been his 4.85% on-ice shooting percentage, which is bound to bounce back at some point.
Jokinen is a solid possession player who’s been playing very tough minutes for the Hurricanes this season. This is a brilliant move by Penguins’ GM Ray Shero, a much better move than the Morrow trade to say the least. Jokinen is versatile and can play both left wing and center without losing a step.
It’s assumed that the Hurricanes are holding some of Jokinen’s cap hit back in this trade as the Penguins are tight against the salary cap.
Check out Pensburgh for more analysis on the trade.
