Penguins GM: Offseason priority is to add a defenseman
The Pittsburgh Penguins made noise on Wednesday when they dealt forward Conor Sheary and defenseman Matt Hunwick to the Buffalo Sabres for a conditional fourth-round pick.
It was a compelling deal that, as general manager Jim Rutherford noted, is par for the course in the modern NHL.
"This is just part of the system now," Rutherford told reporters, via Jonathan Bombulie of the Tribune Review. "It makes it hard to keep all the players. If you're going to free up cap space these are the things you have to do."
With the deal, the Penguins were able to shed $5.25 million in cap space which could be used on a defenseman. And as Rutherford admits, adding another D-man is his priority going into the offseason.
Rutherford: “Our priority in this offseason is to add another defenseman.” He adds that creating balance through the entire lineup is also important.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 27, 2018
On top of that, Rutherford also hopes to get restricted free agent Jamie Oleksiak and unrestricted free agent Riley Sheahan signed to new contracts.
"That's just in the process now," Rutherford said of a new contract for Oleksiak. "It'll get done at some point."
He added that the team was getting closer to a Sheahan deal.
Thanks to Wednesday's trade, Rutherford will now have a total of just over $10 million to address his needs at defense and his pending free agents.