[Trade] Pens trade Robert Bortuzzo + 2016 7th to Blues for Ian Cole

[sureLoss]

Mark Spector @SportsnetSpec
Pittsburgh trades Robert Bortuzzo for Cole from STL #NHLTrade

[dammage79]

Pens made a good trade. Cole is another Russell type out of St.Louis

[Flash Walken]

Interesting shakeup.

[Table 5]

St. Louis just ran out of Bortuzzo license plates.

[sureLoss]

Pierre LeBrun @Real_ESPNLeBrun
Blues trade Ian Cole to Penguins for Robert Bortuzzo. Blues also get a 7th-rounder in 2016

[ComixZone]

This seems like a bad deal for St. Louis.

[the_only_turek_fan]

WTF??? Why didn't we get Cole. That seems like a low price.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Steal for the Penguins.

[GreenLantern]

TSN thinks that St. Louis wanted some physicality on the back end.

Seems like a good deal for Pittsburgh though.

[FlamesAddiction]

Pretty even trade on the surface.

Dufus for dufus.

[YogiBerra]

Bortuzzo and Cole are the same age but Bortuzzo isn't as good don't understand this for St. Louis unless there are cap concerns. All of the trades they have made to save cap have been terrible. Perron for a second and a bust, Russel for a fourth and now this.

[Geeoff]

I like this a lot for the Penguins

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by YogiBerra

Bortuzzo and Cole are the same age but Bortuzzo isn't as good don't understand this for St. Louis unless there are cap concerns. All of the trades they have made to save cap have been terrible. Perron for a second and a bust, Russel for a fourth and now this.

Cole is not a punishing player in the corners and through the middle of the ice, but Bortuzzo is.

St. Louis is looking at Anaheim, Nashville and Chicago in the playoffs. Gotta be more physical.

[Canada 02]

Considering his draft position, Cole is pretty darn close to being a bust

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

Considering his draft position, Cole is pretty darn close to being a bust

I agree. Cole is really living off his draft pedigree still.


For comparison:

Cole: 26 years old and 167 NHL games, drafted 1st round (22nd overall).

Bortuzzo: 25 years old and 113 NHL games, drafted 3rd round (78th overall).

Schlemko: 27 years old and 212 NHL games, undrafted.

[Sylvanfan]

Coles old world stats are not exactly terrible. Certainly not those of a top 4, but for a third pairing guy they appear far from terrible.

I'm sure Corsi will prove that Cole gets nothing but offensive zone starts, and plays the easiest minutes in the NHL after every player on the Flames, and that Bortuzzo really is a corsi/fenwick gladiator.

To me it looks like Bortuzzo is a bigger body who will always be a third pairing guy. Cole looks like a serviceable third pairing guy who may still yet be able to shake out as a 4-5 defenceman.