Good afternoon and welcome to the dog days of summer. For hockey fans, this is about the worst time of year. No games, no training camp, hardly any transactions, etc. The good news is camp is only about one month away.
Some interesting things are going on around the Pittsburgh Penguins, so let’s make it a two-part mailbag, thanks in large part to your terrific questions.
Away we go.
Why would Crosby stick around for a bumpy, messy, prolonged rebuild when he could have a legitimate chance at more hardware on another team? NOT HOPING FOR IT AT ALL, but the logic doesn’t compute for me. — @FranciscusZac
The answer I can give you is that Sidney Crosby is very, very, very much above chasing championships in that manner. He isn’t Ray Bourque.
This isn’t to suggest Crosby doesn’t crave having his arms around the Stanley Cup. Oh, I assure you he does. At this point in his career, I believe it’s all that drives him. Still, this is a man of integrity and loyalty. Crosby is 37. He was drafted by the Penguins when he was still 17. In other words, he’s been with the Penguins more than half of his life, and literally all of his adult life. He’s been the Penguins captain for almost half of his life.
Think about that. We’re already dealing with a very loyal human being, someone who doesn’t care for change, almost to the point of madness. Then consider that playing for a Canadian team would be unbearable for Crosby, who already has a tough time even going to dinner in his native country.
He’s won his rings. I’m sure he dreams of another. He may well play long enough that he’ll get his chance. Maybe the Penguins’ mini-rebuild will take place quickly. They aren’t really in salary-cap hell moving forward, that Ryan Graves contract notwithstanding. They finally have some prospects to be excited about. I think winning No. 4 in Pittsburgh at some point in the next five years would be far, far more enticing to Crosby than winning No. 4 anywhere else.
What does a Sid trade package look like? — @Jeffs_Penguins
Now Jeff, that I’m answering this question at all is what the haters like to call “clickbait.”
But it’s August and there’s not much else to discuss. So we can have some fun with this.
Let’s just say, for fun, that Crosby calls Kyle Dubas during a Labor Day BBQ and requests a trade. What would the return be? It’s actually an interesting question because, while Crosby remains one of hockey’s greatest players, he only has one year left on his deal, which would seem to minimize the return.
Then again, this isn’t another great player. This is Crosby. This would produce 41 automatic sellouts for any team that acquired him. This would be purchasing part of the Crosby lore. This is an icon playing for your team. One year or not, this makes Crosby worth way more than anyone else in this sport.
It will never happen, but if I had to guess, I would imagine the Penguins would receive a 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 first-round pick, a top prospect and a young NHL player. (They’d probably also have to take on someone with a heavy salary to make up the difference under the cap for whatever team would take Crosby.)
Is there a chance if Sid doesn’t re-sign — we know he will — he will hypothetically retire after the season? — @Hockeyguy66871
I suppose anything is possible. No one is talking about this possibility. Oh, it’s wildly unlikely, but he’s lived and breathed hockey his whole life. What if he woke up some morning in July and suddenly lost that passion? I’m not expecting that to be the case, but he is a human being.
Sergei Murashov will be the Penguins No. 1 goalie by? — @runningbeam
Hmm … October of 2026?
I don’t know the answer to this question or if he ever will be their No. 1 goalie. But it wouldn’t shock me. The talent is real and many in the organization are very excited about this kid.
Does the team ever acknowledge playing defense as part of its game? — @LoopersProShop
Not that I’m aware of.
Patrik Laine’s contract makes it almost impossible for the Penguins to work out a deal with Columbus, but he remains a fascinating talent. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Patrik Laine, the next Phil Kessel on the Penguins? — @witty10
You know, a team source told me the Penguins inquired about Laine at some point during the summer. This isn’t really breaking news because teams inquire about players all the time.
Laine’s contract makes it almost impossible for the Penguins to work out a deal with Columbus unless it would be willing to part with someone like Rickard Rakell so that it would work financially. Come to think of it, I’d do that in a heartbeat if I were the Penguins.
Financially speaking, though, it seems unlikely. But he remains a fascinating talent and would look awfully good firing one-timers from the left-wing circle on the Penguins power play.
Who do you think is the most improved team in the East? — @jakeweidman1
Oh, New Jersey, hands down. I think the Devils are my pick to emerge out of the East at the moment. That team is absolutely loaded.
Most overrated team going into the NHL season? — @DechampsAlan
I’m continuing my attempts to please the good people of New Jersey by going with the New York Rangers on this one.
I respect what they did last spring and, as long as they have Igor Shesterkin minding their net, they figure to be a playoff team. You might not like him, but he’s really good.
That said, how good are the Rangers, really? They made it to the conference finals, but I didn’t feel like they were one of the NHL’s four best teams. A lot of things had to break their way. Vincent Trocheck was incredible last spring, but if you remove his heroics, how good were New York’s other top players? The Rangers are older than you think, too.
They’ll still be a playoff team but I don’t really view them as a Cup contender. Suddenly, the trajectory in Manhattan and Raleigh could be pointed down. I’m really big on the Devils.
Thoughts on Ryan Getzlaf getting hired by NHL Player Safety? — @h_kirk6
On one level, I’m glad they’re including a guy who was a star player. Star players receive the most abuse and I’d hope he’d be sensitive to that.
On another level, he played on some Anaheim teams, especially early in his career, that were pretty rough and I wonder if that might obscure his thoughts on how the game should be played.
We’ll see. Hopefully he will make a difference. Hockey is a violent game by its nature and I actually think it’s lost far too much physicality in recent years. But that doesn’t mean dirty players should be let off the hook.
Pens fans pack nearly every arena on the road. Based on the players you’ve talked to, does having the visiting fans take over their home arena affect them in any way? Demoralizing at all? — @dorshaSD
They love it when there are a few thousand Penguins fans in road buildings. It’s impossible to say how much of a difference it makes, but I can assure you, from a strictly human element, it’s very much appreciated. Crosby in particular always notices this, because he notices everything.
Best Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh? — @JohnRey05856314
There are so, so many great ones that it’s hard to say.
But my choice is Arlecchino Ristorante in McMurray. Go there and tell me I’m wrong. It’s not cheap but it’s very much worth it, and you’ll have leftovers for two days at least. Extraordinary place. And yes, I’m from Peters Township but I’m not showing any bias here. It’s an absolute gem, a magnificent restaurant. It’s not a large place, so book far in advance if you try it.
Best meal you had on the road last season? Restaurant you’re most looking forward to visiting this season. — @sullymygoodname
I always appreciate the food theme. Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa was the best meal I had last season and maybe the greatest steakhouse I’ve visited, and believe me, I’ve been to a few. The king of Florida Dentistry, Rik Sable, picked up the bill, and it’s a good thing. But still, amazing experience. It’s so great that they have a special second floor seating area just for dessert.
Gibby’s steakhouse in Montreal always deserves mention as well.
Are you beach, lake, city, mountains, cabin in the woods, or a mix? — @stefdin
In order: Beach, mountains, lake, cabin in the woods, city.
I enjoy them all, but I’ll always take a day at the beach above everything else.
Josh, my friend, if you could do this all over again knowing what you know now, would you still be writing about hockey? I recently saw a quote saying most people spend their week looking to the weekend, so we spend more than half our life wishing it away. What’s your take? — @cwm0906
No job is perfect, nor is mine. But I get to write about a hockey team for a living. I basically get my summers off. I get to travel around North America, chronicling Sidney Crosby and the franchise I grew up watching.
I’ll never, ever complain about my job. Life is pretty good for me.
(Photo: Charles LeClaire / USA Today)