Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Ric Jackman wants to be traded

According to this article, Ric Jackman has asked to be traded if the Pens are going to keep scratching him. He's been scratched for 12 out of 52 games this year, including 8 straight around the time that Edzo was fired and replaced by Therrien and four of the last five games.

Jackman has said that the team isn't happy with his defensive skills, and would like him to improve in that area. I think it would be a shame to see him go. He has a great right-handed shot with good offensive skills in general. Plus, if he follows Tarnstrom out of town, that will leave Gonchar and Whitney as the only "offensive" defensemen.

That said, maybe the Rangers would take him for Poti...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The Rangers might take you for Poti, Pat. He's not well liked in these parts.

If it's his perceived defensive shortcomings that have the Pens so down on Jackman, I can't see a defensively-challenged mess like Poti being the kind of guy they'd pursue in return for him. I'm surprised that the Rangers, or the Oilers before them, never broke down and just made him a full-time forward, because he clearly plays with a forward's mentality.

Pretty much all of the knocks on Jackman apply to Poti, too. If the Pens were to acquire him, they'd probably end up spinning him off to another team by the trade deadline. He's precisely the kind of player a weak defensive team doesn't need.