It wasn’t so long ago that Ian Cole seemed as good as gone from the Pittsburgh Penguins, with speculation that he could be dealt at any minute thanks to friction with head coach Mike Sullivan and a lack of role on the team. Now, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Cole doesn’t seem as likely to move.
Mackey writes in his latest 20 Penguins Thoughts column that he’s heard Cole is likely to stay in Pittsburgh through the deadline now, and it’s easy to see why. The 28-year old defenseman has shown the very best of himself lately, recording six points in his last ten games while helping the Penguins go 7-2-1 during that time. The club is closing the gap on the Metropolitan-leading Washington Capitals, and Cole is a huge part of their defensive effort.
Obviously, none of this guarantees he’ll be with the Penguins come March 1st. Cole remains a pending unrestricted free agent, who would be welcomed into several contending dressing rooms if he was made available. Tagged with just a $2.1MM cap hit this season, the defenseman would be the perfect acquisition for many playoff-bound teams.
That’s true though for his current team, who haven’t been able to rely on Matt Hunwick after signing him to a three-year deal last offseason, and still have a relative unknown in Jamie Oleksiak even with his strong performance through 22 games. Cole is playoff tested, suiting up for all 49 games the Penguins have played over their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs, and provides a stable presence to the bottom pairing.
Pens need to dump that stiff Hunwick and resign Cole.
I agree. Don’t know why they would want to trade Cole
Especially since they are going for another Cup.
I questioned that Hunwick deal the moment it was announced. He’s a guy you pay on the cheap to function as your 7th d, not sign for three years and go into the season relying on him to anchor your third pairing.