Penguins get Conor Sheary back: Feel-good story or actual upgrade?

The NHL trade deadline has come and gone. The Pittsburgh Penguins were very active. They acquired forwards Patrick Marleau, Conor Sheary and Evan Rodrigues.

Dominik Kahun goes up to Buffalo for Sheary and Rodrigues. A conditional third-round pick heads to San Jose for Marleau.

Is that enough to make the Penguins good enough to win the Eastern Conference or even get out of the Metro Division? We ask that of Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network in Tuesday’s podcast.

Some of the thinking behind these deadline acquisitions appears to offset the absence of Zach Aston-Reese and buffer against the prospect of Jason Zucker not working out on Sidney Crosby’s line. I’ll ask Metzer how concerning both of those prospects are.

Recycling Sheary sounds like a fun, romantic story. Maybe it will be. But Metzer and I tell you why we are skeptical.

Marleau could be another version of Matt Cullen and be an effective fourth-line player.

Or he could be a short-term passenger like Brenden Morrow.

Or he could be elevated all the way up to one of the top two lines with either Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. We try to figure out which possibility is most likely.

Brian and I also dive into what we think other teams in the Metro addressed, where they missed, and how the entire Eastern Conference shapes up for the last five weeks of the season

Most importantly, though, Metz and I dissect the massive changes to the Sonic Temple lineup in Columbus May 15-17.

I’m sad about Metallica. But if the Penguins are eliminated by that point in the playoffs, let’s just say Brian and I will still have something to do that weekend.

See you in Columbus!

Well, if we aren’t seeing you at PPG Paints Arena for a crucial playoff game. We attempt to figure out if that will be the case in this podcast.

Listen: Tim Benz and Brian Metzer break down the moves the Penguins made on trade deadline. Will adding new players help the team?