No surprise Hornqvist is ripping it up in his new home. He never should've been traded in the first place, despite the fact that he was slowing down and had a pretty expensive deal for a few more years. That's the kind of player when, even if he isnt scoring on the PP (which he usually is), he is a massive locker room presence, and a superb teammate. So happy he is showing his value, he's a warrior and deserves all the plaudits. I think he was one of the biggest factors in the Pens turnaround before the cups.
The fact that he was traded for an even worse contract is inexcusable. This was handled like some "boat anchor for boat anchor" deal, like PH was some unmovable dead weight. But no, he had to go back to his old fetish of "rehabbing a PMD defenseman". He just couldnt leave it alone.And then he doubled down by wasting what precious cap space he had on Ceci. Two rehabs for the price of one!
I havent given up on Matheson after only a few games, especially when the whole team has looked like poop. But if this guy never gets going in our system, and remains a liability, I hope there's a compliance buyout or a expansion draft bribe to Seattle in his future. And if it comes to that, I'm guessing Rutherford will be long gone too.
(Pens fan)
