Trade deadline looms as Penguin fans wait for another Shero masterpiece

The National Hockey League's trading deadline is a 3:00 PM EST on Wednesday, and as is customary, players will fly around the league like ping-pong balls, and at least some measure of a blockbuster trade (or two) is sure to be made. The deadline is an unofficial Christmas for hockey fans, a day in which even the most devout workers call in sick to sit home and keep an eye out for deals that could change the course of the season.

In Pittsburgh, however, the deadline has carried even greater importance with it the last two seasons, as General Manager Ray Shero has made key acquisitions on each of the first two deadlines of his tenure at the helm of the Penguins' hockey operations staff.

Shero got the ball rolling on trade season last week when he dealt puck moving defenseman Ryan Whitney to the Anaheim Ducks for winger Chris Kunitz and prospect Eric Tangradi. The addition of Kunitz has already paid dividends for Shero's club, as the shifty winger Kunitz has three goals and five points in three games with the Pens.

With the club on a roll, it seems more and more likely by the hour that the Penguins will, in fact, be buyers on deadline day for the third consecutive year, even in spite of last week's transaction with the Ducks.

Also of note, Shero has, in the last week, waived three players (Bill Thomas, Chris Minard, Miro Satan), who have already been or will soon be demoted to the minors to clear cap space for at least one new acquistion.

Once Satan's demotion becomes official at noon Wednesday, the Penguins will be almost five million dollars under the salary cap, leaving Shero more than enough move to reel in a prolific winger to round out his top six or perhaps a shutdown defenseman to solidify his defensive corps.

Keep in mind that if Satan in fact goes unclaimed, he will either be packaged as part of a trade to make the deal cap-compliant, or he will be moved onto Wilkes Barre's roster for at least a few hours to clear space if Shero is able to come to terms on a trade. If Satan is not traded or claimed, he'll be put through re-entry waivers before likely returning to Pittsburgh and finishing out the season on the NHL roster, of course with the provision that the Pens still have cap space for his three and a half million dollar salary.

As Shero has proven in the past with pickups like Marian Hossa, Gary Roberts, Georges Laraque, and Pascal Dupuis, he will not hesitate to pull the trigger on any swap that he feels will improve his team for the short or long term.

It might be a big name winger like Marian Gaborik or Keith Tkachuk, or it could be a subtle move for a reliable defender like Ruslan Salei. Either way, something is coming.

Outside of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Marc-Andre Fleury, the entire roster is in play.

Buckle up Pens fans.

This will be one Hell of a day.