With the Salary Cap hovering over the Pittsburgh Penguins like a dark cloud over a Sunday picnic (cue dark and evil background muzak), many pundits and fans have wondered if the Penguins will be able to keep the dynamic duo of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby together for the long-term. Given the Penguins are having to spend big bucks to keep the likes of Ryan Whitney and Marc-Andre Fleury in the fold, can and will the Penguins be able to have enough cap room to keep Malkin while icing a successful club?
It has been widely speculated that Malkin would demand "Ovechkin!!" money, and might price himself out of the Penguins ability to keep him. Would the Pens have to trade Malkin rather than risk losing him on the Restricted Free Agent market to some poacher?
Well, it appears that Pens fans need not worry any longer. Reports from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and TSN.ca indicate that the Pens and Malkin are close on a new deal which will see Malkin and Crosby stay together for a very long time.
"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."
Malkin told the newspaper he does not need to exceed the $8.7 million salary of captain Sidney Crosby but sources tell TSN the likely target for Malkin is a five-year deal worth more than $9 million per season.
Obviously, this bodes well for both the Penguins and the league. Having THE dynamic duo together and maintaining a popular 'dynasty' (for lack of a better term) will provide the fans with a must-see team for many years, and give the league a team that it can promote. As great as the Wings are, their style of play, and their quiet superstars, just aren't as marketable as the Golden Boys.
Part of me worries that the Pens could end up like the Tampa Bay Lightning: Stacked with a few highly-paid superstars and a whole bunch of chaff. On the other hand, the Pens have a much better farm system, plenty more quality depth, and a salary cap that continues to rise. The future is bright.
While Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin get all of the media attention and fanboy love, let's not forget that Marián Hossa, a star in his own right, is doing his fair share of scoring for the Penguins in these playoffs. How does a guy with nine goals and 19 points in 14 games get so little attention?
Of course, these are the kinds of numbers that Hossa should be putting up, given his skill level and the fact that the Penguins traded the house (Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito, and Pittsburgh's 1st round choice in 2008 NHL Entry Draft) to rent the guy for a few months.
Last year, Hossa put up one of the stankiest playoff performances of all time with one lone assist in 4 invisible games. After scoring 100 points in the regular season, Hossa didn't even generate a drop of sweat as the Thrashers were swept aside like a cow in a tornado.
Well, the Mark Recchi saga seems to have finally come to an end. After finding no takers on the trade market, and nobody biting on Recchi during the first waiver process, the Penguins finally managed to get rid of the rapidly-declining winger after he was claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers on re-entry waivers.
"We're very pleased to be adding a proven veteran like Mark to our lineup," said Waddell. "He's an accomplished player who competes hard, and at a high-skill level, every time he's on the ice."
Well, nobody can deny the skill Recchi has, but the veteran winger seems to be skating around with a giant fork in his back these days. Even with a lot of primo ice time with King Sidney Crosby, Recchi put up only eight points in 19 games, a huge drop from his production of past seasons. Even if the Thrashers are in the bottom half of the NHL in offense (kind of hard to believe, isn't it?), one wonders how much Recchi can offer his new club.
At the very least, the Thrashers have a real need for a skilled right winger, and it's not hard to fathom why they are willing to take a chance. Behind Marian Rossa, the Thrashers' right side is extremely pathetic, with the likes of Darren Haydar and Chris Thorburn, not exactly household names, the only natural right siders on the roster. Recchi will have a good shot at seeing time on the second line, and will get a chance to prove himself one last time.
The Sophomore Jinx is a mere myth to many people, but the theory certainly has some merit and proof behind it. Due to higher expectations, awareness of the player's abilities, a certain level of (too much) comfort, and/or just plain bad luck, some players just seem to do worse in their second NHL season than their first.
A prime example would be Penguins center Jordan Staal, who was all the rage last season after putting up 29 goals and 42 points at the tender age of 18. With seven shorthanded goals, and regular time on key defensive assignments, Staal looked like a stalwart. Surely, somebody who can put up those numbers as such a young age was destined for stardom. Just look at how teammate Sidney Crosby blossomed!
Well, Staal has "staalled" with just FOUR(!) points in 23 games this season, and is on pace for a whopping 7 goals and 7 assists. On a team with quite a few struggling players, Staal sticks out like George W. Bush at a Mensa Barbeque. After his bachelor party incident this past summer, the shine has come off of the star prospect, and fantasy league players are quickly becoming anxious.
Staal: "Obviously, my confidence isn't at its peak. I don't want to take risks sometimes, when maybe that's the best play. I have to go to the net, try beating guys one-on-one down low and moving my feet down there. If I do that, I'll create more chances and hopefully get on a roll."
Veteran winger Mark Recchi has long been one of the NHL's most underrated offensive producers. Last season, at the age of 39, Recchi paired well with Sidney Crosby to put up 68 points in 82 games, including his 15th career 20-goal campaign.
This season, it's been a whole different story for the "Recchin Ball" as he's really shown his age. Recchi has put up only 8 points despite being surrounded with loads of offensive talent. Coach Therrien has responded by making Recchi a regular healthy scratch (four of the last five games), and the Pittsburh Post-Gazette reports that Recchi's agent is rather confuzled and anxious:
"It's safe to say I've had some conversations with Ray [Shero] regarding the current status," Curran told the gazette. "When any player finds himself not playing, you call and find out how things are, what's going on."
While some believe that Sidney Crosby's point totals were enchanced by playing with the likes of Recchi, I always believed otherwise. It's more than likely that Recchi's natural decline was heavily masked by Crosby's playmaking skills and work along the boards. While Recchi has the smarts, his body no longer can keep up with the fast pace of today's game like it used to. If Recchi had played for any other team, he likely would have retired.
For proof? How about Recchi's tenure with Carolina, where he put up just 7 points and a -8 in 20 games. Once Recchi was torn from the loving bosom of The Kid, his production dipped dramatically, and "Rex" was no longer able to score a bunch of easy points.
Many fans and experts expect the Pittsburgh Penguins to do some real damage this season. With a roster packed with more explosiveness than a Chinese fireworks factory, the Penguins ought to run roughshod over much of the NHL. You can only hope and pray that the likes of Crosby, Recchi, Malkin, Sykora, Whitney, Staal, and Gonchar have an off night and score only 3 goals between the lot of them.
Well, after five games, the Penguins sit at 2-3-0, and haven't looked like a very good team. Sidney Crosby is struggling, by his standards, with six points in five games, and last year's rookie sensation Jordan Staal has nary a goal to his credit.
As of now, M-A Fleury sports an awful 4.11GAA and 87.1SV%, numbers that put him near the bottom of the league, statistically. This isn't just a short-term trend dealio, either.
All too often, fantasy league GMs chase after the shiny baubles, paying far too much for past production while not looking at likely future point totals and the big picture.
For good fantasy league players, they can abuse these chicken-headed GM's by gouging them with a big fat juicy carrot (or bag of seeds) right in front of their faces. Nobody ever wins their league by playing nice. Hype up your players, and prepare to reap the windfall.
There are a few good players that would be well worth waving around the trade market, given that their production next season is very likely to fall off to some degree. Rather than bank on the chance these players MIGHT another great season, let somebody else take the risk for you.
1. Andrew Brunette, Colorado Avalanche
SEASON TEAM GP G A PTS
03-04 MIN 82 15 34 49
05-06 COL 82 24 39 63
06-07 COL 82 27 56 83
Talk about your career seasons! Andrew Brunette found the fountain of Youth (Joe Sakic) in Colorado and had himself his best season ever.
Unfortunately, Brunette isn't too fleet of foot, and is approaching his 34th birthday. One has to believe that his amazing streak of luck with his health and production will come to an end. Brunette will also be conceding some ice time to some of the Avs' younger forwards and, perhaps, Ryan Smyth.
"I saw Sidney get absolutely mauled at the Memorial Cup in London, Ont., a few years ago, and he did just fine (winning the tournament scoring title)," McGuire said.
"You have to understand, Sidney and other great players have been targeted since they were 10 years old. They know how to deal with it."
"Crosby handles the rough stuff just fine," McGuire said. "All the great players do. Besides, Sidney usually plays with Recchi and Ryan Malone, or Staal."
Crosby will likely be shadowed by Mike Fisher and the defensive tandem of Phillips-Volchenkov, something The Kid is all too used to by now.
So, how have other legendary players fared in their first playoff tests in the past?
Wayne Gretzky Age 19: 3GP 2-1-3PTS Age 20: 9GP 7-14-21PTS
Mario Lemieux Age 23: 11GP 12-7-19PTS
Steve Yzerman Age 18: 4GP 3-3-6PTS
Joe Thornton Age 19: 11GP 3-6-9PTS
Vincent Lecavalier Age 23: 11GP 3-3-6PTS
By those standards, the great players do good things in the playoffs, regardless of age. Anything less than a point-a-game for Sidney would be a disappointment.
To most in the hockey world, this is no big surprise, especially after finishing with 102 points last season as an 18-year old.
"It's a nice accomplishment, and I didn't come into this season expecting it," Crosby told reporters after setting up both Pittsburgh goals in a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday night. "I tried to have the best season possible, and I was lucky enough to get it."
Crosby is the youngest Art Ross winner ever, although Wayne Gretzky was slightly younger when he tied Marcel Dionne for the league lead with 137 points in 1979-80. Dionne got the trophy that year for scoring more goals, however.
Crosby also beat out Gretzky by 140 days to become the youngest player ever to post 200 career points. Crosby, who now has 222 regular-season goals and assists, reached 200 at 19 years 207 days old.
The NHL's top scorers this season:
Player GP G A PTS
Sidney Crosby 79 36 84 120
Joe Thornton 82 22 92 114
V. Lecavalier 82 52 56 108
Dany Heatley 82 50 55 105
M. St. Louis 82 43 59 102
With the Salary Cap hovering over the Pittsburgh Penguins like a dark cloud over a Sunday picnic (cue dark and evil background muzak), many pundits and fans have wondered if the Penguins will be able to keep the dynamic duo of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby together for the long-term. Given the Penguins are having to spend big bucks to keep the likes of Ryan Whitney and Marc-Andre Fleury in the fold, can and will the Penguins be able to have enough cap room to keep Malkin while icing a successful club?
While Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin get all of the media attention and fanboy love, let's not forget that Marián Hossa, a star in his own right, is doing his fair share of scoring for the Penguins in these playoffs. How does a guy with nine goals and 19 points in 14 games get so little attention?
Well, the Mark Recchi saga seems to have finally come to an end. After finding no takers on the trade market, and nobody biting on Recchi during the first waiver process, the Penguins finally managed to get rid of the rapidly-declining winger after he 
The Sophomore Jinx is a mere myth to many people, but the theory certainly has some merit and proof behind it. Due to higher expectations, awareness of the player's abilities, a certain level of (too much) comfort, and/or just plain bad luck, some players just seem to do worse in their second NHL season than their first. 
Veteran winger Mark Recchi has long been one of the NHL's most underrated offensive producers. Last season, at the age of 39, Recchi paired well with Sidney Crosby to put up 68 points in 82 games, including his 15th career 20-goal campaign.
Many fans and experts expect the Pittsburgh Penguins to do some real damage this season. With a roster packed with more explosiveness than a Chinese fireworks factory, the Penguins ought to run roughshod over much of the NHL. You can only hope and pray that the likes of Crosby, Recchi, Malkin, Sykora, Whitney, Staal, and Gonchar have an off night and score only 3 goals between the lot of them.
All too often, fantasy league GMs chase after the shiny baubles, paying far too much for past production while not looking at likely future point totals and the big picture.
Sidney Crosby has taken the hockey world by storm in 
Sidney Crosby took just two seasons to reach the top of the scoring latter, 
