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Ray Shero sure doesn’t sound like he wants to trade Jordan Staal

Ray Shero, Sidney Crosby

The Penguins’ offseason could be a very interesting one and general manager Ray Shero would love to keep the drama level low. With rumors swirling around about Jordan Staal perhaps wanting to blossom elsewhere (Carolina, perhaps?) and one more year left on his and Sidney Crosby’s contracts, Shero knows he’s got some work to do.

Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette talks to Shero about what his plans are for the summer and it doesn’t sound like trades are on his mind at all. Instead, he’d like to keep Crosby, Staal, and Evgeni Malkin (two years left on his deal) around for a while.

“I’d like to do that, if possible,” he said. “We’re looking at hopefully getting extensions with [Crosby and Staal].”

While it is conceivable that Staal, the team’s No. 3 center, might want to play elsewhere so he can fill a more offense-oriented role, he apparently has not said anything of the sort to the Penguins. Asked if any of the top three centers had expressed a desire to move, Shero responded, “Absolutely not.”

Wanting to do it and being able to do it in the salary cap world are two different things, obviously, but Shero is going to have to be shrewd if all three players are going to stay in Pittsburgh. The only guy immune from trade rumors is Crosby as even Malkin’s name was thrown around by TSN’s Darren Dreger as a trade possibility should the Pens want to keep Staal.