Malone, Roberts Traded
Mike Adams | National Hockey League
Jun 28, 01:17 PM | Hype this story!
The Pens have traded Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts to Tampa Bay for for a fourth round draft pick in 2009. Should the Lightning sign Malone, the Pens would get a third-rounder instead. It has been obvious for quite some time that neither would be back with the Pens. It’s highly doubtful the Lightning will sign either, but stranger things have happened.
Comments
Dabich
Jun 28, 01:20 PM
My main attraction is gone…bye bye Malone…
:/
Brandon
Jun 28, 02:01 PM
The story has disappeared now. I’m not buying it until its back up again. I’ve spent too much time this off-season feeling stupid when crap changes. hahahahaha.
Pens1967
Jun 28, 02:03 PM
Could the Pens have moved Malone farther away from Minnesota? I’m a little surprised TB would want Roberts since he’s known to want to play near his kids and home in Toronto.
TB does have new ownership that wants to make a splash, so they could throw a lot of money at Malone. TB does also have Stamkos and Lecavalier – a couple of attractive teammates.
spiker97
Jun 28, 02:03 PM
This is just the tip of the iceberg, there is probably a lot more to this. TSN is reporting that if Tampa Bay signs one or the other, the draft pick level will go higher.
If the Lightning can sign them.
This also would provide much more cap room for the Pens, making it somewhat more likely that they could sign Orpik and Hossa, if not both.
It’s going to be a wild three-four days leaguewide.
Pens1967
Jun 28, 02:08 PM
P-G is also reporting this. It’s a definate 4th rounder next year and a 3rd if Malone signs with TB.
Link:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08180/893421-100.stm
Neither Malone’s nor Robert’s salaries are counted in the current cap space calculations so the Pens won’t be saving
space with their departure.
Ben Schmidt
Jun 28, 02:46 PM
Wow. Credit to Shero – he’s managed to get something for effectively nothing here. No matter what, he’s getting an extra draft pick next summer.
Considering that Roberts and Malone have made it clear they aren’t returning to the Penguins next season, this is a great move by Shero.
(Oh, and I think we can consider it official now, since it is on the Penguins’ website: http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=367171 )
Justin Maffei
Jun 28, 03:00 PM
I agree with Ben. Roberts is rumored to want to go nearer home so he likely won’t sign with TB. Malone has stated that he wants to test the market. I would be surprised if TB convinced either to sign. A fourth rounder for potentially absolutely nothing.
Ray
Jun 28, 04:30 PM
This does not mean that Malone won’t be a Penguin, again. He can still look at all the other offers and decide that the Pens give him the best situation. Shero is smart to get something for nothing.
Pens1967
Jun 28, 05:56 PM
Agree, this was a shrewd move by Shero, especially in getting a guaranteed draft choice regardless. It replaces the 5th the Pens gave up for Gill next year and moves up a round or two to boot.
Michael Farkas
Jun 28, 06:59 PM
It should also be noted that the Penguins receive Dallas’ 4th round pick via Tampa Bay if Malone does not sign. We receive Tampa Bay’s 3rd round pick if Malone does sign.
So, basically, if Malone doesn’t ink with them, Pens fans should be rooting for a bad Dallas season, not Tampa Bay season.
Good value considering we’re just a couple days from free agency.
Matt Bodenschatz
Jun 28, 06:59 PM
When looking at Shero and commenting on how shrewd he was in making this deal, one also has to wonder how smart this is for the Lightning. I’ve heard a lot about this new ownership group being very active in decision making, and this certainly wreaks of it.
Trading a fourth rounder for a player who said he won’t sign with anyone until after July 1 and a 42-year-old is just dumb. The move is good on their part if Malone stays, but if he leaves — and he very well might — they gave up a decent pick for absolutely nothing…literally.
I’ve been resigned to the fact that both of these players would indeed sign elsewhere this summer, so, to me, this is good news, as it guarantees the Penguins will at least have something to compensate for the loss.
KG
Jun 28, 07:49 PM
Yeah I don’t like the way Tampa is operating under their new ownership. They have a fine GM in Feaster, yet you don’t see any quotes from him regarding this trade. Then you read ownership say that they are going to be very active in free agency. Little not to ownership: You don’t build winning teams in free agency. Ask the Rangers of the past.
These moves are Barry Melrose/Ownership moves. Don’t like them. They are going to have to overpay substantially to get Malone and Roberts to stay…
Pens1967
Jun 28, 08:21 PM
It looks like the new TB owners are intent on making a splash. OTOH, they do have a nice nucleus there, and as we saw with the Flyers last year, you can become competitive quickly by being active in the UFA market. Of course the consequence as we’re seeing with Philly is that you can easily put yourself in a salary cap bind and not be able to sign your own, let alone anyone else’s players.
Justin Maffei
Jun 28, 11:25 PM
According to the Tribune-Review, Shero saw that Malone intends to cash in on the open market. Apparently Malone is shooting for a long-term, $5 million deal. I would have expected Malone to take a hometown discount earlier in the offseason, but it seems he is looking for his payday. Of course it is his right, it just would have been nice to keep him.
KG
Jun 28, 11:38 PM
I can’t blame Malone. This is going to be his one big time in his career to net a large contract. I would go for the bucks too if I was him…5 years $25MM is a lot of scratch for a 28 year old power forward…More power to you Tampa…
Who plays goal for them again? = )
Pens1967
Jun 29, 08:50 AM
I thought this was the most interesting part of Rossi’s Sunday story:
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“We aren’t talking to anyone until (July 1),” Malone said.
Something apparently changed — and that something may have been Tampa’s recently approved new ownership hiring Brian Lawton as vice president of hockey operations. Lawton had spent the previous 14 years as an agent — the past 10 with Octagon Athlete Representation, which employs Liut.
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Pens1967
Jun 29, 11:03 AM
More from PSI. Lots of money for Ryan and Liut and a new job for Daddy Greg.
SWEET! :)
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Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune reports the Lightning could be the leader for newly acquired forward Ryan Malone. Erlendsson writes that it will also help Tampa that they have just hired his former agent Brian Lawton as their VP of hockey operations. Another factor is that former Pens director of scouting Greg Malone (Ryan’s father) could soon be joining the Lightning in some capacity. Malone currently works for the Phoenix Coyotes. Erlendsson also reports negotiations are underway between the Malone camp and the Lightning, while Gary Roberts waived his no-trade clause to facilitate the trade to Tampa.
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Matt Bodenschatz
Jun 29, 11:25 AM
KG, I’m with you. We’re talking about a 28-year-old who has had a nice career, but really stepped it up in his contract year. Maybe it was an overall change in the way he approaches the game, or maybe it was a bit of leaching off of Malkin’s unbelievable second half (which is when Malone turned it on, as well), or maybe it was looking for a big contract in the final year of his existing one. Only time will tell. But the reality is, this very well could be his one chance to cash in, and he certainly has every right to do so.
Pens1967, I really wonder if anything changed, or if this brash new ownership group simply thought they were different and wanted to take a risk? I’ve read some really bad stuff about these guys, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they do a bit of running this team into the ground before they build it up. Then again, what they have done so far (Prospal at $3.5 million, Lecavalier at around $9 million, etc) certainly seems quite solid, to say the least.
I still wonder if Malone doesn’t take the highest offer on July 1.
Pens1967
Jun 29, 11:44 AM
Matt, on 1250, Tab Douglas is convinced Melrose is behind the deal for Malone and Roberts. Douglas pointed out during his hockey analysis spots on ESPN, Melrose pretty much went ga-ga over both Malone and Roberts. Melrose is going to be on with Douglas sometime between 12 and 1 today. It should be an interesting chat.
Pens1967
Jun 29, 11:54 AM
Burnside on 1250…says TB wants character and leadership in the locker room…thinks Malone is supposed to play with Stamkos and help him…they want Roberts’ presence in the room as well…asked about cap room…Burnside doesn’t think it’s a problem for TB and is probably in their interest to overpay at this point.
On the Pens…SB not convinced Hossa will leave…at first said Hossa, then said Winter as thinking it’s not enough money..
.thinks there are many players who will look at Pgh and say (like Sykora) where do I sign…mentions Bertuzzi as a possible.
..not Tucker so much.
Matt Bodenschatz
Jun 29, 02:27 PM
Pens, spectacular insight. Thanks for keeping us updated!
If the Lightning end up keeping Malone, this is a great deal for both teams. It also could be a strong indication that the new ownership group has a bit more hockey knowledge than originally expected.
Pens1967
Jun 29, 05:36 PM
From sportsnet.ca via Spector. Looks like 31M over 7 yrs for Malone plus a job for dear old Dad.
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Sportsnet.ca — The Tampa Bay Lightning have agreed to terms with forward Ryan Malone on what is expected to be a seven-year deal exceeding just over $31 million, Sportsnet has learned.
The Lightning acquired the right to both Malone and Gary Roberts from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
Roberts is close to signing a one-year deal with Tampa Bay that has the potential to reach $2 million.
An announcement could come as early as Monday.
The Lightning have signed hockey scout Greg Malone from the Phoenix Coyotes. Greg is the father of Ryan Malone. Also joining the team is former agent Tom Kurvers, who now takes a front office job along side Brian Lawton.
Should the Lightning sign Malone, Pittsburgh will receive Tampa Bay’s third-round pick in 2009 or they will receive Dallas’ fourth-round pick in 2009, previously acquired by the Lightning, if Tampa Bay is not able to sign Malone.
“We said earlier this week we would be aggressive in our pursuit of free agents in order to win and compete,” Lightning owner Oren Koules said saturday.
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Pens1967
Jun 29, 06:01 PM
Adding up the contracts for Stamkos (3.84M), Malone (4.4285), Roberts (2), Prospol (3.5), Lecavalier (+1.4) and that’s 15M of TB’s 21M current cap space. I’m not sure if I were a GM I’d want my “splash” to be a 51 pt man and 42 yr old Gary Roberts.
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