I don't think anyone here is under the impression that Hextall will actually do it. But yeah it would have to be Zucker going out for several reasons.The biggest issue I see with acquiring Kane is figuring out how you'd actually make the cap space and roster spot for him. On paper, it's easy to just say "trade Zucker and give Kane his spot", but Zucker is apparently really liked in the locker room and I don't really think making that swap will make a ton of players happy. I think the move makes a lot of sense on paper, especially considering how iffy Zucker and Malkin have looked together, but it's a move I'm really skeptical Hextall makes.
I think the top-9 wingers on this team should be pretty firmly established with Guentzel, Rust, Kapanen, Zucker, Rodrigues and Heinen. Swapping Zucker for Kane is the blatantly obvious move to make there, it's just one I can't see this team making. Imagine how much of a nightmare this team would be for matchups if this was their top-9:
Rodrigues-Crosby-Kapanen
Guentzel-Malkin-Rust
Kane-Carter-Heinen
Rodrigues-Crosby-Kapanen
Guentzel-Malkin-Rust
Kane-Carter-Heinen
We haven't made it out of the first round since 2018. We don't know how Malkin is going to impact the team, which given how this team has sometimes performed after a star returns from IR, is a valid question (which, presumably, will be answered by the trade deadline). I doubt the delta between Zuck and Kane delivers a cup, and the inherent risk of losing a good teammate for a potential sociopath doesn't sound appealing. Sociopath may be a bit of an exaggeration of course, but Kane has shown us who he is, and it isn't pretty, irrespective of his physical attributes. This deal would be almost like the opposite of the Neal/Hornqvist trade. Being around selfish dicks sucks - f*** Kane. IMHO....
Just wanted to say that if you acquire Kane and do not put him with Sid to help with one of the biggest issues we have, then what's the point in taking the risk?
Rodrigues Crosby Kapanen were good against Caps and not very good against Anaheim. I guarantee that Sullivan is not at all sweet on that line, nor should he be.
Kapanen has been bad positionally/defensively all season so far, and while Rodrigues has certainly been very, very impressive for the level of expectation one should have, making him a 1st liner is setting him up to fail. Right or wrong there is no way Guentzel is not with Sid also, no matter how Geno looks when coming back.
And yes, if Hextall were to go for Kane, it should of course be Zucker who is traded in terms of performance/caphit, but that also guarantees getting a shoddy return if it can even be done. With Rust coming up on UFA, asset management considerations might dictate that it is him instead. Do we want to give him 5-5.5 per year going forward.... I love Rusty, but probably not.
Considering how good his defensive numbers were in San Jose, and how he was even used in a defensive capacity last year, I wouldn't expect any problems.Whatever you think of Kane's antics and risk/reward personally, the thing you need to honestly ask yourself is:
Precisely how long do you think Sullivan would tolerate his bullshit?
Valid question, Empo. Well, one potential downside, assuming personality and maturity issues don't arise, is he misses a big chunk of the season or the playoffs. He hasn't any recent injury years as bad as his time in Winnipeg, but he is certainly no ironman (and yes, neither are Zuck or Rusty). My dislike for Kane informs my opinion. The Penguins would be a much, much more dangerous team with Tom Wilson, but I can't stomach the idea. And, as much as I hate Wilson, I bet he is a helluva good teammate. Edit- there is a reason (many, actually) I don't work in a front office.I mean, I asked this in the last thread but I'll ask again. If the team isn't a cup contender regardless, what's the actual downside of this? What is the risk of making the move? You're not threatening to upend the balance of a good team with a great locker room, the team is inherently mediocre.
Let's not sugarcoat Kane's situation: he's an absolute piece of shit. There isn't even a shred of argument against that. But personally, I just don't see the downside there. The worst case scenario is that he's a piece of shit, does something detrimental to the team and the Penguins are stuck with some dead cap space. But at the same point, that dead cap space probably won't even matter because the Penguins won't be that good at that point anyway. This isn't a situation where the team is young and you'd be throwing away future years of contention, they just don't have those future years.
That top-9 would be an absolute matchup nightmare for any team the Penguins could play in the playoffs. Sure, I'd be fine with Kane playing in the top-6, but he'd feast on lesser matchups on a 3rd line role with Carter as well.
Considering how good his defensive numbers were in San Jose, and how he was even used in a defensive capacity last year, I wouldn't expect any problems.
Sullivan appreciates guys who execute his system, and reward them.
If he was a lazy player on top of all of his antics, I would agree with you. But that's not the case.
I don’t really care if Zucker is well liked if he’s not a contributor
Not subscribed to the Athletic, so I'm locked out of that article.Did you not read the article I quoted you about his showing up late to games and practice, flouting team rules, and having poor practice habits? And that was just on the Sharks.
Carl Hagelin Syndrome.
but even then Hags had cups and could PK and wasn’t 5 million.
Word has it Jimmy Rutherford has called the league to see if it is okay for the Canucks to trade with the Caps for Hagelin...Carl Hagelin Syndrome.
Could be a correlation with the team making the playoffs in years 1 and 2 there. Personal issues less magnified when the team is doing well. When guys are frustrated in practice and in the room, things blow up.The question I found myself asking today is why did Kane have to seem his shit together for a few years in SJ, and then it all fell apart.
I don’t know if Pavelski and Thornton were good influences on that room and thing fell apart when they left or what, but I did see plenty about how Kane felt pretty close to JT and was pretty sad when he left.
Not saying that excuses or explains anything, but I recall Kane seeming like he “turned the corner” for a few years in SJ as he was quietly productive and had few of the old issues following him there.
The question I found myself asking today is why did Kane have to seem his shit together for a few years in SJ, and then it all fell apart?
I don’t know if Pavelski and Thornton were good influences on that room and thing fell apart when they left or what, but I did see plenty about how Kane felt pretty close to JT and was pretty sad when he left. And that since the two Joes left that team, in the last couple of years, Kane went from a guy who “found his home” and straightened up, to the world of shit he finds himself in now.
Not saying that excuses or explains anything, but I recall Kane seeming like he “turned the corner” for a few years in SJ as he was quietly productive and had few of the old issues following him there.
I don't think anyone here is under the impression that Hextall will actually do it. But yeah it would have to be Zucker going out for several reasons.
It's just fun to talk about. These kinds of players don't come around often at these kinds of price tags. We happen to have a big problem with Zuck stapled to Malkin, and Kane plays the same position.
What's more is that the Pens #1 problem is their finishing, and that's what Kane does best. Zucker is the 4th worst finisher in the NHL this year, relative to his chances.
I hope so, but there were 5 other scouts there. As each day passes, my doubt grows.The rumour mill seems pretty consistent that we're interested, we had a scout at the Barracuda game, he fits a need the front office have been talking a ton about, and he's going to come at a price that a not exactly flush team will love. The only thing he doesn't fit is attempts to have good PR for the Pens, but who knows how much the new owners care about that?
I 100% think Hextall would do it, and I'm beginning to think it'll happen because of just how much sense it makes if they think this room can keep him straight long enough to go deep in the playoffs.