Jaydogg I remember the Penguins being very high on Benoit Pouliot as well had we not drafted Crosby. I thought I heard Mario saying it somewhere. Also Benoit Pouliot (who went 4th) cheered for the Penguins. Anyway just commenting on your draft prognosis.

The Toews and Backstrom thing You are perfectly right. Staal wouldn't be a Penguin. Probably Backstrom IMO. He was more talented offensively and more ready than Toews.
- Barnaby36

I disagree with that. Toews was the consensus best forward in that draft going into it. But having Toews, Malkin, and Crosby would have been an embarrassment of riches and which one do you get rid of when you can't keep all 3? Imagine what Rutherford would have given up for Toews?

I disagree with that. Toews was the consensus best forward in that draft going into it. But having Toews, Malkin, and Crosby would have been an embarrassment of riches and which one do you get rid of when you can't keep all 3? Imagine what Rutherford would have given up for Toews?
- Dcoms

Toews also wouldn't have had the Staal issue of only wanting to play with one of his brothers somewhere, so we could have conceivably traded Toews to any one of the other 29 teams.

Even though Toews is one of the best two way centers in the game today and is probably going to the HoF, I will never regret taking Staal. Staal was absolutely perfect in his role with us and he will forever be one of my favorites. We got a Cup while he was here, and we were finally able to get another Cup after he left, so really at this point its all the same.

Toews also wouldn't have had the Staal issue of only wanting to play with one of his brothers somewhere, so we could have conceivably traded Toews to any one of the other 29 teams.

Even though Toews is one of the best two way centers in the game today and is probably going to the HoF, I will never regret taking Staal. Staal was absolutely perfect in his role with us and he will forever be one of my favorites. We got a Cup while he was here, and we were finally able to get another Cup after he left, so really at this point its all the same.
- Victoro311

You got that right big fella. Who knows what could have happened & who we traded for - maybe a couple of busts maybe a couple of studs. But for now we are celebrating another cup with a team returning with the spoils of the Staal trade!

Is everyone happy with 2 cups? Of course having more would be better but 2 so far in the Sid generation???

Toews also wouldn't have had the Staal issue of only wanting to play with one of his brothers somewhere, so we could have conceivably traded Toews to any one of the other 29 teams.

Even though Toews is one of the best two way centers in the game today and is probably going to the HoF, I will never regret taking Staal. Staal was absolutely perfect in his role with us and he will forever be one of my favorites. We got a Cup while he was here, and we were finally able to get another Cup after he left, so really at this point its all the same.
- Victoro311

If we didn't have Crosby is there even any evidence we take toews over staal? Staal had a 29 goal season while toews was still out of the nhl. They only really separated a few years later in their career.

Also if we had drafted Crosby and toews and been forced to trade toews would his trade value have been that much better than staal if his role here had also been as a 3c.

If we didn't have Crosby is there even any evidence we take toews over staal? Staal had a 29 goal season while toews was still out of the nhl. They only really separated a few years later in their career.

Also if we had drafted Crosby and toews and been forced to trade toews would his trade value have been that much better than staal if his role here had also been as a 3c.
- sditulli

So here's the difference between Toews and Staal. Let's say their value ended up being the same playing in the same 3C shut down role. Even if that were the case, Staal only had two teams we could realistically trade him to because of his brothers. Our ability to negotiate with more teams in theory would have lead to a bigger return due to a bigger bidding war. Of course that's speculation but it's a pretty safe assumption.

You got that right big fella. Who knows what could have happened & who we traded for - maybe a couple of busts maybe a couple of studs. But for now we are celebrating another cup with a team returning with the spoils of the Staal trade!

Is everyone happy with 2 cups? Of course having more would be better but 2 so far in the Sid generation???
- Aussiepenguin

I like to divide the Crosby/Malkin Era of Penguins hockey into three epochs: the Three Center Epoch, the Lost Years, and the Rutherford Renaissance. We had so much promise during the Three Center Epoch that I think that if you had asked me then I'd be pretty neutral to the prospect of 2 Cups. 2 Cups seemed like a given back then and like the absolute floor of this era of Penguins hockey. I, like many others, was thinking dyanasty with almost perpetual ECF appearances with a good amount of SCF appearances. But then the Lost Years hit where we slipped to a lower tier contender and I think if you ask any of us, we'd say we'd be extatic with a second Cup because it looked like an almost done deal that the Crosby/Malkin Era would end in disappointment. The Rutherford Renaissance has restored some of that shine and expectation of the first epoch, and if we don't win a third Cup a little part of me will always be a little disappointed that the Crosby/Malkin Era Pens didn't accomplish as much as the Toews/Kane Era Hawks, but after sitting through the sheer disappointment of the Lost Years, I'm a hell of a lot happier and more appreciative of those two Cups than I would have been in 2009.

I agree, Toes is over rated...
- kaptaan

I have two of them.