He swung for the fences but wasn't making any contact.
With spring training in full bloom, it's the perfect time to use a baseball metaphor for hockey. With two strikes and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the possibility of coming away with nothing at the trade deadline becoming more realistic by the minute, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero decided he better bunt.
So instead of knocking one out of the park by landing Vancouver Canucks center Ryan Kesler—arguably the biggest name considered available on trade deadline day—Shero had to settle for a couple of 30-year-old journeymen whose combined stats this year are just a shade higher than Kesler's.
Ouch.
It's not entirely fair to fault Shero for doing his best to complete a blockbuster and failing at the end of the day. Kesler at nearly any cost would have made the Penguins an even bigger threat in the Eastern Conference. Maybe unstoppable if it wasn't for the love-hate relationship between the goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and the playoffs, which has been more hate than love since he won the Stanley Cup in 2009.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Macfarlane
Did Penguins GM Ray Shero Cost His Team by Striking Out at 2014 Trade Deadline?
March 7th, 2014 by Steve Macfarlane Leave a reply »
Advertisement