Andrey Pedan could not have been more excited to join the Penguins organization.
The 24-year-old Russian defenseman was acquired from the Canucks in October in the trade that saw former first-round pick Derrick Pouliot shipped off to Vancouver.
Pedan was the last player on Vancouver's roster to be cut, and he was put on waivers the day before the trade. He got a call from his agent the next day to let him know that he cleared waivers and would be sent to Utica of the American Hockey League.
Ten minutes later, he got another call telling him that he had been traded.
"I thought it would be good to change it up, get a fresh start," he told me this week. "Plus, an organization like Pittsburgh, like I was surprised because I (was traded to) Pittsburgh? I was like, 'You know what? That's the best organization right now in hockey.' Whether I am going to go to Pittsburgh or I am going to Wilkes-Barre, I'm sure that the mentality is the same."
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