Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford acquired an offensive-defenseman for new head coach Mike Sullivan earlier this week when he plucked Trevor Daley from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Rob Scuderi. Daley, miscast as a bottom-pairing, left side defender in Chicago, looks likely for top-four minutes and maybe even some power play time when all is said and done in Pittsburgh (ie; when Kris Letang gets back). Unsurprisingly though, the deal with the Blackhawks wasn't the only trade that Rutherford was chasing prior to honing in on Daley. According to Darren Dreger of TSN, Rutherford at the very least "kicked tires" on Winnipeg Jets defenseman Tobias Enstrom as well.
"I know that he had interest in other defensemen," Dreger said Thursday, while appearing on Ottawa's TSN 1200, per Today's Slap Shot. "Kicked tires on Toby Enstrom out of Winnipeg, but just didn't seem to be a fit there with the money. And I don't know that they actually even negotiated on trade. I believe that Rutherford was shooting a little bit higher."
Whether Daley constitutes "higher" is entirely debatable. Yes, Daley posted a career-year for the Dallas Stars in 2014-15 when he was seeing top-pairing minutes - 16 goals and 22 points - but he was also a defensive liability and wounded the Stars with mediocre play in his own end as much as he aided them by freelancing and/or on the breakout.
Enstrom, 31, is small for a defenseman, even by the new NHL's standards. At 5-foot-10 and 180-pounds, Enstrom sticks out like a sore thumb - or pinky - on a Jets team that's known for its menacing size. Because of his stature, Enstrom doesn't play with much physicality.
But he's a smart player who uses good positioning and strong hockey sense to his advantage. He rarely makes mistakes and he's almost always where he needs to be. For a small player, his offensive upside is limited - he's got just one goal and eight assists this season - but he's better overall than he's usually given credit for.
Considering the issues facing the Penguins - a lack of offense exacerbated to an extreme degree by a defense almost entirely incapable of completing strong outlet passes or chipping in in the offensive zone - and that Rutherford was able to land Daley in a swap that works out very well in terms of dollar in, dollar out, Enstrom probably wasn't the guy they were looking for anyway.
But it's interesting nonetheless to look back and see what could have been, especially when it involves a player as divisive as Enstrom's been in Winnipeg.
