Penguins Q&A: What We Know About Crosby, Malkin Rumors, & Yager

Absolutely. Of course. There is no doubt that next Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will sign his final contract and remain a Penguin for life. He will shepherd the young players who will arrive in the next few years and pass along what it means to be a Penguin, his work habits, and his understanding of what it takes to win the Stanley Cup.

That’s the idealized version, and given the state of the world, we could all use a little Disney-fication.

Unfortunately, real life—like real Disney—isn’t so pretty. While most, if not all, expect to see Sidney Patrick Crosby’s inked signature on an NHL contract to play for the Penguins, it’s not yet a done deal.

Also in this week’s Q&A, we’ll answer questions about the Penguins’ trade potentials, the prospects, and what president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas might have up his sleeve.

Sidney Crosby Contract

My hope is Sid is going to give a “homer” contract to give the team flexibility. My worry is he’s not.

— Rich Wittebort (@RichWittebort) August 1, 2024

Should Sid be guilted into signing now and potentially rotting in Pittsburgh his final years or should he have the freedom to see how the year goes and either go on a run here if they are good or get dealt at deadline for a haul and/or sign to a contender July 1?

— Penguins (@pensc87) August 1, 2024

Answer: Both sides of the issue, albeit with a heaping spoonful of sardonic disdain, eh?

So, here’s what I know to be true from sources close to the situation and familiar with the Penguins’ activities: Crosby was to sit down sometime in mid-July to review the situation. The Penguins have told other free agents within the past week that they are in a holding pattern until they sign Crosby.

I feel like I’ve been trying to balance your expectations with the reality. If the Crosby deal were done and waiting for the epic 8/7 signing date, the team could begin speaking with other free agents because Dubas would know his situation.

Do I expect Crosby to re-sign? Yes. Could I foresee a situation where he realizes the Core Three era is essentially a dead man walking and considers alternatives not just for himself but for the team he loves? Yep.

Do I know what’s going to happen next? No.

Can I ask more rhetorical questions? Probably not.

Penguins Trade Talk: Laine

With the 2 elite prospects in goal, do you consider a Jarry for Laine type trade?

— Jamie Schmidt (@jamieschmidt68) August 1, 2024

Answer: Jamie, Jamie, Jamie. Thanks for the question, but you’ve got to read me more often! I could envision a trade between the Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets for Patrik Laine involving a veteran and future asset, but not for Tristan Jarry.

Read More: Penguins Blog: What Could Laine Trade Look Like?

The quick reasons why not begin with Columbus’s already logjammed goalie situation. Daniil Tarasov is a 25-year-old prospect who is waiting to take the net. Elvis Merzlikins makes north of $5 million, and prospect Jet Greaves is waiting for Merzlikin’s trade request to come through.

You’re correct; the Penguins do have a couple of dandy prospects in net. I think the clock has started ticking on a Penguins trade involving (probably) Jarry to free up space for Joel Blomqvist, but now isn’t the right time to trade a goalie. Let Blomqvist force his way here first.

As for Laine, yes. A sniper on the wing could only help the power play and lineup. Both Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust can play their offwing and move to the left. Or, in another scenario, one of Laine, Rust, or Rakell is the offensive punch on the third line, pushing Valtteri Puustinen to fourth-line duty.

Because Laine carries an $8.7 million cap hit, any Penguins trade would necessarily involve a veteran going the other way, as the Penguins have only $3.5 million (and change) in cap space.

If Dubas could pull it off, it’s a win-win-win in my book.

Do you think Dubas has one more move in him (following a Sid extension) or is the extension the last piece of business for the offseason?

— Joey 🐧 (@jbartnicki57) August 1, 2024

Answer: Barring a Hail Mary for Laine, it looks like Dubas is done for the summer. I’d advocate that the team sign Tyler Johnson to solidify offensive production or at least take a little flyer on Kailer Yamamoto, but I believe if either were on the table, it would have already happened.

The only move I would expect after a Crosby contract would be a new deal for Marcus Pettersson.

What about new reports that Geno has decided this will be his final NHL season? I know Mr. Madden had this yesterday. Not seeing anything else on that yet.

— Adam Hoerner (@AHoern79) August 1, 2024

Evgeni Malkin Rumors, Brayden Yager, & Me

Answer: I quickly ran this past a source who should know. Any talk of Malkin discussing retirement from the NHL in anything less than two years was the first the source had heard of it.

For those unfamiliar, there was a purported interview with Malkin in Russia in which he said he expected Crosby to re-sign. He was also quoted as saying that in a couple of years if he has anything left, he’ll finish in the KHL. It wasn’t anything we hadn’t heard before, and I’m always leery of Russian media and Russian translations. Too often, we find out later that it wasn’t accurate.

I haven’t seen or heard anything about one year, either.

How many games does Yager play for the pens this year and what’s his stat line look like?

— Jeff Meyer (@jj_meyer18) August 1, 2024

I suspect Brayden Yager will get a nine-game “tryout.” For those who don’t know, the NHL CBA has a provision allowing CHL players to play up to nine NHL games without burning the first year of their entry-level contract. The last Penguins player to get the nine games was Daniel Sprong in 2015-16.

There’s no question I was a little disappointed in Yager’s game at the Memorial Cup. I felt he was too passive and too willing to hang at the blue line in the offensive zone. I also know the organization has very high hopes for him and would love to bring him along so that he can play with Crosby.

My gut tells me that Tanner Howe could spoil that plan by having a whopper of a training camp. I suppose two players could be on a nine-game tryout, but I don’t recall ever seeing it (and the Penguins don’t have the roster space to accommodate it).

How is your summer going? I hope you’re getting some down time!

— Jimmy Dunphy (@JimmyDunphy1) August 1, 2024

I wish! We haven’t announced it yet, but we’ve taken on a heavyweight technical partner who is helping tremendously. It’s been a lot of work. We’ve been scrambling to deal with the most significant changes ever by Google regarding how most people find us, as well as outright attacks on media consumption by Google and Facebook (Meta), whose AI engine has incredibly reprinted some of my work, negating the need for readers to visit PHN. We’ve hired at least three new beat writers (Washington Hockey Now and two more soon to be announced), and the Stanley Cup Final, Draft, and Free Agency slip-n-slide didn’t end until last week.

It’s been a wild couple of months. Being the guy in charge is a lot like cooking cheap bacon with your shirt off. Sure, you get bacon, but you’re also going to get burned. A lot. It’s just a matter of how badly you want the bacon.