For once, I'm Speechless

Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis from the Boston Bruins for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a first round draft pick.

So now that it's had some time to settle in I figured I'd provide a few thoughts on the blockbuster of the day. Frankly, I'm concerned. I think this is a big hit to chemistry overall, especially with the loss of Army, and it seems like an awful lot to pay for what will most likely turn out to be a rental player. If the Pens can re-sign him, then maybe the deal is okay but do the Pens have enough money to sign him, Malkin, Fleury and Staal? I'm not certain that they do.

Christensen I'm okay with losing and Esposito, while he may end up being a star, is an acceptable loss as well but losing the toughness of Armstrong is, well, tough. This is where I think the Penguins struggle the most and while they added a concrete pylon to their defensive corp in Hal Gil, they still tend to be a little soft and were very much so in the playoffs last year. I'm just surprised to see this sudden eruption of "win now" mentality coming out of a team that has the brightest future of any team in the league.

Hossa is a beast, don't get me wrong, but he's never done much in the playoffs and will most likely not be with the Pens next season so was it worth it to give up that much for him? I think I would have rather gotten Tuomo Ruutu, someone the Pens pursued but lost out on to the Hurricanes, and paid a lesser price. I'm truly concerned that a young team who's played with tremendous heart and determination, who's overcome odds and have found new leadership in the midst of injuries to Fleury and Crosby, may suffer from this trade. It remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain, the Penguins are unequivocally the best show in town.....for now.