Devils ship Jagr to Penguins
2019-01-29PITTSBURGH - GM Ian Gurtowski announced today that the club has acquired, pending a trade call, Jaromir Jagr and Lee Stempniak from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Devante Smith-Pelly and a 2019 3rd round draft pick.
Jagr (4G 12A in 30GP) and Stempniak (5G 6A in 30GP) both bring a wealth of veteran experience to a Penguins lineup that has been successful lately, but was also looking for that extra punch to give them everything they needed for a long cup run.
"We felt that this deal, acquiring these players, was a good move for our team in order to give our lines some flexibility and added punch, as well as trying to spark the team as a whole. If you're gonna win in this league, it can't be just because of one line or one player, it needs to be from everyone."
Smith-Pelly (scoreless in 25GP) was simply not a fit for the lineup, and the talk of the town was that Gurtowski had been trying to move him for awhile.
"It's unfortunate that things weren't working out with DSP, but we just needed more from our lineup top to bottom, and we hope he can find his game in New Jersey, and obviously we wish him all the best."
The Penguins (20-9-2) take on the Avalanche (13-11-4) as they try to get back on track. They are tied for top in the Metropolitan Division, but are 2-2-1 in their last 5 games.