Confirmed with Link: Bortuzzo and a 7th (2016) for Ian Cole (Blues retain $225k salary)

[specialized]

Would've liked to see someone grittier, Cole is more of what we already have.

Seems kind of pointless.

Yeah but Cole is a good skater.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

It doesn't sound like Cole is Orpik, but I think a lot of people think he's Ehrhoff or Martin which I don't believe to be the case.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Typical negative response about a player people probably haven't seen enough of. I liked Ian Cole as a prospect long before he was being ****ed around by the Blues the last 2yrs. The guy is big, physical, skates well and seemed to be in Hitch's doghouse at times.

He's better than Bortuzzo.

Martin, Letang
Pouliot, Despres
Scuderi, Cole

 

[Fleury3434*]

Typical negative response about a player people probably haven't seen enough of. I liked Ian Cole as a prospect long before he was being dicked around by the Blues the last 2yrs. The guy is big, physical, skates well and seemed to be in Hitch's doghouse at times.

He's better than Bortuzzo.

Martin, Letang
Pouliot, Despres
Scuderi, Cole

You forgot erhoff. Pouliot will be sent down

 

[Honour Over Glory]

You forgot erhoff. Pouliot will be sent down

He's not 100% yet I feel, I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't ready for the next game either. But if Ehrhoff is ready to play, yeah keep Pouliot in WBS for their run and keep him on the taxi squad.

Martin, Letang
Ehrhoff, Cole
Scuderi, Despres

 

[Zen Arcade]

Cole isn't physical.

 

[High Flying Birds]

We get less physical but Bort hasn't been the same bruiser for awhile now. Maybe because of the suspensions or the Tootoo incident. I think at worst, it's a bottom pairing guy for another bottom pairing guy. Don't care about the pick. Maybe Cole can turn it around like Niskanen did. Good luck to Bort.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Cole isn't physical.

I should have said aggressive, he's not a bone crunching hitter, but he's a guy that plays aggressive without going over board like Bortuzzo did and why he's now out.

 

[SwordofStMichael]

One more trade on the way

 

[Honour Over Glory]

One more trade on the way

Where did you read that?


I'd still love the Pens to dump Adams some how.

 

[Joejosh999]

Dumping Adams, God too much to hope for. I'd start drinking early in celebration lol!

 

[shureshot66]

Not a big deal now that the deadline is over, but Rutherford said the Blues agreed to retain $225k of Cole's salary so that his cap hit with the Pens remains the same as Bortuzzo's.

 

[rumrokh]

Blues fan here. Cole has really played well over the last couple of months. If he keeps that up, it's a good deal for the Penguins. But before that, he was wildly inconsistent and either didn't think at all or overthought everything when he had too much time with the puck. In general, he plays almost exactly like Barret Jackman does except Cole is less physical/mean, a worse penalty killer, and less consistent.

After acquiring Michalek to replace Cole, the Blues obviously just wanted Bortuzzo as a tough #7. They've been missing snarl on the back-end for a long time.

 

[gordie]

Blues fan here. Cole has really played well over the last couple of months. If he keeps that up, it's a good deal for the Penguins. But before that, he was wildly inconsistent and either didn't think at all or overthought everything when he had too much time with the puck. In general, he plays almost exactly like Barret Jackman does except Cole is less physical/mean, a worse penalty killer, and less consistent.

After acquiring Michalek to replace Cole, the Blues obviously just wanted Bortuzzo as a tough #7. They've been missing snarl on the back-end for a long time.

We get rid of or fail to acquire snarl and size and add Lovejoy's and Niskanen's that is why Sidney Crosby will probably never win another cup.

 

[clefty]

I don't know that "snarl" is a word I'd use to describe Bortuzzo. He's physical but kinda timid at the same time.

He got beaten badly in a fight with Jordin Tootoo for goodness sake. Twice.

 

[gordie]

I don't know that "snarl" is a word I'd use to describe Bortuzzo. He's physical but kinda timid at the same time.

He got beaten badly in a fight with Jordin Tootoo for goodness sake. Twice.

Bortuzzo is a terrible puck handler and makes really poor decisions in own zone. Cole is an upgrade over that.

 

[Ugene Magic]

It doesn't sound like Cole is Orpik, but I think a lot of people think he's Ehrhoff or Martin which I don't believe to be the case.

Orpik light.

 

[Jacob]

Cole isn't physical.

He's definitely not soft.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

It doesn't sound like Cole is Orpik, but I think a lot of people think he's Ehrhoff or Martin which I don't believe to be the case.

Cole isn't physical.

Cole is more physical than anybody we have (left), so there's that.

It would have been a very nice addition had we not traded our two most physical blueliners.

I still like this deal. It just seems more pointless now.

 

[td_ice]

Well Borts main attribute he brought to the team, physicality, after the whole Jagr/Tootoo, suspension/fight scenario, seemed to disappear.

So what was left wasn't very valuable. I don't know anything about Cole, but I definitely don't think it will take much to be an upgrade on Borts.

 

[shureshot66]

 

[AgentM]

Kinda sad how everyone is ignoring this trade where we improved a thoroughly average (at best) player in Bortuzzo into a better one in Cole that has top 4 talent and could improve after getting away from Hitchcock's restrictive system. As others have said Bort has been pretty neutered since the Jagr incident so that took away his best attribute so I see this as a definite win for us.

 

[member 51464]

I was happy to see this move. Would've been happier had it stopped at this and we kept Despres. Oh well.

 

[Borderbluesfan]

Blues fan. Cole has been a good, solid defenseman. Can play physical, but hasn't been the same big hitting defenseman that he was prior to his suspension after hitting a Detroit player in 2012. Was a pretty clean hit, but he was suspended by Shanahan, the former Redwing's player in charge of discipline at the time. He can play physical, but seems tentative at times. Can move the puck and can skate. A lot of Blues fans liked him and saw potential, but others hated him because he is 26 and didn't develop faster as a top end defenseman.

 

[tom_servo]

Blues fan. Cole has been a good, solid defenseman. Can play physical, but hasn't been the same big hitting defenseman that he was prior to his suspension after hitting a Detroit player in 2012. Was a pretty clean hit, but he was suspended by Shanahan, the former Redwing's player in charge of discipline at the time. He can play physical, but seems tentative at times. Can move the puck and can skate. A lot of Blues fans liked him and saw potential, but others hated him because he is 26 and didn't develop faster as a top end defenseman.

Sounds like Bortuzzo after his hit on Jagr this year. But I think Bortuzzo has a lot of grit left in him.

Thanks for the post.