The Pittsburgh Penguins bummed out Evgeni Malkin a few years ago when they traded James Neal.
Of course, things worked out quite well for Malkin and the Penguins since then - sometimes to Neal’s chagrin - but maybe the team should throw Malkin a bone this time around?
As Josh Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, Malkin continues to promote the idea of the Penguins signing Denis Zaripov.
“ ... If coach talks to me a little more, I would say more. I like [Zaripov] so much,” Malkin said. “Of course I want to see his face in the locker room. We see what’s going on, but we have time. It’s a hard situation to talk about him.”
At 36 years old and with a ban from the KHL in mind, there are some hang-ups about Zaripov, especially from a long-term perspective.
Still, the Penguins probably wouldn’t lose much in rolling the dice with a one-year deal. And while Zaripov is about a decade older than Artemi Panarin, let’s not forget that the St. Louis Blues ignored Vladimir Tarasenko’s praise of Panarin, only to see him star for the Blackhawks.
Sure, there’s an element of stumping for your buddies here, but sometimes it works out well. Even after all these years, Matt Moulson stands as one of John Tavares’ better linemates, and their bond helped Moulson get his foot in the door with the Islanders many years ago.
Just a thought ...
... especially since the Penguins seem so open-minded about taking fliers on players with some upside.
Not long after grabbing a goalie who impressed at the Prospects Challenge, Pittsburgh handed a three-year, entry-level contract to forward Jordy Bellerive after impressing in that format.
Another example of a player making an impression at rookie tournament and earning a contract. Bellerive led the tourney with 7 pts in 4 gms. https://t.co/he3CQNGmqo
— Mike O'Brien (@OBrienOnTheMic) September 16, 2017
Now, we’re talking about different types of upside here (young players vs. a veteran who put up nice KHL numbers for years and might convert them to the big time), but maybe the Penguins should listen to Malkin on this one?
If nothing else, it would cut down on one “I told you so.” Just saying.