PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin, left, of Russia, and Sidney Crosby celebrate following Crosby's goal against the Florida Panthers during third period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. Penguins won 3-0.
(AP Photo/Don Wright)
In a perfect world, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each would have his own line, each flanked by a dazzling, All-Star winger.
Jordan Staal would have his own line, too - a checking line designed to stifle the opposing team's top player.
The salary-capped NHL, however, rarely allows for such perfect scenarios.
Penguins general manager Ray Shero is right on when he says, "Every team seems to need something, but the way the system is set up, not every team can have it. It's not like you can be the (New Jersey) Devils of '95 -- four lines deep, seven defensemen deep."
The Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators are the closest things to complete teams. Most everyone else falls into the "need-something" category, and that includes the Penguins.
Sure, they could use a scoring winger for Crosby. That would enable Malkin to reclaim his natural position of center.
But at what price?
And what if Malkin's the perfect winger?
If Crosby needed somebody to play and think the game at his level, well, Malkin looks like the ideal fit. Think Jagr and Lemieux.
Shero won't rule out the possibility of Malkin staying at wing for the foreseeable future.
"It's been a transition for him, but the farther it's gone, the more comfortable he's been," Shero said. "Good players like to play with good players. They make each other better. They can make plays, see things that other players don't."
So many people want the Penguins to make a big-splash move. One rumor had the team considering a deal to send Staal to Atlanta for high-scoring winger Marian Hossa.
It's not going to happen, nor should it.
First of all, Hossa, 29, is making $7 million and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer - and it's not like he'll be looking for less than $7 million on the open market.
ORCHARD PARK, NY - JANUARY 01: Sidney Crosby #87 (L) and Evgeni Malkin #71 (R) of the Pittsburgh Penguins takes the ice before the third period against the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL Winter Classic at the Ralph Wilson Stadium on January 1, 2008 in Orchard Park, New York. The Penguins won the game 2-1 in a shoot out. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images)
Secondly, Staal - despite his sophomore scoring slump -- is the kind of player a Stanley Cup team needs. He's a 6-foot-4, 220-pound stud who, at 19, already is superb defensively. He projects as the rare forward who can play in all situations - power play, penalty kill, scoring line, checking line, last-minute duty, whatever.
Remember: In order to get a high-end player, teams usually must surrender assets, whether they be good, young players, high draft picks or both.
Sometimes, that makes sense.
Often, it is a road fraught with peril.
As Shero put it, "Once you give away those assets -- for a rental player -- you're forever chasing your tail. Not that we would never do it."
Consider what happened at the trade deadline last year. The Islanders, Predators and Thrashers all gave up first-round picks and other assets, including prospects, for Ryan Smyth, Peter Forsberg and Keith Tkachuk, respectively.
Those three teams won a total of two playoff games. Smyth, Forsberg and Tkachuk all bolted after the season.
Clearly, the prudent move is to sign Malkin and Staal to long-term deals well before they hit restricted free agency - where they surely would be targeted by other teams -- in the summer of 2009. The parties can begin negotiations this July, before the third year of each player's entry-level deal kicks in.
Yeah, the Penguins might still need some things, but what they have is pretty good.
Just look at the standings.
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Joe Starkey can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com or 412-320-7810.
Joe Starkey is a sports writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com
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