Pens Trade Hedberg to Vancouver

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sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=ap-penguins-canuckstrade&prov=ap&type=lgns

Penguins trade Hedberg to Canucks for draft pick

August 25, 2003
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins traded goaltender Johan Hedberg to the Vancouver Canucks on Monday for a second-round pick in next year's NHL entry draft.

Hedberg has one-year left on his contract and appears headed for a backup role with Vancouver. The Canucks avoided arbitration with goaltender Dan Cloutier by signing him to a one-year contract last month.

Hedberg, 30, played in 41 games last season, posting a 14-22-4 record with a 3.13 goals-against average. He had been considered the Penguins' incumbent starter, although rookie Sebastien Caron drew much of the playing time in the second half of last season.

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Caron, 23, was 7-14-2 with a 2.64 goals-against average in 24 appearances during his rookie season. The Penguins signed him to a four-year, $3.2 million contract on Friday.

The Penguins' top draft pick this year, Marc-Andre Fleury, 18, is also a goalie. Fleury hasn't signed, although the Penguins say he'll be allowed to compete for a job with the NHL club -- not just for a spot in the minor leagues -- when camp begins Sept. 12.

The trade leaves the Penguins have four goaltenders under contract with training camp a little less than three weeks away: Caron, Jean-Sebastien Aubin, Andy Chiodo and Martin Brochu.

Cloutier is coming off the only back-to-back 30-win seasons in franchise history. He appeared in 57 regular-season games last year, finishing with a career-best 33-16-7 record, two shutouts and a 2.42 goals-against average.

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I think the Canucks were looking for a back-up goalie for a while. Vancouver's defense is a little bit better than the defense of the Penguins, and I think that Hedberg may have the ability to steal a game or two - something that Cloutier is lacking. I think these two will duke it out for the number one job in Vancouver.

Pittsburgh most likely won't suffer from this; they have a lot of goaltenders in their system: Sebastien Caron played well when he was called upon last year, J.S. Aubin's a steady 'keeper, not to mention that Marc-André Fleury could be stopping pucks for them soon (but hopefully not too soon. It would be sad to see another Jocelyn Thibault or Felix Potvin situation).

This benefits both teams.

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I think this is a good deal for both teams...Vancouver gets a solid goalie who will be a fine backup or platoon with Dan the trash can.

Pens get a top 60 pick for a guy who was a UFA at season's end. They still ahve Caron, Aubin and Brochu around.

[Forum Ghost]

If Hedberg can return to his 2001 playoff form, then the deal turns out to be a steal for the Nucks.

Even if he doesn't return to that type of form, I predict that Hedberg will still wrestle the no. 1 job away from Cloutier.