NHL trade rumors: Top 5 teams who should trade for Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Pittsburgh Penguins
Why he would make sense for them: The Pittsburgh Penguins have been incredible this season. They’ve suffered so many serious injuries to some of their best players, but they’re still in the running for the Metropolitan Division crown. The scary part is they have plenty of cap space and motivation to upgrade at the trade deadline thanks to Jake Guentzel‘s injury.
Now, I think the more likely move is they get someone like Jason Zucker. After all, general manager Jim Rutherford prefers to trade for players with term and the Penguins have already tried to trade for him. But what if Zucker isn’t an option? Then I think the Penguins might turn their attention to Pageau, who would give them three excellent centers.
Why he doesn’t: As I said earlier, trading for a wing probably makes more sense. But Rutherford is a hard guy to figure out, so who knows? That said, Kreider would probably make more sense than Pageau.
Also, Rutherford’s history proves he likes to make his moves earlier rather than later. For example, last season, he traded for Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad in early February. I’m not sure the Senators will know what they’re doing with Pageau by then.
Verdict: I honestly didn’t think of Pageau as a fit with the Penguins until I listened to a recent podcast from Pensburgh. It makes a lot of sense to me now.