In an unexpected turn of events, the Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for forwards Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito and a first round pick.

The Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens were believed in the bidding war for Hossa, so this move by the Penguins comes as a huge shock, the biggest of this year’s deadline.

It’s a huge move by the Penguins, who weren’t expected to make any major moves at the deadline, and it’s also a puzzling one.

While there’s no question Hossa adds another big gun to the Penguins offensive arsenal, he’s only expected to be a playoff rental player. The Penguins cannot possibly hope to re-sign him and still have cash available to re-sign rising superstar Evgeni Malkin at the end of next season.

With the Penguins playing so well despite losing Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury to injuries, it’s odd as to why GM Ray Shero would make this move. The Penguins have no problem in the scoring department, indeed, with Crosby expected back very soon they’d be getting a significant offfensive boost.

Bringing in Hossa makes no sense other than the Penguins are going for it this season, loading up for a Cup run.

However, by bringing in Hossa, it’s possible Shero may have upset his team’s chemistry. Armstrong was close friends with Crosby and along with Christensen were considered valuable members of the rising young Penguins.

And if the Pens fail to re-sign Hossa after this season, they’ll have parted with significant assets with nothing to show for it this summer.

The Thrashers won’t be able to replace Hossa’s offense this season, but Armstrong and Christensen could become valuable additions both now and for the future, while Esposito has the potential to become a scorer in the NHL with more seasoning.