Should and will the Pens trade Crosby?

[SeanMoneyHands]

Should and will the Pens trade Crosby? What do you think?

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[lokomotiv15]

In my opinion, unless Sid asks to be traded, they absolutely should not.

He brings more through the gate and merchandise sales, and will for the remainder of his playing career, than any pieces or players you'd get from trading him will over the next 6-8 years, barring some weird hockey miracle.

If you can trade him for parts that somehow make the Pens a play-off team with the new pieces vs being a non-play-off team with Sid, then the gate revenue from the play-off series start to offset that, maybe.

I'd still bet the Pens 5 points out of the play-off picture with Sid pull more (17.5- 18,000 a game) at the gate vs 5 points into a play-off spot without Sid on the roster (15-15,500 a game), all year long.

I could also be totally off-base, but in terms of just off-ice product alone, I don't think the Pens would be wise to. A few picks or prospects are too much a shot in the dark and not tangible enough for me to believe otherwise.

 

[SuperScript29]

At this point it's a matter of franchise heritage. It would be idiotic for them to do that.

 

[Video Nasty]

It makes much more business sense to keep him as a lifelong Penguin than any realistic alternative.

 

[Buck Naked]

Sid is not going anywhere as long as it's in his control. And it always will be.

 

[McGarnagle]

He should be a lifer like Mario. But if Brady can leave New England, anything can happen.

I only see one place he'd go, which makes sense for both sides and possibly involves a little collusion: Boston needs a top 6 center. Sid is very good friends with Marchand. John Henry happens to own both the Penguins and 80% of the NESN network that all of Boston's games are broadcast on. So he can get out of paying his contract while still earning some profit based on the ratings he draws to local broadcasts.

That's the only scenario I see. But even then I give it maybe a 10% possibility because it boils down to whether he wants to pack up and leave the only city he's lived in since he was 18.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

They should but the only way they ever will is if he asks them to

 

[GOilers88]

They should have committed to a retool earlier. I think Superstars like Crosby, who have won multiple cups and almost every piece of hardware available, are far more useful to their own dying teams than shipping them off for whatever picks you could get.

Having a guy like Crosby be there for the new wave of young talent, or the new "core" seems far more beneficial to the long term success of the team than having a dying team try to go for it just because Crosby and Malkin are still there.

I was thinking about this the other day and it seems strange that more teams don't do this with aging but extremely talented vets. Seems like most teams will just continue to trade away quality draft picks to keep going for it because Player X is still there. All that generally seems to do is extend the period of pain and suffering and shitty hockey that teams will go through when they're gone and won multiple cups. Keep him around. Let him show the new kids what it means to be a pro.

This seems far more beneficial to me than dumping him, the only problem is they should have started doing this 2 or 3 seasons ago, and then there's even the chance he gets another shot anyways after some kids get a few years under their belt.

 

[banks]

I feel like there's a Dubas "we can and we will" quote joke to make. But I just can't find it.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Come home to mtl baby boy

 

[sr edler]

Only if they can land another superstar like Timo Meier.

 

[KevinRedkey]

If he asks - you trade him.
If he doesn't - you don't.

The most Dubas should do is mention something to give him (or anyone else) an 'out' so they feel more comfortable asking for a trade, if that's what they want.

 

[Midnight Judges]

They should have committed to a retool earlier.

They specifically committed not to rebuild. They sold off 8 of their 12 most recent first rounders.

It's not bizarre that they did this with a fantastic team from 2009-2018. But having fancied themselves buyers as recently as last offseason showed there was a front office not aware of the condition of the team. Although to be fair, many of the fans and the Canadian media were wearing the goggles as well - even after they missed the playoffs with basically a healthy roster last season.

 

[Satoru Gojo]

No option for him walking after next season?

 

[JaegerDice]

If I were a Pens fan, I would be a bit pissed if Crosby walked away or agreed to a trade after politicking to get his buddy(s?) a new deal on the team.

Like, it was so important to you to keep the band together, then you quit the band and leave the team holding onto those contracts? Wtf?!

 

[93gilmour93]

It's all up to Sid. If he wants to stay then he stays. If he went to Dubas and said I think it's better for all of us that I move on, Kyle will make it happen. Crosby has earned that level of respect to call his shot here. I have trouble picturing him in another jersey but anythingis possible.

 

[Toby91ca]

They specifically committed not to rebuild. They sold off 8 of their 12 most recent first rounders.

It's not bizarre that they did this with a fantastic team from 2009-2018. But having fancied themselves buyers as recently as last offseason showed there was a front office not aware of the condition of the team. Although to be fair, many of the fans and the Canadian media were wearing the goggles as well - even after they missed the playoffs with basically a healthy roster last season.

I'm not 100% sure.....up until last year, they were in the playoffs every year, albeit, haven't had much playoff success for a few years, but still, getting to the playoffs still means you aren't sellers....at least while you have Sid and others. I think last year people may have been sold on the idea that they really shouldn't have missed....I mean they stumbled pretty bad at the end, losing to the worst teams in the league to miss by 1pt I think....so they figured it was a blip and things could be different.

This year, some people could also point to the Karlsson deal as just not working.....but that wouldn't matter, it's done and not much you can do about it now and they seem to have decided as much with trading away Guentzel (sp?). My guess is management felt they were still close enough and getting Karlsson would at least get them back to the playoffs since they were so close last year.

 

[blundluntman]

It's a bad idea from both POV's.

The only way it'd benefit the team is if they wanted to get some value out of him before he retires. Trading your second greatest player of all time just to get a few prospects/draft picks looks very bad on the franchise and is something you just don't do.

The only way it'd make sense for Crosby is if he was going to try and win another cup. But I don't understand why one of the most beloved players in a Franchise's history would leave the team in the twilight of his career to chase cups when he's already won 3 championships. This isn't a Ray Bourque kind of situation.

I guess if Crosby went to another team voluntarily to help the franchise out, it'd make sense but he's the type of player that should stay a Penguin for the rest of his career. It just seems right.

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

Send him to Detroit to play with Kane.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

He should be a lifer like Mario. But if Brady can leave New England, anything can happen.

I only see one place he'd go, which makes sense for both sides and possibly involves a little collusion: Boston needs a top 6 center. Sid is very good friends with Marchand. John Henry happens to own both the Penguins and 80% of the NESN network that all of Boston's games are broadcast on. So he can get out of paying his contract while still earning some profit based on the ratings he draws to local broadcasts.

That's the only scenario I see. But even then I give it maybe a 10% possibility because it boils down to whether he wants to pack up and leave the only city he's lived in since he was 18.

Crosby is my favorite player ever but if he signed with the Bruins I'd hope someone signs Dave Steckel.

I think if he went anywhere it would be Colorado.

 

[GOilers88]

They specifically committed not to rebuild. They sold off 8 of their 12 most recent first rounders.

It's not bizarre that they did this with a fantastic team from 2009-2018. But having fancied themselves buyers as recently as last offseason showed there was a front office not aware of the condition of the team. Although to be fair, many of the fans and the Canadian media were wearing the goggles as well - even after they missed the playoffs with basically a healthy roster last season.

This is what I mean. I understand why teams would want to go for it for as long as they have a superstar like that, but after winning 3 Stanley Cups and running on a barren prospect cupboard for years, it seems strange to me to not attempt a "rebuild" or "retool" while having aging guys like Malkin and Crosby to mentor some new guys.

 

[Leafidelity]

They should, but they probably won't.

The Penguins from top to bottom are more interested in navel gazing than winning again with a different core

 

[La Bamba]

No, there’s sentimental value for letting Sid entire as a pure Penguin.

Don’t trade him unless he wants it

 

[IcedCapp]

They should, but they probably won't.

The Penguins from top to bottom are more interested in navel gazing than winning again with a different core

i know this is supposed to sound smart and meaningful, but i'm not even sure what you're actually getting at, since Crosby will definitely retire at some point and the Penguins will definition try to build a cup contending team with the core that follows.

 

[Leafidelity]

i know this is supposed to sound smart and meaningful, but i'm not even sure what you're actually getting at, since Crosby will definitely retire at some point and the Penguins will definition try to build a cup contending team with the core that follows.

It means that the core of Sullivan, Crosby, Malkin and Letang has been ineffective/aged as a unit for years - but because they're legacy winners, everything has been done to run it back, to the detriment of the franchise. Nobody outside Pittsburgh thought Karlsson was going to move the needle.