Ryan Malone on the Block??
Sportsnet.ca Is reporting that Ryan Malone is being shopped by the Pittsburgh Penguins. There is supposedly a lot of interest in him too. I am not sure if this is a tactic to wake him up from his year long stump or if They are really shopping him.
Malone showed flashes of being a franchise cornerstone in '03-'04 by making the team out of training camp when no one thought he had a shot. He went on to score 22 goals as a rookie and got some consideration for the Calder in certain circles. This season has been the complete opposite for Malone. He hasn't been able to score with any consistency even though he was put in a position to succeed by former head coach Eddie Olczyk and current coach Michel Therrien. He has now played himself into Therrien's dog house and has been a healthy scratch 3 out the last 4 games. Therrien criticized Malone's work ethic in the media and on a one on one basis. Therrien said that Malone needed to work harder to get back to where he was last year. This prompted Malone to say: I have heard that before from a couple different people. Not the way to work your way back into the good graces of a coach that expects playing your hardest at all times. He also didn't impress many in the organization when he held out for a contract equal to Trent Hunter of the Islanders. Though Hunter outpaced him in multiple statistical categories as a rookie.
Malone may end up being the prototypical power forward that many people imagined, but it just might not be with the Penguins. Sometimes getting that fear of falling out of the league across can work miracles. Look at Marcus Nasland. He was actually let go by Vancouver at one point after he was acquired from the Penguins, and no one signed him. He went back, signed a deal for the league minimum and the rest is history.
Some may say that the Pens would not trade the son of their head scout, well here is some food for thought in the business of hockey. It is a business that saw Colorado Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix, trade his own son Eric. It is about winning, nothing more, nothing less.
Malone showed flashes of being a franchise cornerstone in '03-'04 by making the team out of training camp when no one thought he had a shot. He went on to score 22 goals as a rookie and got some consideration for the Calder in certain circles. This season has been the complete opposite for Malone. He hasn't been able to score with any consistency even though he was put in a position to succeed by former head coach Eddie Olczyk and current coach Michel Therrien. He has now played himself into Therrien's dog house and has been a healthy scratch 3 out the last 4 games. Therrien criticized Malone's work ethic in the media and on a one on one basis. Therrien said that Malone needed to work harder to get back to where he was last year. This prompted Malone to say: I have heard that before from a couple different people. Not the way to work your way back into the good graces of a coach that expects playing your hardest at all times. He also didn't impress many in the organization when he held out for a contract equal to Trent Hunter of the Islanders. Though Hunter outpaced him in multiple statistical categories as a rookie.
Malone may end up being the prototypical power forward that many people imagined, but it just might not be with the Penguins. Sometimes getting that fear of falling out of the league across can work miracles. Look at Marcus Nasland. He was actually let go by Vancouver at one point after he was acquired from the Penguins, and no one signed him. He went back, signed a deal for the league minimum and the rest is history.
Some may say that the Pens would not trade the son of their head scout, well here is some food for thought in the business of hockey. It is a business that saw Colorado Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix, trade his own son Eric. It is about winning, nothing more, nothing less.
posted by Bmetzer66 at 2:14 PM
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