Trade Gonchar for ......

[FuturePens]

If it happens to be a financial situation for the Penguins to get Malkin for next season, would you swap players, Gonchar for Malkin since last year Gonchar played for Metallurg Magnitogorsk:

In my opinion, I would much rather have Ryan Whitney take over the position Gonchar has right now:
Whitney is much cheaper, much younger, is tough and talanted. He still needs to learn how to properly take a slapshot of PP, but other than that, he's a great D/man, and team player. With Ryan, the Pens get the real bang for buck!!!

[Jamie]

Whitney has showed anything but being a great d-man to this point. He is still learning, and may one day achieve that status of great. He has a long way to go though. He played good against the Canes, but through the previous 10 or 11 games he was pretty much non existant. He has an excellent set of wheels, and I would personally like to see him carry the puck more. I would like to see him lead the rush on PP, opposed to Gonchar.

[FuturePens]

Thats exactly what I mean, because if Malkin does not come and we dumb Gonchar, who is going to do the work?

I wish we had signed Alexei Kovalev!!! :x

[Draftnik]

Gonchar blows:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/stats/byposition?pos=D&conference=NHL&year=season_2005&qualified=1&sort=1

He is 15th among dmen in points, 31st in goals, can't play defense, and he got a $25M/5yr contract. If the Pens can get a cold bucket of pucks they should jump on it to open up the Cap space for better players.

[jmh70]

Not even Metallurg is stupid enough to take Gonchar's contract.

[netwolf]

Gonchar blows:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/stats/byposition?pos=D&conference=NHL&year=season_2005&qualified=1&sort=1

He is 15th among dmen in points, 31st in goals, can't play defense, and he got a $25M/5yr contract. If the Pens can get a cold bucket of pucks they should jump on it to open up the Cap space for better players.

But they won't. No one is going to take on that contract in a cap world (even if they knew he would continue on like he has the past 2-3 weeks) without sending a bad one (or two) in the other direction.

As far as sending him to Metallurg as compensation for Malkin, I'm not even sure that's possible. I would expect the NHLPA to put up a big fight if that was even attempted.

[FallenHero96]

Not to mention that Gonchar would probably never do it anyways.

[FuturePens]

Yeah, I agree, Gonchar would not want to go back to the Russian League, but it would be nice to be able to get rid his salary somehow. I'am not sure if it's possible. Apperantly, we are suppost to compensate Malkin's team. I'am sure they're talking $$$ and not players.

[netwolf]

Apperantly, we are suppost to compensate Malkin's team. I'am sure they're talking $$$ and not players.

Correct, and that's fair. If a euro league team signed Crosby to a contract, I am sure all of us would be screaming for some sort of compensation.

When the Russians were part of the IIHL transfer agreement, this would have been very simple. That agreement set the price for compensation. The Russians didn't like it and wanted to be able to negotiate the price on a player-by-player basis.