Penguins beg Blackhawks for help in potential trade

On Wednesday, the Ottawa Senators cleared cap space trading second and fourth-round picks to the Chicago Blackhawks to move defenseman Nikita Zaitsev for future considerations.

When the Pittsburgh Penguins saw the deal, they thought they could possibly to the same to get cap space of their own.

According to Jay Zawaski, a source believes that if “the Penguins were to offer a Zaitsev-type trade for Kasperi Kapanen, the Blackhawks would take him off their hands. The Penguins are seeking cap flexibility for this year and beyond.”

When Zaitsev was moved to Chicago, it freed up $4.5 million in cap space for the Senators this season and next, with the focus now turning to what Ottawa will do with that space.

Kapanen has got one more year left on his deal at $3.2 million. Though he is a skilled forward who can score, he is not consistent. More importantly at the moment, the Penguins don’t have the space to activate defenseman Jan Rutta back into the lineup.

The Penguins have informed rival teams that Kapanen is available for trade, though they especially would want the Blackhawks to help them out like they did Ottawa.

But the Pens don’t have that hefty of an arsenal when it comes to picks in upcoming drafts.

In 43 games this season, Kapanen has hit seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points and has spent time in the press box as a healthy scratch.

He might benefit from a change of scenery, like the Penguins would definitely enjoy the extra space on their cap.

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