Pittsburgh Penguins Obtain Defenseman Ian Cole From St. Louis Blues
By Larry Snyder
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Monday that they obtained defenseman Ian Cole, 26, from the St. Louis Blues in a transaction for defenseman Robert Bortuzzo and a seventh-round pick in the 2016 National Hockey League Entry Draft.
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The Ann Arbor, Mich, native participated in 54 contests with the Blues this season, and recorded four goals and five assists for nine points. His +16 plus/minus ratio ranked third on St. Louis and second among the team’s d-men. Paul Martin is the only Penguin with a higher rating at +20 this season.
Last season in his first full NHL campaign with the Blues, the 6-foot-1, 219-pound blueliner collected career highs with eight assists and 11 points in 46 games.
Cole was drafted by St. Louis in the first round, 18th overall, during the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He has nine goals and 22 assists for 31 points in 167 career regular season contests. He suited up for two NHL playoff match-ups with the Blues in 2011-2012.
Cole also played three seasons of college hockey for the Fighting Irish. He was designated an NCAA West All-American back in 2009, becoming the first Notre Dame player in 10 years to receive that honor.
In relation to the salary-cap in the NHL, Cole is a pending restricted free agent with a $900,000 impact, while Bortuzzo on the other hand is a pending restricted free agent with a $650,000 hit.
Bortuzzo, who will turn 26 on March 18, put up two goals and four assists in 38 games with the Pens. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Thunder Bay, Ontario native had 68 penalty minutes, which ranked second on the club.
It should be noted that this was the first of two deals on Monday, and the third in less than a week for the Black and Gold. The Penguins added center Daniel Winnik last Wednesday from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 2015 NHL Trade Deadline was today at 3 p.m. ET.
Up Next: Pittsburgh (36-17-9, 81 points) visits the Pepsi Center in Denver Wednesday, March 5 to take on the Colorado Avalanche (27-25-11, 65 points). The puck is set to drop at 10 p.m. and it will be broadcast on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.
From The Clipboard: Last week, Evgeni Malkin contributed three assists in the 4-3 victory Wednesday over the Washington Capitals. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound center put up two goals and an assist Sunday in the 5-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. For his efforts, he was named Monday the NHL “Third Star of the Week” for the week ending March 1.
Citizens’ Voice reporter Jonathan Bombulie had this comment Monday about defenseman Derrick Pouliot on Twitter…
Derrick Pouliot was assigned to WBS on paper today so he can be eligible for the AHL playoffs if Pittsburgh decides to go that route.
— Jonathan Bombulie (@BombulieTrib) March 2, 2015