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Homecoming For Ryan Malone?

June 24, 2013, 9:04 AM ET [245 Comments]
Ryan Wilson
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
One of the results of the recent NHL lockout was giving teams the ability to use amnesty buyouts. Players would still be paid handsomely on their current contracts but the teams would no longer have that money tied up into their salary cap. Given that the free agency crop this year leaves much to be desired, the potential players that will be bought out may be the more attractive option. I believe this to be the case when talking about Ryan Malone and the Penguins.

There are rumblings in Tampa that Ryan Malone will receive one of the Lightning’s potential amnesty buyouts. Malone has 2 years left on his 4.5M per year contract.

If he is indeed bought out by Tampa Bay, the Penguins should show interest. Malone’s abilities as a player are well known to the Penguins organization. His departure from Pittsburgh was money related as Malone was trying to cash in on his one opportunity to sign a big contract. With an amnesty buyout Malone would almost certainly be willing to take a significant pay cut, especially for a homecoming.

Malone’s offensive production has been consistent throughout his entire NHL career, he is a legitimate 20 goal scorer. Malone’s ability to play with star players is also attractive. He thrived when playing on Evgeni Malkin’s wing and then did the same when playing with Steven Stamkos. His ability to thrive in a top 6 role makes any potential acquisition worth inquiring about.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have not had a player like Ryan Malone since, well, they lost Ryan Malone. He is a true net front presence, one that the Penguins haven’t had on their power play since he left. Malone’s ability to utilize his size and combine that size with his above average puck skills makes him the perfect fit to be reunited on a line with Evgeni Malkin.

Another strength of Malone’s game is his ability to cycle the puck. In 2008 and 2009 the Penguins were as good as any team in the league at cycling the puck and sustaining zone time. The Penguins would wear teams down and then take advantage of the increased time and space gained from opponent fatigue. The current Penguins have gotten away from this style of play. The Penguins now rely on transition offense and it leads to more wide open games, which has led to more goals against. A player like Malone would be the step in the right direction to getting back to what made the 2008 and 2009 Penguins so dangerous.

Malone would also have the ability to drop down to the third line and provide quality play if needed in that role. He also provides the Penguins options for the penalty kill.

Not everything is positive with Malone. There is a reason there are rumors about him being bought out by the Lightning. Why would a team buyout a player that can do all the positive things mentioned above? Injuries. The one drawback to any team acquiring the services of Ryan Malone is that he has always been susceptible to injury. It is a byproduct of his physical style of play which makes him so effective. Out of the possible 376 games in his Tampa Bay career he has missed 91 games (24.2%).

The one benefit to a potential Pittsburgh signing is that unlike Tampa, the Penguins would not have 4.5M tied up in a player missing that kind of time.

Last but certainly not least Ryan Malone would provide another level of leadership in the Penguins locker room. Malone was an alternate captain during his tenure in Pittsburgh and would be a trusted familiar voice. He would be able to step right in and be able to command respect, especially amongst the Penguins core group.

When weighing the positives of Ryan Malone’s skill and leadership presence against his injury liability, it would still make sense for the Penguins to sign Malone if he is available. The cost would be low and so would the risk. The potential reward would be very high.

This year the Penguins traded for a #12 that wasn’t a good fit for the Penguins, but if their old #12 is on the market it might be something Ray Shero can’t afford pass up.

Thanks for reading!

You can find my non-Penguin related articles over at HockeyHurts.com

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