The Pittsburgh Penguins had a disappointing first round playoff exit this year losing to the hated Philadelphia Flyers. A exit like that will result in fans and bloggers yelling for everyone to be fired and/or traded. Pretty much every single player on the team has been involved in trade rumors on the internet.Which in this day and age is typical and not surprising at all.
In Pittsburgh fans overreact to losing more than they would if their significant other was caught cheating on them. Sports comes first and losing is unacceptable by all measures.
That being said even Pens' General Manager Ray Shero pretty much said that nothing is out of the question in terms of roster moves. Shero even suggested that certain players like Jordan Staal, who's contract expires after next season, has to be looked at.
Staal, one of my favorite hockey players, is one of the most criticized players on the Pens' roster. Staal, a former Selke award finalist, is due to make $4 million in 2012-2013 which is also his last year of his current contract. Staal lead the Pens in points in the series loss to the Flyers and was easily the Pens' best player in the series, for whatever that is worth.
The Penguins have used the three-center model since they've had Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal. This could come to an end, especially if the salary cap doesn't go up drastically. Staal is going to want more than $4 million a year and on the open market he could probably get $6-7 million a year if not more. Sure he hasn't put up more than 50 points in a season but he's been a third-line center that rarely got any real power-play minutes.
Crosby and Malkin got all of the top wingers and Staal was stuck killing penalties and had Tyler Kennedy for most of career in Pittsburgh so far. Staal is a guy who continues to improve and progress in the NHL. People are very quick to forget that he debuted in the NHL as a 18 year-old rookie. Staal is definitely worthy of being a number two center on every team in the league and could be a number one center on a handful of teams.
It is looking highly unlikely that the Pens are going to be able to keep all three centers after next season. Along with Staal, Crosby's contract is also up, and Malkin's is up the year after that. Who stays and who guys?
Well Crosby is a no-brainer to stay. Anyone that suggests that the Pens should trade Crosby is moronic and should never-EVER have their opinions listened to ever again. Crosby is the best player in the WORLD and is the face of the franchise. Next.
Malkin is a tricky situation. I can argue that the Pens should trade Malkin over Staal for a few reasons.
1. Return- The Pens would get much more in return for Malkin than Staal.The Pens could probably get a first line winger, shutdown d-man, and a 1st round pick for Malkin. Also, the Pens would save more money by moving Malkin over Staal. Right now Malkin makes $8.7 million a year but after a second career Art Ross trophy and a likely Hart trophy, Malkin will likely command a higher salary than he has now. The Pens would save more money and be able to spread more money building more depth for the team.
2. Defense- No offense to Malkin but if the Pens lose Staal they're losing their best defensive forward. The Pens have not been a great defensive team recently and losing a Selke award finalist isn't going to help that at all. Losing Staal would affect the team in almost all situations besides the power-play.
Staal is the most likely to be moved for obvious reasons. He's been trade-bait by the fans and message board geeks for years. He's not as popular as Crosby or Malkin and he's not as dangerous of a offensive player as though two. Staal has also been rumored to be unhappy with his current role on the team.
Trading Malkin would be way too unpopular with the fans and the team and we already discussed that trading Crosby is insane. If the Pens are going to move Staal they should move him this offseason.Staal was great in the playoffs and still has a year left on his current deal. The return is never going to be higher for Staal than it is now.
I for one would hate to see Staal leave but it's starting to look more and more likely. If the Pens aren't going to re-sign him though they have to trade him. You absolutely cannot let Staal or any of these guys ever walk for free in free-agency.
I also want to say that it's a damn shame that people who really don't know a lot about hockey think Staal isn't a good player. Staal is a damn good hockey player and if he goes to another team, as long as it's not Philadelphia, will root for him to do well and I know he will. Staal is a fantastic two-way center who can really help a team win a championship.
God bless Ray Shero
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