RE Penguins Evgeni Malkin

I can’t go anywhere these last couple of weeks without someone asking me, “Have you heard the rumors about a Malkin trade?” All players are trade able in my book but;

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Center Evgeni Malkin is not getting traded, not unless he wants to be traded, so let’s stop with the foolish rumors. These rumors are more than likely a failing GM trying to posture and preen and redirect attention from his own culpability in the Penguins’ recent unpleasantness. Evgeni Malkin has a No Movement Clause NMC in his contract. According to Capfriendly and other sites, this means he cannot be traded, waived, or demoted to the minors without his consent, end of story.

That doesn’t mean that Malkin will not be traded, only that all alluded threats by Jim Rutherford in the media are baseless. Rutherford can only move Malkin if he wants to be moved. And there are only 2 ways I can see Malkin wanting to move; Mike Sullivan and lackey Rutherford would have to make the work environment for Malkin so toxic that he would ask to be moved, or some other player from another team would talk him into asking to be traded to the same team as he is playing on.

If Rutherford is trying to create a toxic environment for Malkin (maybe at Sullivan’s request?) with a veiled media campaign of trade talks then once again this points to it being well past time for the Penguins’ GM and coach to get on with their life’s work, to quote Chuck Noll. If all of these trade rumors are being started as a “Mean Girls”, High School, unprofessional gamut to force Malkin out of the ‘burgh because Sullivan can’t play nice with any of his players, it is just one more piece of evidence that Bill Guerin needs to take over the reins and a new Coach brought in, a GM and Coach that understand that in modern Hockey you need Center depth and that Coaches can’t alienate their players; a Coach that understands that he is more expendable than half of a roster every season and gets players to play for him and does not try to bully them with maniacal tirades or aloof distancing.

Having written all of the above, I must acknowledge an interesting rumor I have heard. Malkin may just be more than willing to go. Before I go any further with this rumor I must qualify it by saying that the rumor monger who related it to me was not someone with whom I am ready to say has strong knowledge of the inner workings.

What they have suggested is a reverse of what I wanted the Penguins to do. As I have mentioned in the past, Artemi Panarin is rumored to be all but sign, sealed, and delivered to Joel Quenneville/Florida Panthers. I wanted the Penguins to get Malkin to try and talk Panarin into coming to our fair city. However, the new rumor I have heard is that Panarin is talking Malkin into going to Florida and that could be devastating. Florida could never really compensate the Penguins anywhere close to what Malkin is worth but the idiotic posturing of the media rumors could make it a viable option for Malkin. And not only would the Penguins lose a player that should retire a Penguin but they would get something akin to the Jaromir Jagr deal of yore in return, the next Kris Beech, Michal Sivek, and Ross Lupashuck.

No I don’t believe this rumor. Maybe my disbelief is due to me having a deeper belief in the old saying believe only half of what you see and nothing of what you hear. Maybe my disbelief is due to the incredible stupidity of the farce now playing on the stage. Regardless of why, no I don’t believe it. I just am acknowledging its existence since this would be one way a player with a NMC could be moved.

In the end, I am extremely disappointed in the Penguins’ front office as they try and turn my favorite hockey team into the NHL’s version of the NFL’s Steelers/Kardashians with all of their childish drama.