For the second time in a little more than three months, Penguins general manager Ray Shero determined the best way to improve his team was by trading a popular defenseman.
On Nov. 16, the guy to go was Darryl Sydor — shipped to Dallas for another defenseman, Philippe Boucher.
Thursday morning, the Penguins dealt defenseman Ryan Whitney, once labeled by Shero as part of the franchise "core," to the Anaheim Ducks for gritty winger Chris Kunitz and prized prospect Eric Tangradi.
A lot of factors played into Shero's willingness to part with Whitney, a skilled offensive defensemen who in July 2007 was the first so-called "core player" he signed to a lengthy extension — six years, $24 million.
The biggest factors, though, were depth at defense in regards to skilled offensive-minded players and a dire need for an improved winger to play on one of the Penguins' two top scoring lines.
"With the emergence of Kris Letang and with (Sergei) Gonchar coming back and with Alex Goligoski and his development this year, it gave us one extra defenseman to try to get a top-six forward like we have with Chris Kunitz," Shero said.
Kunitz, 29, scored 16 goals and recorded 19 assists to go with 55 penalty minutes in 62 games this season with the Ducks. He was part of their 2007 Stanley Cup winning team and this season was their leader with 148 hits.
He is signed through 2011-12 at an annual cap hit of $3,725,000 — just $275,000 less than Whitney.
Kunitz is expected to play tonight at Chicago.
"It kind of came out of the blue, but when I sat down and thought about it, it's a great move for my career," said Kunitz, adding that he looked forward to playing with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
"The Penguins are only a couple of points out, and this is a (five-game) road trip. It's important for me to help us get points right away."
