like that trade but colorado prob wont and absolutely no on del zotto at that price i would rather pay stone but he prob would be out of price range . top 4 good balance del zotto 5/6/7 way cheaper options for depth defense and if last yr is any indication we need at least 2 or 3 dmen to fill that price range i would prefer to have 8-9 dmen ready if needed ruhwedel pouliot as 7/8 d fill void 5/6 somewhere else . i think its gonna cost 5 on term for schultz and dumo can be had for 3 but we shall see soon enough prob bump sheary up to at least 2.5 m weircioch quincey nestrov all cheap option that gives up 9 servicable dmen which we will need. kincaid would be nice backup but not sure he can be had at that price and he is gonna need to play 25 games. which based on last year he can definately handle we have ton of back to backs most in the league this year

I went with that trade considering most of the rumors have that being what would be needed to get duchene. Sakic wants youth in return. Not a big Zotto fan either, but if that trade would go through and the pens lose maatta, then something needs to be done on the defense to fill the spot and I believe del zotto made like 3.75 range last year. He just turned 27, so he's not going to be looking to take a pay cut just because he'd be on a team that has a good chance at a cup. Also not sure Pouliot is going to pan out, at least not with the pens. He was a stud in portland, avg in WBS, and hasn't shown much when brought up for the pens. I think ruhwedel is a nice piece to have and could potentially fill an injury to one of the top 6 nicely ( and he showed that he's not afraid to shoot), Gaunce was hit or miss. I do think someone needs to be brought in to add to the defense though. Streit is gone, daley is gone, not sure what hainsey will be doing (id retire if i were him). When it comes to free agent D (assuming the trade happens and maatta is gone, idk who would be good options. Smith signed with rangers, not sure what's going to happen with stone in CGY. If i were the pens, i'd also be a bit worried about letang's future. A stroke and neck surgery aren't any minor injuries, he could finish his career much earlier than most think