Analysis: Panthers trade F Marcel Goc to Penguins for picks

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The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Marcel Goc for a third- and a fifth-round pick on Wednesday. It's a bit of a steep price based on the austere market price set for skilled players like Ales Hemsky on Wednesday, but Goc is extremely useful and might be precisely the type of player the Penguins need.

The Penguins bottom-six forward group is a steaming garbage fire, and has been for a couple of seasons. With Pittsburgh's third and fourth lines on the ice, they get outscored, outshot and out-possessed by a wide margin. 

Pittsburgh's lack of forward depth has cost them in the postseason. Last season when the Penguins impressive arsenal of offensive artillery bumped into Zdeno Chara and the Boston Bruins, the team just didn't have the depth to overcome a top-heavy defensive group. Goc is a partial sollution to that issue.

In Florida this season Goc has led all Panthers forwards in minutes logged. He's Florida's most used penalty-killer, he plays on the second unit power-play, and he logs difficult minutes in a second line role at even-strength. While he isn't a particularly productive offensive player, he remains a rather extraordinary possession force.

According to Rob Rossi, the Goc acquisition doesn't impact the Penguins' interest in Canucks forward Ryan Kesler who they're still in on. If that's the case, then Goc is very probably an upgrade on Brandon Sutter anyway. And even if Kesler isn't headed to Pittsburgh in the next hour, Goc immediately and dramatically improves Pittsburgh's bottom-six forward group.