Major trade looming in Pittsburgh?

Things are getting a whole lot more serious in Pittsburgh as the Penguins are currently  one spot out of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference with a 16-13-3 record through 32 games. 

GM Jim Rutherford has never been hesitant about making moves to improve his club, and he usually does so in time for the postseason as comes out of top as his Pens have won back-to-back championships. And the time for business has apparently arrived for Rutherford, who said his evaluation period is coming to an end and he'll soon decide what move is needed to propel his team in the playoffs. 

“We’re coming in to a critical period where we’ll make a decision whether we need to shake things up or not,” Rutherford told Jason Mackey of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday.

Though the Pens GM maintains he believes in the lineup he has put together, he will consider making a major move. 

“I’m not going to get into lists,” Rutherford replied when asked which players are untouchable. “I’m not saying we have to shake it up.

“We’re good enough to be better than we’re doing. Hopefully that’s the way it goes here in the next little while. If it doesn’t, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that a major trade would come out of this.”

For a long time, the Penguins have been looking for a third-line centre as the experiments with Riley Sheahan and Carter Rowney have not been successful. 

“We need more depth at our center ice position, to a point where we can get more production,” Rutherford explained to The Gazette. “I’d like to see if we could get more balance, more production out of our forward lines. We’ve got some guys here who are capable of producing more. At this point, it hasn’t happened. That may be the area we look at.”

And that may be a trade we see sooner than later!