The Pittsburgh Penguins have traded defenseman John Marino to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Ty Smith and a third-round pick in 2023. Marino was rumored to be on the trade block all summer after having a bounce-back year for the Penguins.
Penguins general manager Ron Hextall spoke about his desire to open up salary cap space early on in the off-season and reiterated his need to trade a blue liner earlier this week when speaking to the media.
Marino's departure opens up roughly $3.5 million in salary cap space for the Penguins as they look to fill out the bottom of their forward lineup.
Ty Smith, a 22-year-old left-shot defenseman, is heading into the final year of his entry-level contract. Smith has played 114 games in the previous two seasons with the Devils, scoring 43 points (7-36), but is a career minus-35.
A 2018 first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils, Smith is a talented puck mover who possesses tremendous on-ice vision. The Saskatchewan native is a bit undersized at 5'11" but uses his positioning and quick hands to clear pucks from the defensive zone. After a promising rookie season with the Devils, Smith struggled in his sophomore season and finished the year on New Jersey's third pairing.
This trade leaves the Penguins with five left-handed defensemen, including 23-year-old P.O. Joseph who signed a one-way contract earlier this week. With Hextall telling Danny Shirey of DK Pittsburgh Sports that is a "fair assumption" the Penguins will not carry nine defensemen into the season, another trade could be on the horizon for the Penguins.
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