Penguins acquire Alexei Kovalev

[playmaker7]

The Pittsburgh Penguins added another top winger Thursday, acquiring Alexei Kovalev from the Ottawa Senators.
In return, the Penguins gave up a conditional seventh-round pick in this year's draft. The pick turns into a sixth-rounder if Pittsburgh reaches the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and Kovalev appears in at least 50 percent of the first-round games.

The trade comes days after the Penguins, who have been decimated by injuries, picked up James Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen from the Dallas Stars in exchange for defenseman Alex Goligoski.

Kovalev, 38, had to waive a no-trade clause to close the deal.
Kovalev, who won a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994, is in the final year of a two-year deal with the Senators that paid him $5 million annually.

He has been a major disappointment in Ottawa, with just 14 goals and 27 points in 54 games.

A 17-year veteran, Kovalev has 426 goals and 591 assists in 1,282 career games entering Thursday. He played for the Penguins from 1998 through the 2002-03 season before being traded to Montreal.

His best season was 2000-2001, when he had 44 goals and 51 assists for Pittsburgh.

Pierre LeBrun covers the NHL for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

This is a good deal for the Pens potentially...lets hope he hasn't lost a step...

 

[Rios15]

If he can get back to form just in time for playoffs, he could be a steal for the Pens. They didn't give up too much either and thankfully, he's expiring just in case.

 

[playmaker7]

Yeah thats what I'm hoping for too. If he can play up to speed when Crosby returns...they could wreck once the playoffs come round

 

[snipezo]

Pens needed to do this deal because they're thin on forwards right now.
And Shel, I'd kinda like to see Crosby and Neal on the same line. I think they'd be great.

 

[sarge]

this is good for us, i remember back when kovalev was my second favorite player. i was a giant hockey fan when i was like 5 lol.

 

[playmaker7]

Pens needed to do this deal because they're thin on forwards right now.
And Shel, I'd kinda like to see Crosby and Neal on the same line. I think they'd be great.

Yeah for real, but it definitely helps out a shitload

 

[Rios15]

this is good for us, i remember back when kovalev was my second favorite player. i was a giant hockey fan when i was like 5 lol.

Same. I was a giant Leafs fan ever since the playoff runs starting in 2002 but then I kind of lost some of my passion for the Leafs in recent years but I'm still a fan. I'm going to the Leafs-Penguins game on Saturday night

 

[sarge]

i keep begging my dad to get ticks but he keeps telling me that he will. he hasnt and i have been asking him since sept lol

 

[Phil The Thrill]

Same. I was a giant Leafs fan ever since the playoff runs starting in 2002 but then I kind of lost some of my passion for the Leafs in recent years but I'm still a fan. I'm going to the Leafs-Penguins game on Saturday night

Lol SG is going to that and so is a kid on my hockey team.

 

[sarge]

rios, u and sg should hook up lol