Penguins' New Players Might Not Be Flipped After All

The Pittsburgh Penguins have not done well since acquiring Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak from the Edmonton Oilers, but that isn't fully on them. Skinner has only played one game, a loss to the Oilers, and Kulak is a third-pairing defenseman. The Penguins are right in the mix still as they are two points back with one game in hand of a playoff spot. They have been dealing with some injuries throughout the season, so if they get healthy all at once, they could be a force like they were at the beginning of the season.

Pierre LeBrun said, "I texted with a Penguins' source right after the trade and I said, well are you just getting Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak so you flip them at the deadline? He said not necessarily because the Penguins are in it."

Kulak, while having no impact offensively this season, can kill penalties, is an above average veteran defenseman for the third pairing, and is experienced. The Penguins already clearly like him better than Ryan Graves, who is a healthy scratch, and Matt Dumba, who was sent to the minors. Kulak has a good contract to be able to flip, but he could also be a piece to the puzzle that gets Pittsburgh back into the playoffs.

Skinner is an interesting one. He has been the starter for consecutive Stanley Cup Final runs for the Edmonton Oilers, but his numbers have been poor during the regular season for the most part and questionable in the playoffs. The thought is that he's a tandem goalie at best, and Arturs Silovs is in Pittsburgh to split the starts. Unfortunately, Silovs has really struggled after a strong start to the season. He has allowed four or more goals in four of his past five games.

Skinner has his moments and can get very hot or cold, but the question for a playoff hopeful team is would they be comfortable going at least 1/4 of the season, during the stretch run, with two very inexperienced goalies during one of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang's last seasons in the NHL? Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist have a little NHL experience, but not nearly enough for the Penguins to have confidence leading them into the playoffs this season.

But that's right now. There's a lot of time left in the season and a lot can change, for better or worse to lead to trades or no trades.