Reaction to the ANA-PIT trade

ANA: D Ryan Whitney
PIT: LW Chris Kunitz, C Eric Tangradi

Arguably this season's blockbuster, this trade sent defenceman Ryan Whitney, an intricate part of the Pittsburgh Penguins' 2008 Stanley Cup run, to the Anaheim Ducks, in exchange of forwards Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi. The 25 year-old Whitney had ammassed 13 points in 30 games for the defending Eastern Conference champions, while their powerplay quarterback Sergei Gonchar was sidelined by a shoulder injury. Kunitz, for his part, had been one of Anaheim's top forwards for the last 4 seasons and was deemed expendable, if the return he obtained contained a defenceman with a long-term contract, thus this trade. For the moment, Anaheim seems to have gotten the better end of this trade (slightly) as they acquired a proven veteran defenceman with offensive upside, who can help them immediatly. Pittsburgh received a solid but ''talent-limited'' forward in Kunitz, who should not be able to impact the club tremendously, even though he will provide some offensive upside. Tangradi is a little ways off, but should his transition to the NHL be smooth and swift, as it is expected to be, the Pittsburgh Penguins will have definitely won this deal.