Pens are paying dearly for the Hossa trade.  They gave up a ton of young talent for him so they’re going to do everything they can to keep him in Pittsburgh.

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 06/14/08 at 09:28 AM ET

If they manage to keep all those players they are going to have a whopping salary core for many years.  Malone is gritty and a pain to play against but apparently doesn’t like playing for that staff.  If the CBJ will poney up $5M/year for him he’ll be gone.

Posted by RWBill from the Land of 12 in 12. on 06/14/08 at 10:09 AM ET

OH Brother!!!!!!!!!!

Here we go again with this stupid shiite, Colby Armstrong is a DIME A DOZEN 3rd line player, Eric Christensen was never going to be a Top 2 line player in Pgh, which is what he HAS to be to have any chance, Angelo Esposito is a BUST & a VERY low 1st round pick

GOOD GOD get a clue, Then a life

Posted by Evilpens on 06/14/08 at 10:10 AM ET

Malone is a Garbageman & has NO problem with this staff, He disappears when Malkin & Sykora aren’t on their game

I See crack is in good supply here today HUH??

Posted by Evilpens on 06/14/08 at 10:12 AM ET

Colby was ‘good’ because of Sid. Christensen was a guy who won shootouts for the Pens, but didn’t have the grit to play in traffic on any line. And Esposito is talent? How? He has never played one game. They made a trade to win the cup and came up 2 games short.

Sign Hossa, let Malone go. As stated above, Malone was good when Gino and Sykora were good… he never carried that line.

Posted by G from NY on 06/14/08 at 10:28 AM ET

Writer’s name is “Rob” Rossi. Don’t feel bad, though; TSN referred to the “Tribune-Review” as the “Star-Tribune.”

Regarding SYF’s comment: “They gave up a ton of young talent for him,”

Armstrong is a run-of-the-mill 3rd liner.

Christensen is a downey-soft, skilled center with psychological problems, who can’t put it all together and was 5th on the Penguins’ depth chart at that position. He may have late-bloomer written all over him, but he also has Pat Falloon written all over him.

Esposito was another skill center who could not have hoped to be higher than 4th on the depth chart and has underperformed at the junior level.

Sure, if Christensen and Esposito both turn into 30 goal-scorers, this seems like a lot to give up (Christensen certainly has one of those wrist shots that can’t be tracked by the naked eye and Esposito can warp to Mach 3 with one stride). But neither of them presently projects to do so and, even if one of them does, they wouldn’t have done so had they remained in Pittsburgh (Crusher and Espo were never threats to take ice time away from Crosby, Malkin or Staal).

Posted by Steve on 06/14/08 at 11:42 AM ET

wow, i didnt know pens have an imginary cap.

they cant resign this guy, you got fluery who going to ask for alot in arbitration, malkin is going to demand atleast 5-7 million, to make things worst they are going to have to trade malone in order to fit malkin under the cap.

pens better pray that jeff carter signs that 3 million dollar contract w/incentives for five years with the flyers so they have some sort of leverage against malkin

Posted by FlyersFan on 06/14/08 at 12:46 PM ET

UUUUUUUUMMMMMM CRYERS fan 4 games to 1, Suck opn that all summer

Posted by Evilpens on 06/14/08 at 05:12 PM ET

Did yo jut compare Carter to Malkin? An MVP finalist to Jeff Carter? Ok. You’re legit.

Posted by G from NY on 06/15/08 at 11:09 AM ET

Not that I really am interested in getting into a p***ing contest between a Penguins and Flyers fan, but the clever device of substituting CR for FL is ironic indeed considering the ice-melting tears shed by Cindy and Michelle throughout the finals.

Posted by BobS. on 06/15/08 at 12:09 PM ET

Jealous Much jism breath

Posted by Evilpens on 06/15/08 at 12:12 PM ET

Aaaaand dialogue, meet toilet.

Conventional wisdom and logic dictate that Pittsburgh can’t keep Crosby, Malkin, and Staal, especially if they give big money to Hossa - but even so, that’s a logjam at center.

The argument I’ve heard for trading Malkin goes along these lines, roughly:

Hossa is going to be expensive, but plays well with Crosby and makes that line better.

Staal is stuck in a defensive role behind Malkin and Crosby, and is capable of more than that.

Staal plays a different game from Crosby, while Malkin is more similar.

Regardless of whether or not Malkin is “content” to be second fiddle behind Crosby, it does push him to a position on the power play at which he is uncomfortable.

So the logic goes that by trading Malkin in the near future still preserves depth at center with Crosby and Staal, gives the team two different styles of center, and gives Staal room to mature into more of an offensive force than he would have room for if he were playing behind Crosby and Malkin.

It seems to an outside observer to make sense, but trading a talent like Malkin just seems like a really chancy thing to do.  Glad it’s not my decision - whetever happens the GM is going to be skewered if it doesn’t work out perfectly.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/15/08 at 12:25 PM ET

Evilpens only seems either impaired or congenitally moronic because of the erudition and eloquence that is the standard on Kukla’s Korner. On the celebration of underage drinking and farting noises disguised as discourse on Pensblog, he probably reads as one of the more articulate ones.

Posted by BobS. on 06/15/08 at 01:05 PM ET

No you living breathing ABORTION I don’t go to the pens Blog as I think it is for teenagers & early 20’s GOOFS

But considering this is what you think is Snappy repartee I can see why you are so helpless

ot that I really am interested in getting into a p***ing contest between a Penguins and Flyers fan, but the clever device of substituting CR for FL is ironic indeed considering the ice-melting tears shed by Cindy and Michelle throughout the finals.
Posted by BobS.  on 06/15 at 01:09 PM

Nice try better luck next time & here’s your lovely parting gift

Posted by Evilpens on 06/15/08 at 04:54 PM ET

Like I wrote, it’s for afficionados of flavored vodkas and Jackass wannabees, but I think they make exceptions for those blessed with double-digit IQs. With your command of single syllables and punctuation, you’d read like a veritable Proust over there. My personal favorite? While “UUUUUUUMMMMMM” or “...!!!!!!!!!!” are dazzling, I’m convinced that “CRYERS” for Flyers, especially the use of all capitals (surprising that no one’s thought of that device yet), might just be a modern classic.
And thanks to you for taking the bait.

Posted by BobS on 06/15/08 at 05:36 PM ET

Got the perfect initials NippleDick

BS

Posted by Evilpens on 06/15/08 at 07:30 PM ET