Malone Update

It's official. Ryan Malone signs a 7 year, $31.5 million offer with the Tampa Bay Lightning. If you're too lazy to read, that's $4.5 million a year against the Salary Cap with the contract being front loaded, earning him between $7 million and $8 million a year for the first two years.

Can you say over payment? Tampa Bay sure can't.

Bye bye Malone. You brought us all some great highlights during the rough years and while it's good for you that you got your pay day, I'm not too upset to see you go.

The adventure begins tomorrow with spots to fill on offense on both wings with Crosby, Malkin's left wing, a left winger for the 3rd line around Staal and Kennedy, a fourth line around Talbot, and some help on defense. That's at least seven spots that need to be filled. As many as ten, potentially. The next few weeks should be a flurry and we'll keep you posted on the rumors with appropriate warnings and facts when they are facts. In Shero we trust. -Nick

Say Bye Bye Bugsy

Yesterday afternoon I got a text message from the Pittsburgh Penguins free text service (no, I wasn't paid for that plug) saying that the Pens had traded the rights to Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts (who signed for a year with a contract up to $2 million in incentives) to Tampa Bay for a 4th round pick in next years draft. If Malone re-signed with the Melrose's, then the Pens would get a 3rd round pick instead of a 4th. This is all funny seeing as the previous deal to Columbus was nixed after he claimed he fully intends to pursue the free agent market. In that time several things came to light that changed his mind:

New vice president of hockey operations Brian Lawton was Malone's agent before getting out of the business last year.

Also:

In addition, it is believed that Malone's father, Greg, could join the
organization in some capacity. Greg Malone was a scout with Pittsburgh from
1988-2006 and was with Phoenix last season.

Today it all happened, hello third round pick. Rumors are $30 million for 7 years, or 3 years for $5.1 a year. Far too much for Malone in either case and let me explain why:

First off, Tampa really needs more defense more than anything. This just adds to the talks of Dan Boyle heading out of town, their only major threat on the blue line. Marc Denis, Mike Smith and Karri Ramo are decent in the goal and could be good behind a solid defense and system, but with all due respect to the Mullet, I doubt that he has the ability to do it, nor does he have the personel. The Lightning look to have around $44 million or $45.2 million in salary on books after this move depending on the sources (note that Vaclav Prospal's signing at $3.5 million for four years is not on that site), with a cap at $56.7 million (meaning the owners and NHLPA know how to count in ascending order). They also need an entire 4th line, part of a 3rd line, have to worry about a $3 million cap hit for Steve Stamkos. That'll put them around $50 million. A complete overhaul on defense will cost you more than $6 million. They didn't need to add another piece of offensive personel. Especially one at a cost of $4-$5 million a year. A second line of Malone-Stamkos-Oullet is not something that strikes fear into the hearts of any opponent.

Now dont get me wrong, Malone will still put up around 40-50 points a year, no doubt. He's always been steady in that respect. He also did improve his game, his skating had gotten better as had his fitness and penalty killing. He's got worth in the world of the NHL, but it's not worth $4-$5 million a year. He'll be wanted to anchor a line with a rookie and a fringe NHLer that cant play anything but second line right wing (and spent a lot of time on the 4th line last year). The Bolts are still in a position to to be also-rans to the class of the division in Washington and the close number two in Carolina.

Two more days until July 1st and the real fun begins. Hossa and Orpik both declined the Pens offers. Get ready for a real roller coaster ride. We'll report the rumors with caution and the facts as soon as we get them. -Nick

Fleury news

The Penguins have filed for arbitration with Marc-Andre Fleury. This means Fleury is back next season no matter what, and best of all it keeps any other GM from signing him to an offer sheet potentially stealing him away.

He's also seeking a long term deal:

"The talks are at a very preliminary basis," [Fleury's agent Allan] Walsh said. "We're identifying terms and we're identifying a framework to work from. We have not exchanged numbers in any detail. What has been made very clear from both sides is that we both want to work out a long-term deal."

And it seems that various sources in the Pens organization are reporting that Hossa is their #1 priority:

The Penguins have made signing right wing Marian Hossa to a long-term contract their No. 1 priority, according to several players, agents and team officials who spoke to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on the condition of anonymity.

And one more bit of good news regarding Brooks Orpik from the same article:

Orpik, praised by team officials and coaches and opponents during the Penguins' playoff run, told the Penguins he would accept less than market value for a deal of at least five seasons. Several agents speculate he will command above $4 million annually on the open market.

Seems these guys really do want to play for a winner. In other words, do not expect Ryan Malone to be back. Rumor is his agent isn't even returning calls.

Nothing else on the rumor front. We'll keep you posted. -Nick

From the rumor mill...

First off- DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING YOU READ HERE IS RUMOR AND NOT TRUE DO NOT TAKE IT AS FACT UNTIL IT IS ANNOUNCED BY PENGUINS MANAGEMENT

With the NHL's annual awards show ending last night, Evgeni Malkin walked away empty handed to a very deserving Alex Ovechkin in the top categories of MVP and Pearson (MVP as voted by players). It was not uneventful, though.

There was some good news to come from the events. I'll pull out the key points for you lazy folk:

But he said the prize he really covets -- a long-term contract extension with the Penguins -- is on its way.

"I'm thinking maybe five or six years," said Malkin, set to enter the final season of his three-year entry-level deal. "I'm an easy guy to deal with. I'd love to stay in Pittsburgh."

The NHL's collective bargaining agreement forbids the Penguins from signing Malkin to an extension until July 1. Malkin said he expects the extension will be signed "soon" after that date.

Further:

Malkin added that his annual salary did not need to top the $8.7 million teammate and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will average each of the next five seasons. Crosby signed a five-year extension worth $43.5 million last summer that picks up this season.

This squashes the floating words of Malkin seeking the spotlight on his own or a max contract around $10 million or $11 million a year. And:

He also shrugged off speculation the Penguins will trade him this summer to create salary-cap space necessary to sign several impending free agents, including forwards Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone and defenseman Brooks Orpik.

"Those are just rumors," Malkin said, through an interpreter. "I don't even pay attention to those."

And to his credit, he confronts his poor play in the Finals head on:

Illness, Malkin said, was partially to blame for his decline in production.

"I didn't have an injury or anything; I just had a little fever," Malkin said. "I wasn't ready for the final. It was probably just me. I lost my game. At the end of the final I thought I found my touch again, but it was too late."

That's it on the Malkin front. When it comes to Hossa, the rumor mills are spinning and they look promising.

Another blog (here) posted a rumbling they heard of Shero making an offer to Hossa of 6 years for $38 million ($6.3 million a year). That is far under his market value (which could be near $8 million), but as he states here:

"If I wanted to make a couple more dollars, I would probably just re-sign with Atlanta," Hossa said. "But I'm glad Pittsburgh got me here. This was a fun journey for myself, and a great experience. I hope I can stick with a great team like this.

"There's always a limit, but I'd rather take a little less and play on a good team, definitely."

Now that blog is not the most trust worthy to say the least, but it's encouraging news.

They also have a blurb about Fleury:

It's has been very quiet on the Marc Andre Fleury front which usually indicates a deal is close. There are a lot of numbers are being thrown around but a consistent one I've been hearing in recent days is 6yrs - 27 million. That would pay Fleury 4.5 million per season but prior to the Stanley Cup, Fleury's agent was seeking a 5 year deal at 5 million per season.

Another rumor going around has the Pens possibly getting a first round pick back. The rumor states that the Pens would trade the rights to two of their unrestricted free agents to the Blue Jackets before July 1st (similar to what Philly and Nashville did last year with Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell) so they can try to sign them to contracts before they become free agents, and in return for these negotiation rights the Penguins would get the Blue Jackets #18 pick. With the draft coming up there isn't much time to work this out, so expect to find out soon how true this is.

Finally, some news on Jordan Staal according to Rob Rossi:

Jordan Staal's situation is similar to the one with Malkin. As of July 1, his camp and the Penguins are allowed to open talks on an extension. As with Malkin, the Penguins wish to get Staal inked long-term. This one is a tougher read. Staal likes playing in Pittsburgh, but has some concerns with how he is used by the current coaching staff. He has told us he does not wish to be a third-line center and that is his role at the center position so long as Crosby and Malkin are Penguins. Also, Staal and his camp are at least intrigued by the idea of testing the restricted free agency waters on July 1, 2009 -- maybe not enough to prevent an extension agreement with the Penguins this summer, but perhaps enough to not feel obligated to reach terms on any offer from the Penguins. Of all the contract issues facing the Penguins, the one with Staal, to me, is the most intriguing and is worth paying most attention to. He is an invaluable part of their future.

While I'm not a fan of the coaching staff, I personally believe that they did and are doing the right thing having Staal on the third line. It's helped him improve his already above average defensive play, given him the chance to work on his face offs, and make strides (pardon the pun) in his skating (both speed, technique, and stamina). Most importantly, it's forced him to address the part of his game that he's weakest at: passing. The only thing I'd be upset about if I were Staal is not getting more power play time, which would increase if the coaching staff would actually split the power play into two units instead of one uber unit. Maybe in a few years you can move up, Jordan. Right now you're not cut out for it.

And from Rossi's article, one final bit about Hossa:

Hossa told us last week he really appreciates the opportunity he has with the Penguins to chase the Cup and rack up goals and points. However, he is the big prize of this free-agent class and he won't come cheap. Any reports that he and the Penguins have essentially reached a deal are not true. However, there are a few people in the organization with a lot of stroke -- they may even share the same household -- that fancy Hossa wearing a Skating Penguin crest for the next few years. Those people could influence just how hard the Penguins will push for Hossa.

So what he's saying is, "What Sid wants, Sid gets." That being said, Sid deserves someone of Hossa's calibur on his wing. Playing with Armstrong, Recchi, Ouellet, Hilbert, Leclair on his wing has made him force the play and take it all on his shoulders. The only players worth a damn that he's ever played with have retired early (Mario and Palffy). Since Malkin cant do it on his wing, Hossa is a great fit and provides and even more formidable 1-2 punch for the other team. Give Sid another winger with decent hands and speed and Malkin another grinding type (i.e. Niklas Hagman) and those top two lines will be two of the best in recent memory. Not to mention the whole team benefits from Hossa's stellar two way play.

As I said before, this is all speculation and nothing concrete. It just gives you something to think about and us something to talk about. As more breaks, we'll report it. -Nick

Finally back...

After a two month hang over that culminated in losing two wins shy of the ultimate prize, we're back. This is Nick here with your Free Agency outlook:

If I'm Ray Shero (which last I checked I'm not), this is the approach I take:

I let Malone walk. A great replacement is a free agent and much cheaper in Niklas Hagman. In the last two seasons he's combined for 70 points, likes going into the corners and will take a pounding in front of the next (27 goals last year attest to this). And he only made $660K last year.

You let Orpik go. There are two d-men that will be/could be free. Rozival and Brad Stuart. Both can play physical and can move the puck, which is really what damned us in the Finals.

You sign Hossa for no more than $6.5 a year. If he really wants to stay at a contender, this is his best shot. The Pens should walk through the East again and he'd be huge in that process.

Ruutu is back. You need him. He's a leader, a rallying point of a player.

Roberts comes back at a pay cut. Half of what he made.

You bring Dupuis back to play with Sid/Hossa or as insurance. I'd really like to see someone else on that line, but chances are that's more than they could afford. Especially since our best (and cheapest) options are the oft injured Ladislav Nagy who made $3.75 million last year but only played in 38 games, or Ruslan Fedotenko whose 33 points last year made the $2.9 million contract worth every penny. Perhaps the best option for Sid would be Cory Stillman, who made $1.75 million but put up 65 points between Carolina and Ottawa.

Eaton can go. Too many injuries.

Laraque goes the way of the dinosaur.

Conklin walks if he asks a dollar more than $1 million. He helped Fleury's play a ton so it'd be sad to see him go, but in the Cap era...

Hall returns as well. Though I wouldn't mind him moving up to the third line for a face off specialist that can center the 4th line like Scott Nichol or Curtis Brown, moving Talbot up to Staal's wing and having Hall play the opposite wing.

Your lines are then:

Stillman?-Crosby-Hossa
Hagman-Malkin-Sykora
Talbot-Staal-Hall
Roberts-Nichol/Brown-Ruutu

Gonchar-Stuart/Rozival
Whitney-Sydor
Letang-Gill

Fleury
Sabourin

Or on the top lines:

Dupuis-Crosby-Hossa
Hagman-Malkin-Sykora
Talbot-Staal-Kennedy
Roberts-Hall-Ruutu

The money you'd save on Hagman (who can more than capably take over Malone's PK duties) and Stillman will allow you to spend more on someone like Stuart.

That's just my opinion on what I would do during the off season. We'll keep you up to date as things develop.

Another day

Game 5 of the SCF will be a game that is talked about for years, regardless of what happens the rest of the series. The Red Wings and their fans were already picturing how great the Stanley Cup was going to look in Detroit for the next season.

Then, it happened.

It wasn't a goal by Sidney Crosby, or Evgeni Malkin or Marian Hossa. It was a goal from the heart of the team, the sparkplug center who has been nothing but clutch for the entire playoff run.

Max Talbot, out on the ice as an extra attacker with less than a minute remaining in the Penguins season, was on the doorstep next to Chris Osgood and took two shots, the second one went behind Osgood, and Detroit was quiet and would have to wait for overtime to celebrate.
(That was a long ass sentence)

The Pens scored the first 2 goals of the game, and their first 2 goals in Detroit. The Wings would score 3 to take a 3-2 lead late into the 3rd, where Max Talbot would be the hero.

Marc-Andre Fleury had his coming out party in this game. While he allowed 3 goals and looked frustrated after Rafalski made the score 3-2, he was unbeatable early on and after that goal. If the Pens go on to stun Detroit and win the series, you will look back on his game 5 performance as the greatest performance by a Penguins goaltender ever. Even still, this game has to rank top 5 all-time.

Adam Hall has quietly been one of the most soild players for the Pens in these Finals. I hope the Pens reward him with a job on the team next season. Solid PKer's and good face-off men are hard to come by in this league.

Petr Sykora will win the lottery tomorrow because he has already called what the numbers will be.

Hats off to the entire Penguins defense. They lost Gonchar midway through the 3rd and remaining 5 had to toughen up and rotate through basically another entire game. Rob Scuderi, Hal Gill, Ryan Whitney, Brooks Orpik and Darryl Sydor all deserve praise and the Willis Reed that Sergei Gonchar pulled on the winning goal is what legends are made of.

Game 6 is Wednesday night at the Igloo. Your life will change if this series goes back to Detroit.

True Story

In case you haven't noticed, and judging by the amount of traffic, you haven't, the blog was not updated at all since early in the Rangers series. We are pretty superstitious and did not want to ruin the good karma the Penguins had during this amazing run. Now that the Penguins are with their backs against the wall, the time has come to visit some facts that we uncovered about the Detroit Red Wings roster. Ironically, all of these facts involve the Wings and vehicles.

If you don't believe these facts, you have been brainwashed by the gubment.

Chris Osgood was hit by a parked car.
Tomas Holmstrom is a backseat driver.
Henrik Zetterberg lies about being able to drive a stick.
Chris Chelios is afraid to drive faster than the speed limit.
Johan Franzen drives until he runs out of gas.
Nicklas Lidstrom gets off on wrong exits.
Pavel Datsyuk tells everyone his dad's car is his.
Brian Rafalski won't move his baby seat.
Darren McCarty doesn't let anyone ride shotgun.
Dallas Drake won't let anyone touch the radio, even if he isn't driving.
Dominik Hasek still can't pass the driving test.
Niklas Kronwall is giving the finger on his license photo.
Brad Stuart has stuffed animals in the back window.
Kris Draper uses the rearview mirror to brush his hair.
Jiri Hudler wears driving gloves.