In a surprise, post-win transaction, the Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired center Maxime Lapierre from the St. Louis Blues. In return, the Pens shipped fourth line center Marcel Goc to the Blues. Both Goc and Lapierre are in their final years of deals and will be UFAs come July 1st.
Maxime Lapierre adds yet another French Canadian to the mix. The 29 year old was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2003. He played for Montreal until 2010 when he was traded to Anaheim. The following year, he was traded to Vancouver and helped them reach the Stanley Cup Finals. In 2013, he signed with St. Louis on a 2-year, 2.2 million dollar deal.
Lapierre's best season came in 2008-09 with Montreal. In 79 games that year, he scored 15 goals and contributed 28 points. He led the Candiens in hits that season, and ranked 3rd on the team in shorthanded ice time.
Last season for St. Louis, Lapierre put up 9 goals and 15 points in 71 games played. In 45 games this year, he has 2 goals and 9 points.
So what are my thoughts? I don't see this move having the splash that GMJRs last move did. I don't see Lapierre coming in here and putting up a point a game. It's unrealistic to think that.
Now, is he worth trading Marcel Goc? Goc is a good player, but never really seemed to catch fire in Pittsburgh. He was a great penalty killer, but he put up few points. Before you jump down my throat about his linemates, let me say that his point production of course was affected by playing with Sill and Adams. That being said, that didn't stop Andrew Ebbett when he played with those two. So Goc is not completely blameless in this circumstance.
I personally think Lapierre is a good fit for this team. He's not flashy and he doesn't look good to all the analytical stats people out there, but as you guys know about me, I couldn't care less about CORSI or Fenwick. You can possess the puck all you want but if you don't score then what good is it.
Anyway, back to Lapierre. He is a solid checking line center. He will be good in the faceoff circle. His big frame and physicality will be a benefit to this team; he will certainly be a more physical force than Marcel Goc. He can kill penalties and is rather good at it. Finally, he is an agitator. He is Matt Cooke with less bat-shit crazyness. He annoys the opposing teams best forwards and doesn't take a ton of penalties. If HCMJ plays him right, especially in the playoffs, he can be what Brandon Dubinsky was against us last season.
So in the grand scheme of things, I like this move. I will like it better once I see him on the ice, but as of now, I like this move. He has the ability to score, but he is a responsible defensive center. If he can agitate like he always has, he and Downie will be incredibly difficult to play against in the bottom six.
So to all of you out there going, "what was Rutherford thinking?" Why don't you wait and see what happens once he hits the ice. Because, if I remember correctly, everyone threw a hissy fit over Hornqvist too and look how that worked out. Wait for the product on the ice before you judge and welcome to Maxime Lapierre.