New York Rangers: The pros and cons of trading for Evgeni Malkin
By Ed Stein
As hard as it is to believe Pittsburgh Penguins star center Evgeni Malkin may be on the trade block. Should the New York Rangers make a move? Here are the pros and cons.
There is no doubt that Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin is one of the best players in the NHL over the last decade plus. That’s why it’s such a surprise that he’s rumored to be on the trade block. New York Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton has got to fully investigate and find out what it would take to bring the Russian point scoring machine to Broadway.
Very rarely does a player with Malkin’s pedigree come on the trade market. Just as Gorton is doing his due diligence, so is every other front office in the league. One thing you can bet on is that Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford, a sharp hockey guy, will squeeze every last ounce of talent in return from the team he makes a deal with.
Every hockey fan outside of the Steel City has to be wondering why the Pens would even be open to a discussion about trading “Geno.” Reading some reports from the area, there are reasons. How valid they are, is an internal matter. After a third-place Metropolitan Division finish and first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the New York Islanders, Rutherford has to be weighing what it would take to maximize Sidney Crosby‘s final half decade in hockey as his main star approaches his 32nd birthday this summer.
Sid may no longer be “the kid” age-wise, but he is still the best player of his generation. Rutherford more than likely feels that he has to re-tool the roster to make one more big run at the brass ring before number 87 hangs up his skates good. It’s a much harder task to do when both Crosby and Malkin have virtually maxed out salaries.
Even without a superior, Gorton let the league know the New York Rangers are open for business as evidenced by his trade for defensive prospect Adam Fox. Even so, Malkin is on a completely different level than most players in the league. If he has the authority to make a trade of this magnitude, should he?
It’s a good time to take a look at the pros and cons of bringing the former league MVP to New York. There are many compelling reasons on each side of the debate.