Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has been a busy man recently.
After flipping a first-round pick and Rob Klinkhammer to the Edmonton Oilers for David Perron, he followed up with a deal that brought the Pens depth winger, Maxim Lapierre, from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Marcel Goc.
Incredibly, he may not be done.
Buried at the bottom of a recent report from The Fourth Period revealing Pittsburgh's recent overtures towards the Toronto Maple Leafs for winger, Daniel Winnik - a deal they're probably no longer pursuing in light of the Lapierre trade - is the following nugget...
"The Penguins are also believed to be eyeing Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Andrej Sekera and Edmonton Oilers rearguard Andrew Ference."
Rutherford, according to the TFP report, is seeking a top-four defenseman, a bill both Sekera and Ference fit.
He's got limited cap space at the moment with which to work - 0.524 million, per NHLNumbers.com - so any deal will be dependent on creating space elsewhere.
Sekera, a pending unrestricted free agent the Hurricanes have been attempting to sign to a long-term extension, is expected to be dealt by the NHL trade deadline if a new contract can't be hammered out.
An extension will be difficult for the notoriously thrifty Hurricanes, as Sekera is expected to demand a deal in the $5 to $6 million a year range and GM Ron Francis has the franchise operating on a tight, self-imposed budget.
The 28-year-old Sekera has one goal and 14 assists this season for the Canes. He's a pretty good movement blueliner with legit offensive skill entering the prime of his career - he finished last season, his first in Carolina, with 44 points.
The cost for the Pens would be fairly significant. TSN's Bob McKenzie expects the price tag to be, at the very least, a second-round pick and a "pretty decent prospect or young player," if not more.
As for Ference, the Oilers are reportedly "open for business" on the trade front and seeking to get younger.
At 35, Ference is nearing the end of his prime NHL years, though he has two goals and six assists this season.
He's got term left on his deal - he signed a four-year, $13.5 million contract with his hometown Oilers in July, 2013 - but does not have a no-trade or no-move clause.
