Montreal Canadiens -- Pittsburgh Penguins

[Penguin]

to Montreal Canadiens:
David Backes (70)
Fedor Tyutin (73)
PIT 2nd 2014

to Pittsburgh Penguins:
Zdeno Chara (85)
Evgeny Kuznetsov(61)


Reasoning:
I loveeee David Backes and he just embarassed the Sharks (!), but I was looking at Chara for a long time. A defense with great defense and a big shot. I had no defense with a shot for my PP. Tyutin is a weaker version of Chara with passing skills instead of a shot. I'm hoping Kuznetsov's change of scenary (only 8pts in 22g in Montreal) will light him up and spark some offense here in Pittsburgh, cause it's been pathetic...

[Montreal Canadiens]

Confirmed. I have LONGED for a legitimate PF and Backes is just that. I hate to give up on Kuznetsov already but I have a lot of offensive forwards right now (plus he's struggling to score) and need a player like Backes to complete my top 6. Chara is older, and a huge loss, but I'm confident that Tyutin can step in and keep things afloat. Need Boyle and Sbisa to step up more offensively and Nemeth better not get hurt this year. Good luck Matt.

[Virtual Jarmo]

Approved.

Another one of the deciding factors in this trade was Montreal's future cap situation. With Kuznetsov nearing the end of his ELC, he is due a substantial raise next season and would be locked into a long-term deal at that price. Tyutin and Backes combine to make what Chara may be awarded in arbitration. That 2014 second rounder will likely be in the bottom third of the round, so its value is hard to gauge.

On the surface, the deal certainly looks like a win for Pittsburgh, and it probably is, but there are future implications for Montreal, with raises for Nemeth, Price, and Lapierre on the horizon that make this deal just in the realm of passable.