Rossi reports that Penguins GM, Ray Shero would like to bolster his blueline with an offensive defenseman, someone who can be paired with Kris Letang.  Johsnon would fill that role.

The flip side to acquiring a player like Johnson would be used as insurance in the event Letang is traded or the club loses him to free agency in the summer of 2014. Letang is set to make $3.5 million next season, a number that could double if he hits the free-agent market in 2014 reports Rossi.  For this reason alone, Shero is cautiously optimistic that he’ll be able to re-sign Letang.

Johnson, a former third overall pick back in 2005 is off to a slow start this season in Columbus, scoring just 1 goal and adding 7 assists in 18 games.  He’s also a minus-10 on the year.

The 26-year old is under contract through the 2017-18 season and carries a cap hit of $4.35 next season, a far cry from what many believe what Letang could potentially seek on the open market.

Rossi mentions Simon Despres as a trade bait, a young and promising blue liner who has 2 goals and 4 assists in 17 games with the Pens this season.  To further support the claim that the Blue Jackets may be interested in completing a deal with the Penguins, Rossi reports that Columbus GM, Jarmo Kekalainen along with his assistant Chris MacFarland, and senior advisor Craig Patrick were in attendance Monday night to watch the Pens defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It’s been confirmed by Rossi that Despres is available on the trade market, despite showing tremendous potential as a top-four d-man.  Rossi is quick to remind readers that Shero has a history of moving promising defenseman leading up to the trade deadline if he receives a “long-term need” in return.  Johnson appears to be that need based on his age, abilities and current contract.

Of course we’ve already heard about the rumors that Shero is said to be interested in trying to acquire Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames to play alongside Sidney Crosby.  The two were line mates during the 2010 Winter Olympics and appeared to have instant chemistry.

For what it’s worth, Johnson is a long time friend of captain, Sidney Crosby so it’s clear that Shero likes to deal for players who will be immediately comfortable in Pittsburgh.

So when this year’s Maple Leafs team has somewhat stumbled out of the gate at 2-3, it’s understandable that fans and media personnel are already looking to the future.  More specifically, keeping their eye on the number one draft pick and securing it by having a miserable season.  Thus leading to the question if the Toronto Maple Leafs should trade Phil Kessel.

Damien Cox of the Toronto Star thinks now is the time for the club to pounce on the idea and trade Kessel by the April 3rd trade deadline.  His reasoning is simple. Trade him now while the value is reasonably high instead of having to re-sign him for gobs of money after next season or lose him for nothing to free-agency.

Cox is quick to point out that Kessel has fallen out of favor with some fans and media, wondering if he’s “ill-conditioned, isolated, troubled or simply massively unlucky, or some combination of those.”

Sure Kessel hasn’t scored yet this year, further mounting the pressure of playing in Toronto.  But Cox reminds us that over his career he’s averaged 33 goals per season, a feat only 2% of players achieved last season and only 1.4% the year before.

So the 25-year old has some talent.  That’s as obvious as the nose on your face.  And so he’s struggling this season in what is a short season so it’s difficult to say there’s lots of hockey left.

But is Cox thinking like so many Leaf fans that this season is already lost?  Sure the team lost Joffrey Lupul for a month or more but does that give them reason to expect a bottom three finish and be in play for the lottery that could land them either Nate McKinnon or Seth Jones? Their goaltending situation is a disaster, so is their season truly lost?

It would appear that Cox is thinking that very thought.  He was quick to defend his article on Twitter, stating that this isn’t about how Kessel is playing but more about managing the club’s assets.

In his piece Cox refers to the Columbus Blue Jackets trade that sent Jeff Carter to the Los Angeles Kings last spring.  Columbus received stud defenceman Jack Johnson and a first-round pick.  Surely Kessel would garner that type of return from a club desperate to add a first or second line forward for their playoff run.

It’s funny how this trade rumor has already started merely weeks after Brian Burke was released of his duties in Toronto. It was Burke who pulled the trigger on acquiring Kessel, a move that had many critics wondering if Burke knew what he was doing.  Burke always defended the move, even after he was fired.

Now Dave Nonis is in charge and like Cox says, he has no ties to keeping Kessel around.  This is his club now and he is the architect responsible for designing a Stanley Cup caliber team which may not include Phil Kessel if the Leafs can stockpile prospects for the future.

Should Nonis trade Kessel this season then we truly have our answer; that even Maple Leafs management have thrown in the towel on this season.

So for those who have not yet heard, Ilya Kovalchuk appears to have signed with the New Jersey Devils. Early reports have the contract at 17 years and $100 million. It’s a big contract, and a long one at that. How will it turn out for the Devils? I’ve got some opinions on the impact on the bridesmaid (but never the bride) Los Angeles Kings here. And no doubt people will be raging with their opinions in the weeks to come, but for now. What do you think?

There are five people who you could argue won this “saga” and here they are in brief. Feel free to weigh in with comments below:

1. Ilya Kovalchuk – The kid got $100 million. That’s not too shabby. He does have to play in New Jersey (bummer) but a little protection money will go a long way for him. Plus I hear the Jersey Shore is all the rage right about now…
2. New Jersey Devils – They’ve locked up one of the most electric players in the game for the duration of his career (and several years beyond that). He’s marketable, skilled and seemingly at least relatively personable.
3. Los Angeles Kings – They dodged a bullet here. An offensive only player that might have cost them resigning one of their numerous young stars in Doughty, Simmonds, Johnson or others?
4. NHL – They got more attention with this drama than they’ve had in years. Hell there was probably more attention paid on this issue during the mainstream media than there was during the Cup Finals. OK that’s maybe a slight exaggeration, but no question this is the most attention paid to the NHL in July in decades.
5. Nobody won. This was a drawn-out, dramatic, hellish negotiations process and we all lose. Screw them all I never want to have a FA season like this one…

So what do you think? Who won this deal?