Malkin's Agent Has Mixed Feelings Over Salary Comments
Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins
Jun 19, 11:46 AM | Hype this story!
Last week, when Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin spoke openly to the media about being an easy player to deal with, player agent J.P. Barry was somewhere breaking something.
“I wish, frankly, Evgeni had kept his remarks to himself but I guess it’s nothing different than he was telling the team privately,” Barry said to Canada.com.
But, after thinking about the situation, Barry found a silver lining: a five year contract, which Malkin mentioned as his length of choice, would extend just one year into his free agency.
“I’m not a believer in these long, long term deals,” Barry said.
Malkin’s suggestion of accepting a contract at less than market value not only is good for the team, but good for the individual as well. By doing so, Malkin will allow the Penguins to keep a better core of players intact, thus creating a better chance at winning the Stanley Cup — and earning a large payday when this contract expires, or so Barry hopes.
Indications are that Malkin is a great person with a team-first mentality, which makes him the ideal player for Penguins general manager Ray Shero.
Even so, rumors continue to be tossed around recklessly by so called media members, such as Bruce Garrioch.
In today’s Ottawa Sun the rumor monger takes his turn at suggesting a Penguins/Kings trade revolving around Malkin.
He’s a little late as Mike Milbury started the Malkin rumor craze on TSN immediately after the Penguins lost the Stanley Cup. Fellow TSN analyst Pierre Mcguire followed up quickly with his own take, and, not surprisingly, Eklund from HockeyBuzz.com threw his pile of crap against the wall, as well.
Garioch’s take is that Shero is desperate to get a first rounder and is offering Malkin to to the Kings to get the second overall pick in the draft, along with a young forward.
He wrote: “While many NHL executives refused to believe the Penguins would trade the 21-year-old Malkin because he has one year left on his entry-level contract at a bargain $984,000 (all terms US), the indications are that Shero wants to sign winger Marian Hossa before he becomes an unrestricted free agent — a deal that could cost Pittsburgh upward of $8 million a year.”
He followed this with a quote from Kings general manager Dean Lombardi, who said: “I’ve had two legitimate offers. I’ve spoken with ownership and we’ve agreed that we’re going to build here for the long term. To trade away that draft pick, we’re going to have to get a lot of value. I’m not seeing things change a whole lot (before tomorrow).”
I don’t see the Penguins’ mentioned by name in that quote, and I also don’t see any indication that the Kings’ first rounder will be dealt.
Two things make these Malkin trade rumors ridiculous.
1. The Russian center has one year left on his rookie contract, which is quite affordable to so the least. Why would Shero even consider trading him now? It’s not like it will save the Penguins cap space in the short term.
2. Marian Hossa is 29, or eight years older than Malkin, and widely known as a supporting player. In other words, he isn’t someone a good team should look to to carry the brunt of the work. Malkin is. If signing Hossa means losing Malkin, I’m not for it, and I highly doubt Shero is as well.
Comments
Pens1967
Jun 19, 12:01 PM
Boy, these rumors have gotten so ridiculous that now 3 different agents and 1 player (Malone) have found it necessary to speak out.
Luce
Jun 19, 12:11 PM
I agree and I for one only see one way of dealing with it.
I will make my own rumor…right here…right now
My source tells me that the Penguins are trying to deal Evgeni Malkin and the rights to Ryan Malone for Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and a box of Jelly Donuts. Although many think that the deal wont go through because Shero desperatly wants the donuts and the Chicago Blackhawks just arent crazy about Ryan Malone.
There you have it folks! Funny thing is this rumor is just about as true as all the rest of them.
As fans and media we will just have to wait to see what Shero does..and my opinion is that Shero is a pretty savy, intelligent manager and will make the right moves for this team to be successful
Dabich
Jun 19, 01:36 PM
I decided to stop speculating long ago. I’m just going to wait and see what unfolds.
Ashley Gallant
Jun 19, 01:48 PM
Jelly donuts? Wait…are they raspberry? If so, Shero would be a fool to turn that deal down. :)
Andrew R
Jun 19, 01:54 PM
While I agree that most of this is ridiculous, the Kings have the correct elements with which they could make a strong offer for Malkin that the Pens would at least have to consider. These elements include, but are not limited to:
2nd Overall Pick (stud D-men Doughty/Bogosian)
Anze Kopitar
Jack Johnson (Sid Crosby’s best friend)
I am not saying that either team would even consider this or that there is any basis to believe it will happen, but the fun of the offseason is speculation.
The problem is when speculation gets reported as fact. Thats what gets annoying and misleading.
Pens1967
Jun 19, 02:42 PM
There is NO player in this draft or on any the LA Kings who is as good as Malkin is now or expected to be in the next few years. You simply do not arguably one of the top 2 or 3 players in the game.
All this rumor-mongering is insane. The Pens have known for 3 years now, since the lockout, they needed to make arrangements to accommodate Crosby and Malkin under the salary cap. That’s why they have been far below cap for the past few years. That is where all Shero’s planning has been focused.
BTW, the Pens have several young defensemen, namely Sneep and Strait, who are developing very nicely at B.U. and B.C. These are the kids who will step up when the Pens’ defense needs to fill a few holes in a couple of years.
KG
Jun 19, 03:02 PM
The Kings easily have the goods to get a deal done. The key is, do the pens want to make the trade, and do the kings want to trade away a lot of their young depth…
I would say that Lombardi would not want to move Johnson, especially since he will move the 2nd overall pick, which will most likely be a D man.
Malkin for Kopitar, Brown, 2nd overall. ?
Pens1967
Jun 19, 04:12 PM
Actually, this trade makes little sense from LA’s side. Right now they have only 3 defensemen signed for 2008-09. Why would they pass on a chance to draft an impact defensemen this year or why would they include one in a trade?
LA has almost exactly the SAME cap room in 2008-09 as Pittsburgh. If one thinks the Pens can’t fit Malkin under the cap, why would one think LA can?
Dr. Turkleton
Jun 19, 07:53 PM
@Pens1967…
Malkin’s salary for 08-09 would have little impact since he’s already under contract. I’m sure that if LA can somehow nab Geno, they’ll be able to get 3-4 d-men to fill their void…
@KG…
I’d like that trade + maybe another pick or 2 this draft or drafts down the road…
Hey, if Gretzky can get traded….
Pens1967
Jun 19, 09:33 PM
Well, this trade rumor and all its cousins have now been completely debunked by TSN.
Gary Roberts
Jun 20, 05:26 AM
I don’t consider it sex if the woman survives
Dabich
Jun 20, 06:45 AM
Pens1967 ~ that’s why I’ve decided to wait to see how things pan out on their own! lol
Andrew R
Jun 20, 11:09 AM
‘67, you really seem intent on equating fans speculating for fun and passing off that speculation as fact or even plausible. Fans speculate and wonder about potential trades and signings in the offseason, because their isn’t anything else to do! We all wait and see what happens, we have to since none of us have the last name Shero, but there’s nothing wrong with looking at circumstances and wondering what is possible.
The problem comes in when writers with large forums, like Eklund, constantly exercise little restraint in the rumors they report and cloak them in a false curtain of legitimacy. Some of these “insiders” can barely form coherent sentences, much less consistently exercise proper journalistic integrity.
Fans who profess no inside knowledge discussing things on message boards is one thing, large audience bloggers who claim privledged information is quite another. Take the latter to task, not the former.
Pens1967
Jun 20, 11:21 AM
Of course fans speculate, but these Malkin “trades” are truly not based on anything even remotely attached to reality. None of the scenarios presented make much, if any, sense at all.
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