By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Marian Hossa is one of the Penguins' free agents up for grabs this year.
Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Staal? They aren't going anywhere. Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Malone? That's a bit more problematic. Marian Hossa and Brooks Orpik? It has been nice knowing those guys, and their major contributions to what could be a Stanley Cup team will never be forgotten by an appreciative franchise and city.
What a hectic offseason it will be for Penguins general manager Ray Shero, one he hopes won't begin until after a Cup victory parade through town next month. Only one thing is certain: The team that has dazzled during these playoffs by going 12-2 and advancing to the Cup final won't be the same. Just how much it will change is the pertinent question.
Signing Fleury and Malkin to long-term deals has to be priorities No. 1 and 1A for Shero. How nice must it be to be in their shoes? They are about to become filthy rich.
The Penguins have no choice but to give Fleury a big number this summer, one they reach through standard negotiations, the arbitration process or by matching an offer he receives as a restricted free agent. A team can't contend for a title without a big-time goaltender. Fleury has proved he's just that. He's a favorite for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Malkin's situation is a little harder to read. The Penguins would love to keep him -- obviously -- but at what price under the salary cap? He still has a year left on his entry-level contract, which means he's back next season, no matter what. But what if he balks at a new deal this summer and becomes a restricted free agent next summer? Some team surely will make him the maximum offer allowed under the cap, easily more than $10 million a year.
Matching that could put the Penguins in a sticky situation under the cap and with Crosby, who gave them a hefty hometown discount last summer when he signed a five-year deal through 2013 for $8.7 million a year. Does Shero pay Malkin more than Crosby, the team's captain and the face of the NHL? Would Crosby be OK with that? Would Malkin take less than Crosby knowing he could get much more elsewhere?
It's hard to tell what Malkin is thinking because of the language barrier. Maybe he loves playing here so much that he would take less. Then again, maybe not.
Staal, like Malkin, has a year left on his initial contract and will be back next season. Doing a new deal with him seems more likely. He's an extraordinary defensive player -- one of the best in the NHL despite being 19 -- but he won't command outrageous money because he's not a pure goal scorer. It's nice to think he'll be here for at least the next five seasons.
But Hossa? No chance. He is a world-class goal scorer and will get the silly money as a free agent July 1. The Penguins can't pay him and keep Fleury, Malkin and Staal. Shero's trade to bring Hossa here in February still will be remembered as a great one because Hossa helped the team get to the final.
Then, there's Malone. His situation is the hardest to get a grip on. He has become a very good player, one who can do just about everything. Score goals. Set up in front of the net on power plays. Check. Kill penalties.
The problem is Malone -- like Hossa, a free agent-to-be -- must be paid accordingly, a price that might be too steep for the Penguins. It's easy to think Malone will give the team a hometown break because he's from Pittsburgh. But that's unfair to him to assume. I won't begrudge him if he gets a bigger offer elsewhere and takes it. I never begrudge these guys their money because their careers are so short.
Orpik figures to leave for a much different reason. It's not exactly a dressing-room secret that he and coach Michel Therrien don't see eye-to-eye. That's unfortunate because Therrien, though his methods sometimes are harsh, has helped to make Orpik a better player and given him a chance to play for a Cup. Orpik will be a significant loss because he's the Penguins' only defenseman who can throw big checks in open ice.
But, hey, you can't keep everybody.
The system quite likely will cost the Penguins Ty Conklin, Mark Eaton, Georges Laraque and even cult hero Jarkko Ruutu, especially if Ruutu wants more playing time in addition to a bigger payday. Retirement should cost them Gary Roberts. One free agent who could stay is Pascal Dupuis. He has to be deliriously happy playing on Crosby's line.
One final thought ...
I don't buy the argument that the Penguins won't be as good as they are now because of the players they are going to lose. If Shero can get deals done with Fleury, Malkin and Staal, it will be a tremendous offseason. All three, along with Crosby, are going to get better and better. And it's not as if Shero won't be able to lure more reasonably priced free agents here to play with that nucleus. There are other Petr Sykoras out there. It was Sykora who said "it took me about two minutes to decide this is where I wanted to be" when he was a free agent last summer.
Losing Hossa, Orpik and especially Malone would hurt, but it would not doom the Penguins as a Cup contender.
Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.
First published on May 20, 2008 at 12:00 am
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