The Pittsburgh Penguins made a fairly surprising trade Tuesday afternoon.Parker Wotherspoon, among the Penguins’ most dependable players last season, was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights. In return, the Penguins are receiving Kaedan Korczak, a 25-year-old defenseman who was a regular in Vegas’ lineup for most of last season.The Penguins are retaining half of Wotherspoon’s salary. He earns $1 million annually and is entering the final season of his contract. Korczak has three years remaining on a deal that pays him $3.25 million annually.Wotherspoon made a name for himself in Pittsburgh last season, producing career highs in goals (three) and points (30). He wasn’t coveted by Vegas because of his offensive work, however. Rather, Wotherspoon was a very sound defensive player most of the season and formed a terrific partnership with Erik Karlsson. They began the season as the Penguins’ top pairing and remained so for the duration. Karlsson enjoyed a resurgence during his third season in Pittsburgh and often paid tribute to Wotherspoon for his dependable partnership.
The Penguins are now extremely thin on the left side of their blue line. Wotherspoon is gone, and unrestricted free agent Ryan Shea is set to hit the market in less than 24 hours. The remaining members of the left side of the defense are Sam Girard, Ilya Solovyov, Caleb Jones and Ryan Graves. There is a chance 2022 first-round pick Owen Pickering, a left-handed defenseman, could make the team out of training camp next year.The right side of the blue line looks quite crowded with Karlsson, Kris Letang and Korczak on the roster. Harrison Brunicke, among the Penguins’ best prospects, is in the running for a roster spot, too.Wotherspoon, meanwhile, finds himself playing for one of the NHL’s best teams.What the trade means for VegasThis feels like a really solid move for the Golden Knights, potentially upgrading their bottom pair while also saving $2.75 million in cap space. Korczak is a solid, young defenseman, but he underwhelmed this past season and was scratched for stretches in the playoffs. Vegas may have had some buyer’s remorse on his four-year contract at $3.25 million per year before it even began.Wotherspoon was strong defensively for the Penguins last season and will likely play fewer, more sheltered minutes on the Golden Knights’ bottom pair. He’s 28 with only a year left on his current deal, so it’s not a long-term play for Vegas, but it should help in the short term, and — most importantly — clear cap space for a team that’s still clearly looking to add pieces but doesn’t have much room to work. — Jesse Granger
