Should the Penguins consider trading Sidney Crosby? Which Leafs could stay or go? What moves could the Wild make? The latest in your rumor mill.
Time for the Penguins to trade Crosby?
Should the Penguins trade Sidney Crosby?
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Stan Fischler believes it’s time for the Pittsburgh Penguins to trade captain Sidney Crosby. He believes Crosby is now past his peak years, but feels the Penguins can still cash in, suggesting Montreal, Toronto or Los Angeles as trade destinations. As for those who doubt the Penguins would trade their captain, Fischler notes the Edmonton Oilers traded icons Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Gretzky and Messier, however, didn’t have full no-movement clauses and didn’t play in a salary-cap era. Crosby’s only 28, and while off to a unusually slow start this season, it’s premature to write him off. It wasn’t that long ago when people were saying the same thing about Crosby’s rival Alexander Ovechkin when the Washington Capitals superstar slumped in 2010-11 and 2011-12. Maybe down the road, when Crosby’s in his early-thirties, the Penguins will consider trading him. Not now.
Fischler also feels the longer Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos’ contract saga drags on, the more he’s convinced Stamkos wants to join the Maple Leafs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Long way to go between now and July 1, 2016. I will say, however, that if Stamkos is still unsigned come June, I’ll start believing the possibility he could move on as a UFA.
Who stays and who goes in Toronto?
TORONTO STAR: Kevin McGran breaks down those on the current Maple Leafs roster likely to stay or go as the club rebuilds. Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak, Jonathan Bernier, James Reimer, Matt Hunwick and Nick Spaling stand a “better than 50 percent” chance of staying. Peter Holland, Leo Komarov, Shawn Matthias, Daniel Winnik, Frank Corrado, Martin Marincin stand less than 50 percent, while Joffrey Lupul, Brad Boyes, Rich Clune, Michael Grabner, P-A Parenteau, Byron Froese stand less than 25 percent. McGran believes there’s a market for Lupul if he can score and stay healthy.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lupul’s problem, however, is that he doesn’t stay healthy, plus he’s carrying an annual cap hit of $5.25 million through 2017-18, plus he’s earning $6.75 million in actual salary this season. Unless the Leafs pick up a big chunk of his cap hit, I don’t see Lupul attracting much interest in the trade market.
Latest on the Wild.
STARTRIBUNE.COM: In a recent mailbag segment, Michael Russo reported he felt the Minnesota Wild are more likely to trade defenseman Jared Spurgeon in the offseason, rather than the trade deadline, if unable to re-sign the restricted free agent blueliner. Russo wouldn’t be surprised if the Stars dealt backup goalie Darcy Kuemper around next June’s NHL draft, but doesn’t see a trade market for aging, expensive, oft-injured Niklas Backstrom. He also wouldn’t be shocked if the Wild bought out Jason Pominville next summer if the winger fails to regain his scoring touch, though such a move would be expensive. Russo doubts the Wild have sufficient cap space to pursue a potential UFA next summer like Kyle Okposo, especially when they’ve got Spurgeon, Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba to re-sign.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Follow this link to find out just how expensive a buyout of Pominville will be. The worst seasons are 2017-18 ($4.725 million cap hit) and 2018-19 ($2.225 million). The Wild have over $58 million invested in their 2016-17 payroll. Unless they shed salary, they can forget about being major players in next summer’s UFA market.
I was thinking that as well. Would be quite a shot in the arm for the league if Crosby was traded now while he is in his prime to the right city. I think it could benefit Crosby and Pittsburgh as well. I bet you Wayne doesn’t regret going to LA.
Also, I am very excited about the prospect of obtaining a senior russian bride. Lyle, thank you for being the purveyor of such fine products!
The last time I saw Stan Fischler he was on CBC black and white TV talking to Murray Westgate the Esso guy.
hahaha. I think the last time I seen him he was licking syrup off of his hat or something, lol.
I love the idea of trading the best player in the game. Might I suggest the fine, west coast city of San Jose?
I have been saying for 2 years that the Pens have to trade Crosby if they want to to win again. Crosby is a great player buy him and Giroux are great examples of why you don’t make a guy your captain just because he is your best player. He is too easy to frustrate in the playoffs. Crosby is not Captain material. He does not lead in the playoffs and the Pens just have too much money tied up in him and Malkin. The return that they could have gotten on Crosby 2 years ago would have unreal. Now too many teams don’t have the cap space.
Crosby not captain material? Overpaid?
I hope this is sarcasm.
Crosby is definitely a leader and arguably underpaid in comparison to other players, and is still regarded as the best player in the game by most. The player to trade is Evgeni Malkin, while they can still get something of value for him.
Agreed if any one goes it is that play when I feel like it Malkin. The last time I checked the penguns have won 7 of 8 and looking good. Sidney plays hard every night everyone is human and there are a lot of starts off to slow starts …and who the he*** is Stan Fischler a90 year old X play by play guy for the islanders.. Glad he is not running my team.. Mr. Fischler take you AARP card and take a nap.
malkin is better. crosby is fading bad. get rid of him before they are stuck with him. lifelong pens fan here
Sarcasm is you…Crosby is under paid compared to what Kane and Toews make and eventually Stamkos…and that slug Ovechkin (overpaid) who took 2011 and half of 2012 off no one said trade hi….he wasn’t even playing hard
After reading about the possibility of Crosby being traded I instantly scrolled back up to see who’s opinion I’ll never listen to again. Thanks Stan Fischler of the hockey news, whoever you are. Crosby isn’t going anywhere.
Exactly Durt.
The strict limitations of the salary cap have the Pens & Lightning facing difficult decisions with they star players in the near future. What complicates matters is the big salaries we are talking about severely limits the number of teams that have the cap space to consider taking on Crosby or Stamkos. The other consideration is which team is willing to mortgage their future for Crosby? There is a big gap between reality & expectations because of the strict limitations of the salary cap.
I have absolute faith that if the Pens were even remotely considering franchise suicide there would be 29 GMs only too willing to make room on there roster cap or no cap.
Just another dumb rumour mongerour trying to earn clicks on his poorly written article. Crosby will retire a Penguin and he will assume minority ownership of the team when he retires. He has 5 points in 10 games, and yes that’s very low for him but he’s also shown an increased commitment to defense and he’s usually paired with Scuderi who is not an NHL caliber defenseman any more. Scuderi cannot handle a simple breakout nor can he hold the puck in the offensive zone. I can’t believe they dress him every game. The guy is pure garbage. If Sid didn’t spend so much time backing him up he would be scoring more. And he is slumping no question on top of that. He’s getting multiple chances and he’s still playing hard. Right now the Penguins have a healthy group and the best forward group they have had in his entire career. Things will change for him and the rest oft the he guys that are struggling very soon and then look out NHL. He’s not getting traded and it’s a terrible idea to even think about it.
Why will he get a minority ownership, because Lemieux did? They owed Mario a ton of money which is why he became an owner, part of a settlement if I remember correctly. It’s extremely rare a player turns owner. To assume he will get any % ownership in his future is crazier than the idea of trading him.
Have you looked at the Penguins forward lines? To say they didn’t add depth says you probably don’t follow much outside of your Rangers. Their forward depth is top notch, and their commitment to defense (to this point anyway) is refreshing. They have played 11 games and are 7-1-0 in their last 8, without much production from Crosby. Everybody needs to relax.
LOL….Matt Cullen, Fehr (IR), and Bonino? I don’t exactly hate any of these additions. But Pittsburgh Is still a little too top loaded. They STILL could use more depth, especially in the defense department. Right now they are playing above their heads as far as d goes. I don’t expect that to hold up long….do you? Maybe I know a little more about the Pens than you think? Lets see how much depth they have if nothing changes (roster) come playoff time.
You’re right, their D leaves a lot to be desired at this point. Team defense can help with some of those holes for the time being. They will have to add there to have any chance. Fehr came back Saturday and had a shorty and an assist. Cullen also scored. I’m not completely convinced their playing over their heads right now defensively, as this trend started last year under Johnston. Remember, all 4 playoff losses were 2-1, one in OT. Their problem, was scoring.
If the Penguins add one more top defenseman say a Cam Fowler or Big Buff there are going to be really dangerous. They pushed the Rangers last year (all games 1 goal) without 3 of there 4 top defenseman and no where near the forwards they have this year. if you think Crosby is going to stay in this mini-slump think again..
Seems there are two Joeys on here now
I guess that means we can have 2 Joeys, 5 Shticky’s, and 4 Hockey Guru’s too creating a collaborative funfest
Do some research before you speak. Stan Fischler is not just another dumb rumor mongerour as you say.
he has points in 2 games. dont sugar coat it. Mario bought the team to recoup the losses of the debartilo family. he actually got his money back from the team. sid has never sold himself to the city. he is a great sports figure and pittsbugh got a good one, but his story is black vs white to the god mario
Don’t really understand McGran’s categories:
Likely to stay:
Kadri – I agree, he’ll do as 1C now and can be moved down the lineup in the future when one of Nylander/Marner/Matthews(?)/Stamkos(?) is ready.
Bozak – I disagree, with the above in mind, there’s no point keeping him as an overpaid 3/4C which he will be if the rest of the plan works.
Bernier, Reimer – both average at best goalies, I didn’t see why you’d keep both long term.
You are assuming quite a bit there. Both Marner and Nylander, at 5′ 11″ and 164-174 lbs each have a lot of filling out to do if they are to become Top C at the NHL level. When they do, will they retain the same speed? They wouldn’t be the first to find that transition difficult. They may very well turn out to be top-notch NHLers – but there’s no guarantee either will be better than Kadri. The Leafs, even if they finish dead last, won’t automatically get Mathews as they’ll still be part of a 3-team lottery. As for Stamkos – forget about that ever happening.
Crosby the only reason you’d trade him now is for an all-star defenceman who can captain a team, and only because Crosby’s injury history may shorten his career. He’s still one of the best 4 or 5 players in the league by far, but considering the return the Pens gave up for Kessel, it is doubtful that they’d find a fair return. Thus you only trade him if you are worried about a shortened career due to concussions or that sort of thing.
He is still the best player in the game along with jonathan Toews. He is only 28 a Stanley Cup, scoring titles, hart trophies.. wake up they are not trading him…
As for the Leafs, I am shocked to see Spaling listed as good chance to stay. Baffling really. Bernier is on the worry list for Lou Lamorello right now. There have been rumblings that the Leafs are checking out available goalies and may be in a bad situation if Bernier does not find his “A” game soon. Right now, you might be able to trade him based on past achievement, but each game where he makes mistakes and lets in bad goals builds a reputation that will be hard to shake. Just ask James Reimer. My gut tells me that if Reimer had gotten as many starts as Bernier, he’d likely have better stats of the two.
Until the Leafs start winning a few games, the only players likely to interest a trading partner are Marlies.
Bernier put up a .912 SV% last year in 58 games and a .923 in 55 games the year before…
There is no problem except that some fans don’t understand what a small sample size (handful of games played so far this year) can do to stats.
I think the Pens would be crazy to not explore the option of trading Malkin or Crosby. Successful teams have depth, they can deploy four lines, relying on two lines to outscore your opponent every night isn’t the answer to a successful franchise. Adding Kessel before adding depth to this team is still a head scratcher.
Pens should of traded one of the two headed monsters by now.
Historically Malkin has put up better #s when Sid has been sidelined.
A team will reload the Pens for either center.
Does anyone believe the Penguins will make the Cup in the next few years as-is?
Crosby for Weber
Neither Crosby or Weber is going anywhere….. Crosby is still the best player in the game along with Jonathan Toews. There are so many stars off to slow starts Half the LA Kings, The whole Anaheim team Kessler, Perry, Getzlaf give it some time take a rest and think clearly.
Crosby is considered by many to be the best player in the world, but he is certainly not the highest paid player, even on his own team. If we can imagine a scenario where Crosby would ask to be traded (e.g., the team being sold and his subsequent detachment from it because of the departure of his friend, Mario Lemieux), teams would be scrambling for ways to obtain him under the cap for what would be a bargain price for younga superstar under contract till 2020. But what would the Penguins ask for in return? They would have to receive quantity for quality, so roster and cap constraints predicate that they would ask for high draft picks to replenish their depleted farm system, or top prospects. The most likely place to find these is on teams that continuously draft high and have sufficient cap space. Would Edmonton include McDavid in the deal, or Buffalo Eichel? Would Crosby consider playing for Edmonton or Buffalo? These factors make a trade very improbable.
Let’s not forget the Pens may have the worst GM in the league. Anything is possible.
Ok all this Crosby stuff can be fun.
Lets propose trades that the other 29 teams would offer to get Crosby.
I will go first
Tampa Bay. Stamkos For Crosby straight up.
ok we got 28 other teams to propose a trade. What will they offer?
If Tampa resigns Stamkos for what he is asking and trades him for Crosby, would that be likely to put the Penguins over the cap?
This sounds fun:
Crosby for Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau & Brad Stuart.
Crosby to the Maple Leafs, for everyone on the current roster, plus Lamoriello.
Crosby or Malkin to the Blues for Backus , Shattenkirk , Petteri Lundbohm and Barbashev
People to understand the difference between an opinion and a rumor. “I think the Penguins should trade Crosby” is vastly different from “I heard the Penguins are going to trade Crosby”. Criticizing Fischler for stating his own opinion is not fair.
True enough.
Here’s one huge reason Crosby isn’t getting traded:
The Penguins are for SALE. A team with Sidney Crosby, slumping or not, is way more valuable with him than without him, regardless of the return he might fetch.
I knew it wouldn’t be long for the vultures to circle him, just disappointed it was Fischler. It would be hard to get a fair return, IMO if you trade him, you might as well begin a full rebuild. And since they just traded for Kessel, that isn’t going to happen.
Very valid points again Ill say it…. franchise suicide. Like it or not Crosby is the premiere face of the sport. How quick do you think Mario (the guy with perhaps most to gain) is going to be to move his close friend and the guy who is buttering his bread?,,,,maybe down the road but not anytime soon.
Yup, and that’s reasonable. The Pens have their issues, but they still have a decent window to win again. Not saying they will, but the pieces are there to be a contender for the next four or five years. There’s no reason to abandon that right now.
I agree, I Wish they could’ve traded him to Buffalo for the #2 pick last year.
Hexy might be the kind of guy to do that… He’s got stones.
Wow, superbly stupid article by McGran. If 3 years from now they’ve re-signed half this lousy roster I will be looking for a new sport to cheer for. Bozak better than 50% chance of finishing this contract AND being re-signed? That would be a strange twist. Re-sign Reimer, Bernier, Hunwick and Spaling? Why? These are all pending UFAs. Realistically there’s maybe a 50/50 chance 1 of those 5 will be re-signed. They’re all on their way out.
Phaneuf would be gone tomorrow if someone offered us a 1st and a prospect. If he’s suggesting there’s a better than 75% no one will be willing to do that at any time in the next 3 years, I’ll buy into that theory. Not because Babs loves him. Get real, he stinks.
Realistically Komarov, Matthias, Winnik will be old: less than 5%
Holland, Corrado, Marincin less than 10%
Re-sign Lupul? Huh 0%
Boyes, Clune, Grabner, Froese, Parenteau: 0%.
Crosby to the 1998–99 Flyers for Dan Kordic, berube, Sandy McCarthy, and Dave Babych.
I guess that means we can have 2 Joeys, 5 Shticky’s, and 4 Hockey Guru’s too creating a collaborative funfest
Who is this McGran character anyways?
No Morgan Reilly or Phaneuf on his list.
As for Bozak n both goalies all staying lol
Bozak a very good 3C if wingers. Leafs lack winger depth so sayonara. Never thought much of Bernier n Reimer to me is great as a backup n keep him.
D in Leaf land been horrible for years n not much looks like it will change soon. Move out Gardiner n his turnovers n weak play. Yes his wheels n offense r there but he doesn’t get it. He has value in a deal.
As for Sid idk thats playing with fire. Rutherford n the D suck tbh n have for years. Losing Orpik n Niskanen Really hurt big time n not much in the minors. Fire JR n move Malkin out for a top 2 D man plus. Maybe Backes/Shattenkirk n fill in my gaps. Cap is the Pens biggest issue n not gonna get better.
The leafs couldn’t even put together a package to get crosby with the team they have, off to a slow start but still the premier player in this league. Until 82 games are up and he played poorly all year and maybe starts next season off slowly then maybe a trade should be considered. Look at getzlaf and perry in Anaheim. They should be traded too? No were 1/8 into the season give it some time.