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Penguins Related Phil Kessel & Patrick Sharp Rumors |
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We have some updated trade rumors for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
First up is a Patrick Sharp rumor from
Larry Brooks of the New York Post
Don’t know if Pittsburgh can get Patrick Sharp, but Penguins GM Jim Rutherford, who has identified the need to add a goal-scoring wing to either Sidney Crosby’s or Evgeni Malkin’s side as his top priority, will sure try.
Here is the reported asking price
There is no chance the Blackhawks receive that. That looks more like the return of an Evgeni Malkin deal than it does a player who everybody in the league knows the Blackhawks have to trade.
Having said that the Blackhawks will not be giving away Patrick Sharp and they will also not be taking salary back. This makes it more difficult for Pittsburgh to make the trade. They have limited futures and also would need to create some cap space.
Next up we have a Phil Kessel rumor from
Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Perhaps because there are so few top-six wingers in play now, the Penguins are believed to have at least a kick-the-tires level of interest in Toronto’s Phil Kessel.
That is totally fine and Jim Rutherford should inquire, but here are a few things to think about when talking about Phil Kessel
1. Toronto doesn't have to trade him. They won't move him unless they get an extremely nice return
2. They won't be retaining salary. They have the top talent on the trade market who is being paid fair value.
3. Pittsburgh's organizational depth in the futures department would be plundered.
4. While Pittsburgh can certainly be competitive with Crosby, Malkin, and Letang making what they do adding another 8M in one player offsets that balance. The majority of Stanley Cup Champions have paid their top highest salaried players ~50%. Right now Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Fleury, and Hornqvist make up 49.8% of a 71 million dollar cap. That is totally fine. Adding in Kessel at 8 million would have the Penguins at 55% which is starting to push it. Especially since Pittsburgh has limited players who can contribute on ELC's and two of them (Maatta/Pouliot) will get raises in the near future.
I happen to like Phil Kessel as a player but Pittsburgh cannot justify the cap hit (which again is fair value) or part with the assets needed to acquire. For the reasons above I can't see a deal that makes Pittsburgh a better team in both the short term and long term.
Thanks for reading!
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