(1) Why did the Marcel Goc / Maxim Lapierre trade even happen?
On the surface, the Goc-Lapierre trade didn’t make a lot of sense. Â Both teams seemed to be swapping versatile, pending-UFA, fourth-line centers with comparable cap hits (Goc $1.2M and Lapierre $1.1M).
I think there’s more to it though and the deal should work out for both St. Louis and Pittsburgh.
Blues GM Doug Armstrong told the media on a conference call that the responsibility of Goc would allow linemates Steve Ott and Ryan Reaves to be a little more reckless on the forecheck.  Understanding what this means requires a more in-depth breakdown of the Blues’ forecheck, but here’s the quick version…
The Blues’ forecheck often has the first forward (F1)Â relentlessly pressuring opposing defensemen. The second forward (F2)Â follows close behind and punishes any player who gets a quick pass or reverse. Â St. Louis defensemen pinch hard down the wall as well, meaning that the third forward has to be very responsible defensively and read the play.
Goc is perfect for this. Â Lapierre is more like Ott and Reaves. Â He’s at his best when his feet are moving and he’s hitting everything in sight. Â This is exactly what Pittsburgh needed.
The Penguins upgraded their physicality in the offseason, but size continues to be an issue on the bottom two lines.  Playing Goc with Craig Adams made the fourth line too passive as well.
At 6-2, Lapierre brings size, speed, intensity, physicality, playoff experience, and faceoff skills. Â This trade won’t drastically alter the future of St. Louis or Pittsburgh, but it’s a deal that makes sense for both sides.
(2) Who is going to blow a playoff game (or series) with a five minute major?
Having a trio of Lapierre, Steve Downie, and Bobby Farnham on the Penguins’ playoff roster will give the team a feisty dynamic they haven’t had in years. It also creates the potential for disaster. The trio has combined for 2,977 penalty minutes at the professional level.
Downie has gotten his game under control in recent weeks, but players that toe the line of dirty play often slip up when pressure and intensity increases in the playoffs.
You heard it here: one of these three will blow a playoff game — and potentially a series — with a significant penalty.
(3) Is New Jersey ever entertaining to watch?
Somehow the New Jersey Devils are selling out games this year despite being near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.  NHL games are far more entertaining than they used to be a decade ago, but the Devils still offer the most boring brand of hockey in the league.
Owners have changed. Players have changed. Coaches have changed.
Lou Lamoriello and the passive neutral zone trap have not.
(4) What’s the value of a high-potential backup goaltender?
Cory Schneider stood on his head Friday night against Pittsburgh and I started to think about the 2013 trade that sent him from Vancouver to New Jersey for the Devils’ first round pick (eventually Bo Horvat).
I doubt Horvat will ever be good enough to make that trade even, but remember how many backup goaltenders with high potential were on the trade block back then?
Jonathan Bernier landed in Toronto (from LA) and has been decent. Â Anders Lindback flopped with Tampa after leaving Pekka Rinne’s shadow in Nashville. Â Josh Harding never left Minnesota despite years of trade rumors and is now buried in the AHL. Â Semyon Varlamov has been up and down in Colorado.
With every passing year of watching hockey, I realize how terrible I am at judging goaltender potential.  I’m not sure NHL front offices are any better.
(5) Does Craig Adams still get a jersey on a healthy roster?
Former GM Ray Shero claimed Craig Adams off waivers just prior to winning the Stanley Cup in 2009. I’m starting to wonder if Adams is headed back to the waiver wire soon.
Adams continues to get slower every season and it’s tough to find ways he’s adding value in his current role over other fourth line options. He’s won just 42.9% of faceoffs taken the last two seasons.
If he clears waivers, Adams (at $700k) can be sent to the AHL without leaving any cap hit on the Penguins’ payroll.
(EDIT: Adams is older than 35, therefore his cap hit minus $100k, or 600k, would still count. Thanks to all who pointed this out.)
(6) Why haven’t there been more trades so far?
Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has been active with deals as he looks to reshape the team’s bottom two lines, but other GM’s haven’t done much at all.
Everyone I’ve talked to across the league says there isn’t even a lot of chatter. I think there’s a few reasons for that.
Most importantly: lack of cap space. Â The salary cap didn’t increase as much as expected this season, leaving most teams scrambling to get under the cap ceiling. Â A lot of teams are still shuffling players back and forth to the minors to stay cap compliant or utilizing LTIR relief.
For teams not using LTIR and banking cap space, it makes sense to wait as close to the deadline as possible to add pro-rated salaries.
The strength of next year’s draft class also means there aren’t nearly as many picks in play. To convince a team to give up an asset prior to the trade deadline auction/frenzy, you’re probably going to have to sacrifice a first round pick (see David Perron).
I don’t envision many teams sacrificing 2015 first round picks in the coming weeks.
(7) What happened to Evgeni Malkin?
Malkin suffered a groin injury against Philadelphia on January 20.
This play seems innocent enough, but the combination of falling awkwardly and then having his left leg checked by Pierre-Édouard Bellemare in the corner left Malkin in obvious pain:
Malkin said he’s planning to join the team on their upcoming Western Canada road swing and is targeting a return Wednesday against Edmonton or Friday against Calgary.