Eh, I think Neal hurt Malkin's game over the years, too. They had what I like to call the spiral of stupid where they'd feed off each other's bad ideas and I think we ultimately saw him defer to Neal's shot too much and get overly cute... even for this team. It's weird, you don't expect something like that to happen, idk if it's controversial. I thought his game was looking better, better rounded and composed, last season, but only for stretches, probably between injuries.
He's good for one or two standard hockey injuries every season, now. Nothing flukey to write off, so I wouldn't count on him cracking 70 games but as long as he's healthy in the playoffs it's fine. Like Letang he shouldn't be expected to play a full season, you just take it if they're there when it really matters. Neither of them managed to do that last season, while, naturally, Crosby did for the first time in years. Here's his GP over his NHL career.
2006-07 - 78
2007-08 - 82
2008-09 - 82
2009-10 - 67
2010-11 - 43
2011-12 - 75
2012-13 - 31*
2013-14 - 60
2014-15 - 69
*lockout shortened season in which his maximum played would have been 65 if he didn't miss another game
I'd do it, too. That's why I came up with it.
But you know, top 6 winger (ha) with leadership, a former 1st rounder who needs to get healthy and a 2nd round pick, it could be pretty fair depending on the going rate. Boedker is still the dream to round out the group Boedker, Hornqvist, Kessel, Perron and Plotnikov for depth because they'll all miss time. Realistically, Perron is gone for a defenseman, Bennett is gone for a former Pen and Boedker goes somewhere else for less than that.
A 2nd isn't like the firsts getting moved around like that, I get it but I still wish it had happened.