The trade that was supposed to happen on Wednesday, finally happened Thursday. According to a report from Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, plus a few other sources who are now reporting the trade as finalized, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers have dotted their I’s and crossed their T’s on the Patric Hornqvist and Mike Matheson trade.
The deal now includes another piece as the Panthers also send forward Colton Sceviour in the deal and there is no salary retained in the trade from either side.
Related: NHL Trade Rumor: Hornqvist to Panthers for Matheson
Hornqvist has three years remaining on a deal that will pay him $5.3 million per season. Meanwhile, Matheson has $4.875 million for four additional seasons and Sceviour $1.2 million for one more season. So, when all is said and done, the Penguins are actually taking on more salary in 2020-21 than they moved out in the deal. A strange situation considering the team was rumored to be looking to shed cap space and not add it.
This Is A Questionable Deal At Best
There are a lot of people wondering what the Penguins are doing this offseason. They moved a first-round pick for Kasperi Kapanen, then they grabbed Nick Bjugstad for peanuts from the Minnesota Wild. Now, they move a older and slower, but still decent scorer for a defenseman who likely won’t play in their top four and a depth forward with only one season left on his deal.
Matheson is a great skater who can move the puck well, plus he recovers loose pucks and wins battles at a high rate. That said, he was prone to turnovers last season, turning the puck over on almost 1 of every 5 puck possessions at even-strength.
Sceviour, 31, scored six goals and 16 point in 69 games this past season and should fill a bottom-six role in Pittsburgh.
Next: Penguins Trade Talk Update: Bryan Rust Drawing Interest