Malkin interview

[Henry Hank]

That goes contrary to what actually happened. So he was excited about the possibility of getting traded, but then he goes and signs a five year extension basically at the earliest moment he could? If being second fiddle to Crosby was such an issue, why would he willingly lock himself up for five additional years behind him?

I don't doubt that the time will come where he has nothing left to accomplish here and he'll want to be the number one guy somewhere else. I don't think there's anything to suggest that he's really worried about that right now.

[Pitts]

So he was excited about the possibility of getting traded, but then he goes and signs a five year extension basically at the earliest moment he could?

Can you explain what most any Russian player chooses to do? Maybe he's happy with the money? I know what was told to me and I expect it would cause an uproar because, God-forbid, why would he NOT want to stay here? But, there is clear evidence (last season) that he performs MUCH better when Crosby is not in the line-up and Evgeni has sole possession of the spotlight.

EDIT: and, he's not locked up behind Crosby. He could force a trade whenever he wishes.

[Kicksave]

So he was excited about the possibility of getting traded, but then he goes and signs a five year extension basically at the earliest moment he could?

Can you explain what most any Russian player chooses to do? Maybe he's happy with the money? I know what was told to me and I expect it would cause an uproar because, God-forbid, why would he NOT want to stay here? But, there is clear evidence (last season) that he performs MUCH better when Crosby is not in the line-up and Evgeni has sole possession of the spotlight.

EDIT: and, he's not locked up behind Crosby. He could force a trade whenever he wishes.

You should charge $20 per year for that type of insight.

[Pitts]

You should charge $20 per year for that type of insight.

If I could, I would!

[Scott]

Hey Putin hasn't dealt with his closest USA neighbor~ Sarah Palin.

Evgeni, when he speaks, shows common sense in serious topics.

Palin is da bomb YO!

[IrishEyes]

That goes contrary to what actually happened. So he was excited about the possibility of getting traded, but then he goes and signs a five year extension basically at the earliest moment he could? If being second fiddle to Crosby was such an issue, why would he willingly lock himself up for five additional years behind him?

I don't doubt that the time will come where he has nothing left to accomplish here and he'll want to be the number one guy somewhere else. I don't think there's anything to suggest that he's really worried about that right now.

I agree with this. It's way too contradictory. If he wasn't happy, and would have rather been traded, he never would have signed a contract for 8.7 mil for the next five years. That just doesn't make any sense. Geno knows that he could get the max on any other team.

[Henry Hank]

If money was all he cared about, he could have waited a year and got the max on an offer sheet from another team. Or he could have demanded more from the Pens, which he would have gotten. Or he could have waited for the big offer to come from Russia. Signing a long-term, below market value contract with the Pens is very contrary to the idea that he's unhappy being second fiddle here. By accepting less than he could have gotten elsewhere to stay here, that tells me it's not an issue with him right now. Maybe at the end of this contract when he's (hopefully) won a Cup or two or three he'll feel different. What kind of strategy for him is it to take less to stay here only so he can demand a trade shortly after?

[Pitts]

I didn't expect anyone to believe me, that's why haven't mentioned it much. But, I stand by my original thought that Malkin will not finish this current contract in Pittsburgh. I will not bring it up again.

[Kicksave]

Yes you will. You like the attention it's bringing you. I'm sure you have people PM'ing you, asking you who you know. You're the cool kid on the block now.

[Henry Hank]

I don't believe what you're saying because it's not logical. I can believe that, should the Pens sign Crosby to a new big extension towards the end of his current contract, they might move Malkin with a year left on his deal, knowing he wants to go elsewhere by that point and knowing that they need to move him in exchange for assets. But the idea that he already is unhappy being second fiddle and that he will demand a trade in the reasonable near future doesn't fly. Nothing that Malkin has done says that he doesn't plan on being here for the next five or six seasons. He had the opportunity to facilitate a move elsewhere sometime in the next couple years and get more money in the process but instead he chose to lock himself here below market value. Unless he and his agents are really stupid or incredibly generous, your theories don't fly.

[Admin]

You're the cool kid on the block now.

Pitts has always been the "cool kid on the block" here.

[Kovy27]

I didn't expect anyone to believe me, that's why haven't mentioned it much. But, I stand by my original thought that Malkin will not finish this current contract in Pittsburgh. I will not bring it up again.

Trade to LA for Kopitar, Johnson, and 1st round pick in the '13 Draft.

[Kovy27]

You're the cool kid on the block now.

Pitts has always been the "cool kid on the block" here.

What the...I thought I was. If I am not the cool kid...what am I?!

[Pitts]

Yes you will. You like the attention it's bringing you. I'm sure you have people PM'ing you, asking you who you know. You're the cool kid on the block now.

No, actually none of that has happened. I've always been cool and I think that in my 10 year history here I've proven myself not to be a blabber mouth who makes **** up.

[penny lane]

I didn't expect anyone to believe me, that's why haven't mentioned it much. But, I stand by my original thought that Malkin will not finish this current contract in Pittsburgh. I will not bring it up again.

We'll just sell Sid off to the canadians (oh hell no we won't)

We just don' t have enough Russians in Pittsburgh.

[Idoit40fans]

You're the cool kid on the block now.

Pitts has always been the "cool kid on the block" here.

What the...I thought I was. If I am not the cool kid...what am I?!

Do you really want to hear the answer to that question?

[Kovy27]

Do you really want to hear the answer to that question?

[Kicksave]

Yes you will. You like the attention it's bringing you. I'm sure you have people PM'ing you, asking you who you know. You're the cool kid on the block now.

No, actually none of that has happened. I've always been cool and I think that in my 10 year history here I've proven myself not to be a blabber mouth who makes **** up.

I know, I'm just play'n.

[Ginger]

I am sorry if your post was meant to be an independent observation, but I thought the interview clearly implies Malkin got delayed submitting visa forms (in the original, he actually says something like "I little bit tightened with submission of documents for processing my visa". It just sounded too rough to translate it literally). So, there is 99%+ likelihood that the culprit in this case is lazy Malkin and/or inefficient, slow American Embassy (and yes, based on my experience, US embassies and Department of State are about as efficient as DMV). Russians have very likely nothing to do with visa extensions.

That's sort of the way I took it too. It sounded like he was doing a bunch of stuff & just didn't get the papers submitted in a timely fashion. Not so much lazy, as trying to stuff too much activity into too short a time. I can relate...

[farnham16]

I don't believe what you're saying because it's not logical. I can believe that, should the Pens sign Crosby to a new big extension towards the end of his current contract, they might move Malkin with a year left on his deal, knowing he wants to go elsewhere by that point and knowing that they need to move him in exchange for assets. But the idea that he already is unhappy being second fiddle and that he will demand a trade in the reasonable near future doesn't fly. Nothing that Malkin has done says that he doesn't plan on being here for the next five or six seasons. He had the opportunity to facilitate a move elsewhere sometime in the next couple years and get more money in the process but instead he chose to lock himself here below market value. Unless he and his agents are really stupid or incredibly generous, your theories don't fly.

Good post.

I have never understood why some fans/experts claim Malkin has to be upset that hes not number 1 on this team. He has never said anything or done anything to give that idea any truth to it. In fact, his actions and words have been just the opposite.

Geno will be here for many seasons.

[André]

So he was excited about the possibility of getting traded, but then he goes and signs a five year extension basically at the earliest moment he could?

Can you explain what most any Russian player chooses to do? Maybe he's happy with the money? I know what was told to me and I expect it would cause an uproar because, God-forbid, why would he NOT want to stay here? But, there is clear evidence (last season) that he performs MUCH better when Crosby is not in the line-up and Evgeni has sole possession of the spotlight.

EDIT: and, he's not locked up behind Crosby. He could force a trade whenever he wishes.

To be fair I think he was just as good after Sid returned (before the injury and/or illness). Game one vs the Flyers comes to mind. Man did he dominate that one (not just thinking about the goals).

[Ginger]

I do not want him traded. Nobody in the Pen's organization does.

I do, however have it on good authority that he is most certainly not happy playing second fiddle to Crosby and that when the LA rumors were going around earlier this summer, he was actually quite excited about the idea. You can choose to believe it or not, but I do have a connection on the inside.

I could better believe it if you'd supply us with something a little more tangible than 'I have it on good authority'. We keep getting this from posters here who "have someone on the inside" supplying them with all these truisms.

To begin with, even if there was someone on the inside, how can you be certain they aren't lying to you? So why should we believe something that could be a second hand lie?
I tend to believe what Geno himself said - that for now he's happy where he is & has no immediate plans to change that. And Mario said only weeks ago that he plans to build this team around his nucleus of Crosby, Malkin & Staal.
I think it's more reliable for me to believe that.

[Pitts]

I could better believe it if you'd supply us with something a little more tangible than 'I have it on good authority'. We keep getting this from posters here who "have someone on the inside" supplying them with all these truisms.

I understand your concern, but you have to understand that offering any further details would jeopardize job security and friendships and I will not risk that. I can believe this person because I have known them since they were a teen and they are not prone to lies and rumors.

[Ginger]

I could better believe it if you'd supply us with something a little more tangible than 'I have it on good authority'. We keep getting this from posters here who "have someone on the inside" supplying them with all these truisms.

I understand your concern, but you have to understand that offering any further details would jeopardize job security and friendships and I will not risk that. I can believe this person because I have known them since they were a teen and they are not prone to lies and rumors.

Okay, not trying to be difficult or anything, but you know this person - we don't. For that matter we don't 'know' you either. And it's just another of those "verifications" like journalists use...'a trusted source', or 'a reliable source' doesn't give anyone reason to think it's true. Does your friend travel with an interpreter so he knows what Geno is saying in Russian? I have to say that unless your insider friend is Ray Shero, I'm sticking with what I think & that is that Geno is a really smart kid. He knows there's something really special going on in Pittsburgh & with this team. He still has another year on his contract & he knows it's in his own best interest to stay longer than that if necessary.

Keep in mind, both Shero & Mario have said that Geno is a very valuable part of their future, so does that sound like a trade is in the offing? Besides which, if they traded him what kind of message would that send to the other guys? Geno was instrumental in bringing this team to within two wins of a Stanley Cup championship - then he gets traded?? I dunno....talking about trading away a player like that sounds like the pot-stirring you'd get from Pierre McQuire & Mike Milbury. Milbury started all this going when he said that Malkin was going to either be traded or head back to the Russian Super league after the Pens lost to the Wings in game 6 of the Finals. It didn't seem to matter to listeners how many times he's been wrong in his predictions either.

[Pitts]

Keep in mind, both Shero & Mario have said that Geno is a very valuable part of their future,

Honestly, what else would you expect them to say?