November 26, 2008 Crosby still flying without
wingman TFP Columnist
Paul Ladewski wonders when the Pittsburgh Penguins will supply Sidney
Crosby with a pure-scoring winger.
[Chicago, IL] -- If history tells us
anything, then it's that greatness works best with a partner. Bacall
and Bogie. Simon and Garfunkel. Ren and Stimpy. Wayne and Garth.
So what did Sidney Crosby do to deserve Max Talbot and Miroslav Satan
as linemates, Superman between kryptonite, the Roadrunner stuck in
slow-mo among Wile E. Coyotes?
Sure,
Talbot and Satan are NHL-caliber players, but neither is Jari Kurri,
the Hall of Famer who rode shotgun to Wayne Gretzky for much of their
careers. As pure goal-scorers go, Talbot is one heckuva role player.
Satan still shows flashes every week or two, but he's closer to
retirement than the first 40-goal season of his career. At 34, he's
probably a one-year rental, anyway.
When I asked Crosby how crucial it was for someone other than Evgeni
Malkin to bring out the best in him, and vice versa, he said, "You
know what? We've won both ways, so no matter what the situation is,
we're confident either way."
I could be wrong, but I think this is what El Sid meant to say: "Dang,
I played with better dudes on weekends in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia!"
Penguins GM Ray Shero thought that he had solved the problem late last
season, only to have Marian Hossa walk out the free-agent door. Smart
guy that he is, Shero probably spends every day in search of the next
Hossa, because more than Crosby and personal glory are at stake here.
It's about the Penguins and the Stanley Cup. For this team to become
the updated version of the Edmonton Oilers dynasty, Crosby and Malkin
will have to center their own dominant lines much like Gretzky and
Mark Messier did in the glory days.
As Penguins television analyst Bob Errey told me the other night,
"Unless the Penguins find a second line that can score without Crosby
and Malkin, which is unlikely to happen, it makes it too easy for
teams to match their big guns against the first unit. Satan is the guy
they pegged in the off-season, but he's not a Marian Hossa. He's not a
$6- or $7-million guy. He is what he is, and to expect more than that
is not right."
It's not like the Penguins have little to offer in trade for a pair of
talented, young legs. Soon-to-be free agent Jordan Staal is often
mentioned as trade bait, but don't count on it. The center wants to
stay in the 'Burgh, and he may accept a home team discount to make it
happen. But what about defenseman Ryan Whitney, whose $4-million cap
number is affordable? And back-up goaltender Dany Sabourin, another
potential free agent who could start for a bunch of teams right now?
In the meantime, boys and girls, let's play Find a Linemate for
Sidney. It's fun. It's easy. And who knows? If you pick the right
candidate, then you might be able to brag that your name belongs on
the Stanley Cup . . .
* Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose Sharks. It wasn't long ago when
the one-time 56 goal-scorer and Joe Thornton formed one of the most
potent combinations around. Their magic has disappeared this season,
as the right wing has been in and out of the line-up because of an
upper-body injury, but the Sharks have won without him. The right wing
averaged 36 goals in the last four seasons, and there's no reason to
believe that he and Crosby couldn't make the same beautiful music
together. At 28, the Cheechoo Train hasn't made his last stop at the
station.
* Alexander Frolov, Los Angeles Kings. His 103 goals and 137
assists in the last four seasons don't wow anybody. But remember, he
has never played with anyone in the same zip code as Crosby in terms
of skill level, either. The Kings have built a young core around the
26-year-old left wing, and it would take a lot for them to part with
him.
* Marian Gaborik, Minnesota Wild. Not only is the potential
Czech mate a natural goal-scorer -- he bagged at least 30 in five of
the last six seasons -- but he is imminently available, as trade
rumors have been audible for months now. A lower-body injury kept him
out of the line-up for all except two games this season, and the Wild
have survived just fine, thank you very much. He won't turn 27 until
February.
* Martin Havlat, Chicago Blackhawks. The enigmatic right wing
has never scored more than 31 goals in a season, but the mind boggles
to think what he could do alongside Crosby for an entire season. In
the last four seasons, he averaged .42 goals per game mostly on his
own. Problem is, Havlat is made of balsa wood, and more than one
teammate will tell you that refuses to play hurt. Would the grit of
Crosby wear off on him? At 27, he might be worth a dice roll.
* Dany Heatley, Ottawa Senators. The Senators would never part
with the two-time 50-goal-scorer, right? Not so fast, Bronco. If
general manager Bryan Murray wants to save his job -- hellooooo, Brian
Burke -- then he may have no choice except to make a blockbuster deal
soon. This team is desperate for an o-minded defenseman and a
goaltender of the future, and in Whitney and Sabourin, Heatley could
fetch that and possibly more in return.
* Jaromir Jagr, Avangard Omsk. The last time anybody checked,
he was with the second-place team of the KHL, but we know how much he
misses the NHL and how much Pittsburgh misses him and . . . Oh, never
mind.
* Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers. If I'm Shero, then he's
No. 1 and No. 1a on my list. Pure and simple, the left wing is the
best combination of size (6-foot-1, 225 pounds), youth (25 years ago)
and consistency (38-to-52 goals in each of the last five seasons) of
the bunch. Hey, the Thrashers have four ex-Penguins on their roster
already, so what's a couple or three more?
* Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets. Ideally, whoever rides
shotgun to Crosby should be able to skate with him. Nash isn't a
burner, but at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Phil Esposito Lite would be good
for a couple dozen goals on rebounds alone with him. In the last four
seasons, he averaged 34 goals for a bad team. The bigger question is,
what would take take to pry away the Blue Jackets' only marquee name?
Um, you don't suppose Mario Lemieux would be interested, do you . . ?
Based in
Chicago,
Paul
Ladewski is
a Columnist with TheFourthPeriod.com, covering the NHL.
Sure,
Talbot and Satan are NHL-caliber players, but neither is Jari Kurri,
the Hall of Famer who rode shotgun to Wayne Gretzky for much of their
careers. As pure goal-scorers go, Talbot is one heckuva role player.
Satan still shows flashes every week or two, but he's closer to
retirement than the first 40-goal season of his career. At 34, he's
probably a one-year rental, anyway. 