Trading Places: Ex-Winterhawks Edition

The first major domino in the playoff race fell today, as the Dallas Stars sent Brenden Morrow and their 2013 third round pick to Pittsburgh.  The Stars will get defensive prospect Joe Morrow and a 2013 fifth round pick.  Brenden Morrow was a first round pick in 1997 who played his junior hockey in Portland and was on the team that last won the Memorial Cup in 1998.  Joe Morrow was the Penguins' first round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, and like Brenden, was a Winterhawk when he was drafted.  Joe was on the Winterhawks squad that came within a win of making the Memorial Cup in the last two seasons.

What does each Morrow bring to their new teams?  Brenden brings some leadership qualities on a team that is strong in that area, and as a left winger, the Pens could put him on a line with either Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby or even Brandon Sutter.  The Pens are notoriously thin on wing, and Morrow can add offense at that spot.  Joe will bring some offensive element to a Stars team that sorely needs an offensive spark plug and though he is still trying to round out his game, Morrow has a chance to be a player that could be on the Stars for years to come.  However, the Pens were stocked on the blue line, and their pipeline reads like a who's who, as Derrick Pouliot (a current Winterhawk), Scott Harrington, Olli Maatta (both members of the London Knights), and Brian Dumolin (acquired in the Jordan Staal trade last Summer) are all awaiting their opportunity to play with Pittsburgh, thus making Morrow expendable.