The Pens decided Staal's play merited a stay in the NHL, thus placing Staal on the same free agency timeline as another Penguin rookie, Evgeny Malkin.
In the salary cap era, the team will be hard-pressed to afford Sidney Crosby, Malkin and Staal -- three pivots, two of which are proving they are All-Star caliber and one showing glimpses of similar development. It's not likely the Pens can keep all three and they know it.
Over the last week, Pittsburgh's weaknesses have been exposed. After an impressive five game win streak, which was stopped in San Jose, the Penguins have come back to earth with a four-game winless streak.
The Pens best defensive blueliner, Mark Eaton, went down with a broken wrist, exacerbating the team's defensive shortcomings. Yes, the team is supremely talented up front, but it still lacks an ability to stop its opponents. Worse, it lacks anything resembling a number one defenseman.
Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney can score points, but the likes of Brooks Oprik, Josef Melichar and Rob Scuderi have not proven capable of protecting goaltender, and former number-one overall pick, Marc-Andre Fleury.
Another deficiency is the club's wingers. The Penguins rely heavily on Crosby and Malkin to carry the offensive load. The Pens have not found a winger who can allow the separation of Crosby and Malkin on the top line.
For the Penguins to take the next step of development, they must think outside the former NHL team-building handbook. They cannot keep all the young players their losing ways have afforded them.
They must look to successful, budget-minded teams across sports, which have made the system work. Baseball's Oakland A's and Minnesota Twins have built playoff teams by knowing which kids to keep and which to deal for veteran pieces.
After 15-years of toiling in the shadows, GM Ray Shero has the chance to sculpt his franchise with bold moves, which look to the future. His predecessor, Craig Patrick, built two Stanley Cup winners with bold moves, but long ago grew stale and paralyzed with hopelessness.
Hopefully, Shero will recognize the impending salary trouble is the key to improving his product. He must deal before he is in a position of weakness. Ask Jay Feaster in Tampa Bay how difficult it is to deal high priced star players.
As the trade winds begin to blow across the NHL, Shero must realize he has several desirable pieces, that he cannot keep long-term, which could plug on-ice holes. Carolina offered a king's ransom for Staal before the season started. What the market will bare for him and others, Shero needs to find out, now - not in three years, as Patrick would have done.
The path to success is not easy, but it is clear. Shero's foresight could turn irony into an afterthought as the Pens rise to the top, sooner rather than later.
