This will be my last post on the boards, and then I'll take my leave of you guys. As you may know, I often have tons of thoughts rolling around in my cranium and some windup, mistakenly, on the cutting room floor.
First, the question/answer of "Would the Penguins trade Malkin first? Yes! Therefore they favor Crosby" is false equivocation.
Would they trade Crosby first? Yes... but they aren't trading either.
When Elliotte Friedman made his comments re: Malkin, I immediately said they were BS and told you what both the organization and player were thinking.
Shortly thereafter, both the team and the player shot down Friedman's remarks, using language eerily similar to what I had used.
There's a reason for that.
Neither the player nor the team has any interest in ending their relationship, though for slightly different reasons. (Malkin's are rooted in many of the same traits that cause him to go to the Worlds and play for Russia on one leg).
In fact, there is only one scenario where I see Evgeni Malkin ever playing for another team:
A new owner and new GMs.
However, in my last act of self aggrandizement, I want to point out that many people in the media and on this board have said, "the Pens will be sold any day now!"
There's only one person, as far as I know, who has said from the beginning that there is nothing close to happening on that front. That person, of course, is wonderful, great, magnanimous me.
Now reports have come out saying that nothing is close, but nothing has been close. Ever.
So maybe they get sold soonish. Maybe they don't. But that is the only way Malkin gets moved. And even then, it won't be because the Penguins favor Crosby. Well, not these Penguins, anyhow.
So yes, theoretically, the Penguins would move Malkin first, but it doesn't matter because THIS VERSION OF THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS WILL NEVER MOVE EITHER.
edit: just saw Shady's post.
Big McLarge Whatever and Jiggy are the only two people who have been using derogatory names towards people in this thread. If you feel it necessary to defend someone who is incorrectly using the word petulant. That's cool. You probably also use the word "bro" a lot.
Good Luck in Your Future Endeavors, errrrrrone
