PENS PICK UP BRENDEN MORROW FOR TOP D PROSPECT
The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired winger Brenden Morrow and a third-round pick in 2013 from the Dallas Stars for defenseman Joe Morrow and a fifth-round pick in 2013.
What does it give the Pittsburgh Penguins
This is an ideal move by the Pens on several levels. Foremost, it gives them much-needed scoring depth at left wing behind {P Chris Kunitz}. Secondly, Morrow brings great leadership (as Big D's former captain), including true grit, toughness, and clutch ability. While this may turn out to be a rent-a-player situation (since Morrow's contract runs out after this season), it significantly boosts Pittsburgh's title chances this season. Giving up a future star blueliner in {P Joe Morrow} is a fairly steep price for a short-term add, but Pittsburgh also upgrades its draft pick situation (and they do still have have promising rearguard {P Simon Despres}).
What does it give the Dallas Stars
Nice deal here by the Stars. In Joe Morrow they add a likely future power play QB (although he's still adjusting to the pro game in the AHL). While Joe Morrow hasn't quite wowed in his first AHL season offensively (15 points in 57 games, and a minus-7), he was a point-per-game d-man as a junior and he projects to be a star. He joins Dallas' impressive crop of young blueline talent (which also includes {P Brenden Dillon}, {P Jordie Benn}, {P Jamie Oleksiak}, and others). Meanwhile the Stars also avoid paying the rest of Brenden Morrow's salary this season, and there's always the chance their captain re-signs with them as a free agent this summer.
Fantasy impact
On the Pittsburgh side of this deal, Brenden Morrow gets the biggest boost since he projects to potentially play with {P Evgeni Malkin} and {P James Neal}. Meanwhile {P Matt Cooke} moves to a less prominent role as a result, making him even less a fantasy factor than he was. On the Dallas side, {P Eric Nystrom} seems to be in line for more ice-time, and it seems likely they'll re-shuffle their top six to get {P Erik Cole} on one of the top two lines. As mentioned above, {P Joe Morrow} will eventually be a star in the NHL, but even if he's promoted soon by Dallas, don't expect much offensively just yet (but do upgrade him in keeper leagues, since he has more opportunity to climb the ladder now than he might have in veteran-heavy Pittsburgh).
