Penguins Just Say No To A Robertson Trade, Please.

Jason Robertson is an all-star player, of that there can be no doubt. However, he is not a generational talent. Therefore, adding him to a roster could push a team over the hump and into a serious Stanley Cup contending team. Now let’s look at this logically,

Premise 1

Only generational talents such as Mario Lemieux or Bobby Orr have ever shown the ability to skate through all five defending opponents and still beat the Goalie with anything resembling regularity. Therefore, since Robertson is not a generational talent, he will need players to get him the puck.

Premise 2

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are, or should I say, were generational talents, but after 21 and 20 seasons in the NHL respectively, they are no longer in THEIR GENERATION. Yes, they can still be considered good 1A and 1B Centers, but they are no longer the dynamic duo of the league. Furthermore, Malkin is probably on his last contract in Pittsburgh, and Head Coach Dan Muse played him more at Wing last season after December than he did at Center. Also, Crosby’s game, particularly his defensive game, has seriously diminished these last three seasons, and he is on the last year of his contract. Therefore, it is very conceivable that this is Crosby last season also, which begs the question who will get Robertson the puck in the future.

Premise 3

There is going to be cost to get Robertson, both in terms of paying the Dallas Stars and paying the RFA himself, Robertson, who turned down an alleged $15 million contract in Seattle.

Premise 3A: To date, no team has ever won a Stanley Cup with a player getting $10 Million or more on their roster. With the Salary Cap going up, that number may change. $10 Million will not represent as much of the full Cap anymore, but $15 Million is significantly above that line in the sand.

Premise 3B: The rumored cost to get Dallas to trade Robertson to Pittsburgh has been as high as Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell and two first round draft picks. Taking both of Crosby’s Wingers will significantly deplete the top line. Even if you consider moving Egor Chinakhov up with Robertson and Crosby, that is only one line. The team would be extremely top heavy, with no Wingers down the rest of the line-up (unless Anthony Mantha re-signs). More importantly, giving up two first round picks to get Robertson ensures that Robertson will never have anyone to play with.

Conclusion

Only the Dallas Stars win this trade. Our Pittsburgh Penguins fail to win their one last gasp of the Crosby-Malkin era due to a team denuded of any current players and are plunged into decades long rebuild in Kyle Dubas’ folly. Robertson loses due to never having enough players around him to thrive.

Any Robertson trade is just plain dangerous and could be described as an act of lobotomized individual, no longer capable of projecting the full ramifications of their actions.