I haven’t heard a national pundit say a word about Crosby wearing the forest green, iron range red and harvest gold of the Minnesota Wild. Even though there is a compelling case to be made that the future Hall of Famer would be a great fit in Minnesota.

OK, I know what you’re saying. No way, no how. Crosby isn’t going to waive the full no-move clause he received in the two-year, $17.4 million contract he signed in September to remain with the Pittsburgh Penguins through the 2026-27 season. Maybe you’re right. Crosby could have walked as a free agent after this season but elected to stick with the franchise that made him the first-overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft.

So, why is anyone talking about the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer waiving his no move? Because the relationship between Crosby and the Penguins — and a few other star players — no longer makes sense unless it’s solely based on stubbornness and sentimentality.

Penguins needs a rebuild – without Crosby
Crosby played a key role in the Penguins winning three Stanley Cups, and the franchise made 16 consecutive postseason appearances after missing in his rookie season. But Pittsburgh hasn’t been to the playoffs in the past two years and is on track to make it three in a row this season.

This isn’t a case where the Penguins are a hot streak or one addition away from turning it around. Pittsburgh is sitting at 7-10-4 through 21 games, giving them 18 points, and is a minus-26 in goal differential. The Penguins are 2-3-3 in their past eight games, losing twice in overtime and once in a shootout. There also was an 0-5-1 stretch last month that ended with a 5-3 loss to the Wild in Pittsburgh.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas needs to begin a significant rebuild as soon as possible and the list of veterans on his roster should make that possible. Dubas already dealt Jake Guentzel to Carolina last season and moved Lars Eller to Washington for two draft picks last week.

Penguins center Sidney Crosby on the ice in a game against the Minnesota Wild on March 31, 2022 at Xcel Energy Center. Crosby has scored more than 1,600 points in nearly 1,300 career NHL games, all played for Pittsburgh. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

But, for now, Crosby is off limits, and so is 38-year-old center Evgeni Malkin, who has spent all 19 of his seasons in Pittsburgh and has a full no-trade clause. Crosby and Malkin want to finish their NHL careers where they started, but will that remain the case?

There’s something very noble about spending your entire career in one place, but even Wayne Gretzky was traded twice in his NHL career and signed his last contract (with the New York Rangers) as a free agent.

Crosby, 37, still has plenty to offer as evidenced by his team-leading 20 points (seven goals and 13 assists) in 21 games this season. Crosby agreeing to waive his no-move clause could be a major benefit to the Penguins and himself. Interest would be high and this improved Wild team would make sense for a few reasons.

Crosby to the Wild would be a smooth transition
The Wild are off to a fantastic start this season under coach John Hynes. Their 4-2 win in St. Louis on Tuesday gave them 27 points, putting them behind only Winnipeg (32 points) and tied with Washington for second place in the NHL. Crosby would be welcomed by any team, but his transition to Minnesota would be nearly seamless.

There are two reasons for this: 1) Wild general manager Bill Guerin won the second and final Stanley Cup of his career as a teammate of Crosby’s with the Penguins in 2009 after being acquired that March from the New York Islanders. 2) Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and Crosby were teammates in Pittsburgh for 12 seasons and remain close friends. They were a part of three Stanley Cup winning teams during that time.

Crosby and veteran defenseman Kris Letang stayed on the ice at PPG Paints Arena as fans chanted Fleury’s name and gave him an ovation following the Wild’s victory in Pittsburgh on Oct. 29. Fleury remains one of the most popular players in Penguins history, and fans wanted to show their love for him after what was expected to be the final start of his career in that city.

“I can try my hardest, try to bring (Crosby) here,” Fleury said during a recent appearance on the Bardown Beauties podcast with Jessi Pierce and Kirsten Krull. “But I don’t think he’s going to budge. … He doesn’t like change much.”

That’s a shame.

The NHL trade deadline isn’t until March 7, so there’s time for Crosby to change his mind about staying put. There are also scenarios, given the potential timing of the trade, and the return to Pittsburgh, under which Guerin could swing a deal that could work financially. The Avalanche, by the way, currently have less salary cap room than the Wild.

Of course, the Penguins wouldn’t give away Crosby. They likely would ask for center Marco Rossi and/or top prospects. ESPN recently ranked the Wild fourth in their NHL future power rankings based in part on the quality of their prospects. The ask might be too much, but Guerin knows more than anyone what Crosby brings on the ice and to the room.

Is Crosby to Minnesota, or anywhere else, likely? Probably not. But if he does decide to chase another Cup, doing it with his buddy, Fleury, would make a lot of sense.

The post Zulgad: Crosby To The Wild? appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Former UMD Bulldog defenseman Matt Niskanen is thriving under increased workload in Pittsburgh.

The preseason reports of Matt Niskanen’s demise in Pittsburgh turned out to be greatly exaggerated

Much to the Penguins’ delight.

Playoffs aside, Niskanen is nearing the end of a career year which could not have come at a better time for an injury-riddled Penguins squad which recently became just the third NHL team to ever eclipse the 500-game mark in man-games lost to injury.

That the Pens have managed to reach the 50 win plateau for the third time in team history is a minor miracle considering the quantity and quality of players missing significant action this season. Niskanen’s role in Pittsburgh’s success cannot be overlooked and hasn’t been by his teammates.

“He’s been thrown into kind of a quarterback role on the power play for a chunk of the season and playing a lot more minutes against teams’ top players,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “He and a lot of our D have been thrown into different responsibilities and they’ve responded well. He just seems to get better with each season he’s played here.”

The slew of injuries and illness, particularly to Penguins’ defensive stalwarts Kris Letang, Brooks Orpik, Rob Scuderi and Paul Martin, thrust Niskanen into a bit of a role reversal as a leader on the Pens’ defensive corps.

[Niskanen] just seems to get better with each season he’s played here. – Sidney Crosby

In fact, Nisaknen played a stretch of games in December which left him as the lone veteran amid five rookies forming Pittsburgh’s top-six blueliners. Wild fans may recall the time frame coincided with Minnesota’s trip to Pittsburgh on December 19, an uninspired 5-2 loss to the Penguins a night after Niskanen logged a career-high 29:44 against the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden.

“We’ve had the injury bug bad this year, more than any other team, so I was forced into kind of a leadership role,” Niskanen said of his increased responsibility. “I’ve always been the youngest defenseman on the team so it was a really good challenge. I think I kind of took it and ran with it.”

One of those rookies is 19-year-old Olli Maatta, who Niskanen has been paired with much of the season and has taken under his wing. He recalls how much he looked up to and appreciated what veteran mentors such as Sergei Zubov, Mattias Norstrom and current Minnesota Wild assistant coach Daryl Sydor did for him and is simply paying it forward.

“I’ve just tried to remember what it was like to be a rookie, what it was like to be in an NHL dressing room and translate that into helping Olli out,” Niskanen said. “I don’t have to help him a lot, he’s a really good player and he’s pretty smart for a 19-year-old kid.”

“He’s been a huge factor for our team,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said of Niskanen. “From a guy who was supposed to be traded away and not going to be on our roster, to a guy who’s been our top defenseman this year, without a question, not just offensively but defensively as well, it’s been huge.”

An Uncertain Future

When Pittsburgh signed then 24-year-old defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to a two-year $1.2 million contract last summer, rumors swirled regarding Niskanen’s future, or lack thereof, in the Steel City.

With Orpik, Martin, Letang and Scuderi locks as the Penguins’ top-four defensemen and a host of blue line prospects in waiting, Bortuzzo’s cap-friendly deal left the Virginia, Minn. native—with a cap hit of $2.3 million this season in the final year of a two-year contract—appearing as the odd man out and trade speculation ensued.

Niskanen, who led Virgina/Mt. Iron-Buhl to its first-ever trip to the Minnesota State Boys’ Hockey Tournament in 2005, was aware of the buzz surrounding his potential departure and admitted it became both a cause for concern and a source of incentive.

“Coming into the year I was probably penciled in as a third-pairing guy and a lot of people thought I was going to be on the move, so some things were up in the air,” Niskanen said. “I really like it here so I was worried a little bit and I think it did motivate me.

“I came into camp with kind of an attitude that I was going to prove that they needed to keep me because I really wanted to be here this season.”

Bylsma took note and, looking back, now scoffs at the idea that Niskanen was on his way out.

“Last summer I heard a lot of (long pause) pundits say he was going to be traded and not be back,” Bylsma said. “I don’t know if he bore a little bit of an edge because of that talk but he came in, had a great training camp and started off great with our season.”

I came into camp with kind of an attitude that I was going to prove that they needed to keep me because I really wanted to be here this season. – Matt Niskanen

That great start served as a catalyst to an outstanding season for Niskanen as the former Minnesota-Duluth star has posted career bests in goals (10) and points (43) and is a plus-32 while playing all 79 games to this point in the final year of a two-year $4.6 million contract.

A Career Transformation

While those numbers should earn Niskanen a significant raise this offseason, they’re a far cry from the 15 points and minus-15 he put up in 2009-10, his final full season with the Dallas Stars, the team which drafted him in the first round (No. 28 overall) in the 2005 NHL Draft.

After posting 61 points in his first two seasons with the Stars playing alongside Zubov, Norstrom and Sydor, Niskanen’s production dipped once his mentors departed as he wasn’t ready for the burden placed upon him.

Upon recording just six assists in 45 games played in 2010-11, Niskanen was shipped to Pittsburgh, along with forward James Neal, in exchange for former Gopher defenseman Alex Goligoski on Feb. 21, 2011. Niskanen says the trade was the best thing that could have happened to his career.

“At that time I needed change of scenery and a new set of eyes on me,” Niskanen said. “I wasn’t in the plans anymore there so it was nice to get a fresh start. I obviously hit the jackpot coming there. As it turns out I think it was a pretty good trade for us.”

His long-time teammate, and one-time trademate, has had a front-row seat to Niskanen’s maturation as a player.

“I think from the day he got traded, he’s been a changed guy and a changed player,” said Neal who scored 40 goals in his first season in Pittsburgh. “He’s showed how good he is and how good he can be. He’s been great for our team and given us a big boost.”

Niskanen agrees his overall game has come a long way in the past couple seasons and says there is plenty of credit to go around for that.

“The coaches have been really good, they’re really detail-oriented here, which I think has helped me a lot,” Niskanen said. “Part of it, too, is just the culture here. You have some elite talent that works really, really hard and they’re always looking to get better.

“That’s contagious.”

The post Stepping Up His Game appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Featured Image:
Zach Parise #11 of the Minnesota Wild scores a goal on Jonathan Bernier #45 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the shootout of the game on November 13, 2013 at Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Maple Leafs 2-1 in a shootout.
(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

There are few things more exciting in hockey or sports in general than the ice hockey shootout. Literally, it doesn’t matter; college, pro, Olympic, men’s or women’s, if you see a shootout on TV you’re not changing the channel. And if it’s live your eyes will stay peeled.

After the 2004 lockout the NHL was looking for a way to bring the fans back to the game and capitalize on the excitement of the “must win or must lose” mentality of Olympic hockey.

Enter the shootout.

Reaction has been as polarizing as the act itself. Like the puck, you’re either in or out when it comes to the shootout. Some fans love the fact that there will always be a resolution to any given game on any given night (I mean is there anything worse than plopping down $50 to see a tie?! When did a soccer game break out?! (Sorry if you love soccer)). Other fans despise the fact that essentially it becomes a signal of our “everybody wins” society: “Congrats on NOT losing! Here’s a point”.

If you’re reading this article it’s because you seek my opinion or you clicked on the wrong link, either way here is my thought: The shootout is fantastic.

First, I like the fact that teams get a point. Yes it rewards you just for hanging around through an OT period, but in a league where one point can separate you from playoffs or playing golf, it breeds parity. Some years the margin for that eighth spot is tiny. Rarely does that team make it to the Stanley Cup final, so if it’s Columbus one year and Florida the next it’s nice to see other teams get a shot at making a run, getting a “chip and chair” so to speak. Teams and the fan base should get a chance to live playoff hockey.

The caveat to this is the Big Ten’s rule on the shootout, which frankly is ridiculous. Because the NCAA doesn’t recognize shootouts, the Big Ten awards the points for league standings only so the point only counts in YOUR league—which is to say not at all. Even if you win the league you still have to win the post season tourney to get a NCAA bid. So while points help in conference seedings, standings, etc, it does little for the ultimate goal in college hockey; and NCAA title.

The second reason I love shootouts is … ties stink. You know it, I know it, and everyone knows it. No one gives a trip to Disney Land to the guy that tied. We live in a world where good and bad and right and wrong exist and people want resolution. A shootout at least gives you that.

Third, shootouts are that one moment where NHLers and the average hack are almost equal. Listen, I can’t skate as fast as Zach Parise, stick handle like Sidney Crosby or shoot as hard as Zdeno Chara, but if we all get the chance to saunter in 1-on-none against a goalie I at least have as much of a chance at scoring as they do (statistically speaking). That’s what’s so great about it, we’ve all practiced the moves at length on the pond, before and after practice, or with a tennis ball on the drive way and we all know that feeling of skating in with a move in your head trying to beat the goalie. It’s that moment where we can be equal with the stars we look up to.

And finally, shootouts are exciting. They give us amazing moves like, this from Pavel Datsyuk during the lockout. [youtube id=”5h55X3uJU84″ width=”620″ height=”360″]

Guys get creative and inventive and it’s thrilling. Face it, there is nothing more exciting in hockey than seeing a skater vs. goalie whether it’s a shootout or a breakaway. It’s like the NBA finishing off an OT session with slam dunk contest or if the NFL decided a deadlocked game by having a ‘Hail Mary’ contest. They don’t, but hockey does.  The NHL has taken the most exciting and dazzling aspect of its game and give it its own act, it made a killer side dish a main entre.

Shootouts are thrilling and maddening all at the same time. But while you can argue how they should or should not affect the game, you cannot argue their excitement. Like the shootout itself, that argument has no defense.

The post Schwartz: A Shoutout for the Shootout appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.