Goodbye Jordan

[Pens4Life]

Sad very sad, but seems to be a good deal for both involved.

Thank you JS and good luck in Carolina!

[Sarcastic]

Hey Jordan, you big baby. Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out.

[Pavement]

Sad to see Jordan go, but I suppose it was inevitable. Good luck in Carolina!

[rgj]

I too will miss Jordan Staal. He proved his worth to the Pens when both Malkin and Crosby were hurt. He carried the team. I sure hope the Pens won't regret this trade. I am excited for Staal playing with his brother. With the youngest Staal in the Carolina system, wonder if they'll make a move for the New York Staal......

Anyway, thanks Jordan and good luck in Carolina. Beautiful area of the country down there and (HEY), you can marry your cousin.........

[praxitas]

All good things come to an end. Didn't expect this one to end so quickly. Good luck with the canes. Enjoy your family and thanks for helping us get this:

[tifosi77]

Nick Kypreos‏@RealKyper
#SNdraft just received text coming from Staal wedding where many x teammates including 87 are attending. Nite described as "very emotional"

I have no doubt about this statement. plenty of liquor to get them through the night.

I just heard about this today....... while I understand the nature of the business, that's still a little messed up.

Granted, he shouldn't have scheduled his wedding on draft weekend.

[lemieuxReturns]

Nick Kypreos‏@RealKyper
#SNdraft just received text coming from Staal wedding where many x teammates including 87 are attending. Nite described as "very emotional"

I have no doubt about this statement. plenty of liquor to get them through the night.

I just heard about this today....... while I understand the nature of the business, that's still a little messed up.

Granted, he shouldn't have scheduled his wedding on draft weekend.

more importantly he shouldn't have turned down a 60 million 10 year deal on draft weekend and also then apparently suggest he would be open only to signing an extension with carolina. that last part i might offer is what sealed his tenure with the pens.

[Puck Drama]

This is worse than Jagr dying alive. Staal turned down a ten year deal and tied Shero's hands by his Carolina comments. He is a selfish prick and I hope he flops in Tobacco Row.

[mikey287]

There's no way that an obvious troll like this should be allowed here. No way...

[Froggy]

i was actually more upset with malone leaving than staal. malone was a top sixer here, a hometown guy, just came super close to the cup... and bolts for cash.

staal has better reasons for leaving. no room for growth here, wants to play with family, etc...


this isn't saying i blame malone at all for leaving, but more contrasting just how unbelievably stupid the staal vs jagr comment was

[dman66]

Malone didn't bolt for cash.

Staal will be missed. Will suck watching his career prime in Carolina, but it was to be expected with everything that occurred. Good luck except against the Pens, which may be more often if the proposed divisional alignment happens...

[bhaw]

Malone didn't bolt for cash.

no?

[Froggy]

lol... i didn't mean to start a malone argument. i was trying to show how little i begrudged staal for leaving

[bhaw]

lol... i didn't mean to start a malone argument. i was trying to show how little i begrudged staal for leaving

Yeah, I didn't mean to continue it. I was just curious what the other reasons were. I have yet to hear anything other than term/money.

[Penspal]

I am sad to see Jordan go. His cup contributions will always be remembered. He had a fantastic rookie season and his injuries slowed his development, but last season has shown that he still has upside and could turn into a serious monster player. However, how many monster players can the Pens afford? You have to admit that Crosby, Malkin and Letang are ahead of him. Then there are other who argueably ahead of him like Fleury and Neal, the core so to speak. An NHL team simply cannot keep that much talent (which is one reason for the salary cap). This deal had to be done and it was.

I really believe Jordan will improve over last year, but I also believe Ray Shero got good quality for Staal. I think Sutter can still get better (but no where near Jordan) but the improved draft pick and the college D both have serious upside. Defense is at a premium, so this deal is not "finalaized" as these guys could still bring good returns in the near future if they get traded.

I will also enjoy watching Carolina games more, especially if they can elevate their little bro up.

[columbia]

Jordan said he did not care if he played the wing on Eric's line or if he continued to play center. After being in the shadow of superstar centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh, Jordan -- who scored 25 goals this season -- likes the idea of getting the chance to be a bigger offensive contributor for the Canes.

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/canes/sta ... rylink=cpy



I'm glad we cleared that one up.

[dman66]

Malone didn't bolt for cash.

no?

I was always under the impression, and I could be wrong, that the Pens were so set on Hossa that they barely had conversations with Malone and then the Pens traded his rights to the Lightning because they knew they couldn't give him an adequate offer. Am I wrong on that?

[lemieuxReturns]

Malone didn't bolt for cash.

no?

I was always under the impression, and I could be wrong, that the Pens were so set on Hossa that they barely had conversations with Malone and then the Pens traded his rights to the Lightning because they knew they couldn't give him an adequate offer. Am I wrong on that?

that is how i remember it as well. I even remember Malone saying something along the lines of "i didn't even get a call from shero"

[Fire0nice228]

I still believe Staal never tops 70 points in a season.

[lemieuxReturns]

I still believe Staal never tops 70 points in a season.

Staal can be a great defensive centerman if he wants to be. He also seemed to be getting better at scoring. But one thing he has always sucked at was playmaking. One thing i will not miss at all is seeing Staal and TK on the same line. Wow, talk about two people who never liked to pass the puck. TK would shoot from the blue line before passing to Staal, and Staal would try and go wide or deek the entire team before passing to TK.

It will be interesting to see if Carolina picks up on that and ends up keeping Eric at center and moving Staal to wing. Staal had his best goal scoring his rookie season playing wing with Geno.

Regardless, i think you are right. 70 should be the upper limit of his production.

[brwi]

Pretty positive that the Canes want to keep Skinner on the wing instead of back at center, so I imagine Staal will be their #2 center behind the E Staal-Ruutu line, but that's just my opinion on how the Canes usually operate. They needed a #2 center and Staal wanted more of an impact....seems to make sense.

I'll miss Staal and wish him success in Carolina, a team I enjoy watching. It's one of those situations where either Staal was going to feel stunted in Pittsburgh behind incredible talents Sid/Malkin, or left for a chance to be an impact player elsewhere. Better now than later and the return for him wasn't bad either. Seems like a good deal for everyone involved, though I think RS MIGHT have got a bit more with a little more patience, but he seemed like he was really trying to accommodate Staal's wishes too, which is sort of unusual fro any GM that isn't being held hostage.

[no name]

Well as happy as i am for Jordan, and i am, he deserves this chance to "be a big player on a team."

But in this time of sports and egos and player and owners tug a wars, i think Shero and Rutherford need some credit. Shero could of held on to Staal and let him sit in Pittsburgh and trade him at the deadline to a team trying to make it in the playoffs and Rutherford could of gave the Pens nothing and sat and waited for Jordan to sign next season. Both guys stepped up to the plate and made a hockey deal that was in best intrest of the player, while still making each club happy.

[Pitt87]

Well as happy as i am for Jordan, and i am, he deserves this chance to "be a big player on a team."

But in this time of sports and egos and player and owners tug a wars, i think Shero and Rutherford need some credit. Shero could of held on to Staal and let him sit in Pittsburgh and trade him at the deadline to a team trying to make it in the playoffs and Rutherford could of gave the Pens nothing and sat and waited for Jordan to sign next season. Both guys stepped up to the plate and made a hockey deal that was in best intrest of the player, while still making each club happy.

Sort of agree with this. Also consider that over the last 2 years Staal has been a top 6 guy on this team and hasn't been spectacular despite playing very well and scoring some big goals. What we offered him was commensurate with his production and value at center on the third line. He can and probably will do better financially in Carolina, and hopefully provides a lift to their 2nd line.

[thepittman]

Staal will be a great addition to Carolina. Might have a respectable season this time around.

[lemieuxReturns]

Staal will be a great addition to Carolina. Might have a respectable season this time around.

Eric had a horrible start to last season. It will be interesting to see if Jordan signs a deal this summer or actually waits until after next season.
One thing i was wondering is what rutherford was thinking when he finally got jordan. At this point, he has three staals. What if Eric has more than just a bad start... or even if Jordan does not end up playing as they expected. Rutherford was basically responsible for the whole family reunion, are his hands now tied with how he handles all the staals?