This Kid Needs Help

There is no way in the world Sid Crosby should ever have more goals than assists. This guy is a playmaker first, goal scorer second. And he can set up all the scoring chances in the world, but his ability is wasted without a winger to bury it. Throwing every mucker and grinder we have on his line and hoping he will turn them into Jari Kurri is not the answer for the Kid. Aside from one brief stint with Marian Hossa, he's never had a goal scoring wing. We've seen has-beens like Ziggy Palffy, Mark Recchi, and Miro Satan sent out there, as well as countless no-names like Tomas Surovy, Andy Hilbert, and Michele Ouellet. Even some of our Pittsburgh favorites like Colby, Bugsy, and Christensen weren't the right fit. So it begs the question, how long do we let this go on? Ray Shero, whom I think has done a phenominal job as our general manager, has failed to do one thing in his tenure, and its a pretty big thing. Get the best all-around player in hockey a long-term scoring linemate. I am not saying the guys we have aren't serviceable, I'm just saying Dupuis and Kunitz arent Kovalchuk or Gaborik. I'm talking about 40 goal scoring snipers who can use Sid's feeds to pop a few water bottles. And please don't try to use Mario's wingers as examples. Yes, Lemieux got Robbie Brown 49 goals, but defenses were a bit different twenty years ago. And trust me Sid is almost, if not just, as good a passer and creator as Mario. If you don't believe that just wait until he finally gets a sniper to feed. And by finally, I mean hopefully. As much as I hate to say it, I think to get this done we are going to have to dangle some big bait to get the catch we want. That bait just might end up being Geno. Think about it. Staalsy is a perfectly capable second line center. In fact, Pittsburgh is about the only place in the league where he isn't a top two center. I just don't see the point of having three great centers and bum wingers playing with each of them. There are plenty of teams in this league who would happily give up a winger like Dany Heatley or Corey Perry to get one of the best centers in the league. Now before you start throwing a fit, I know Geno is a better hockey player than any of these guys. But the best player in a trade is not always the best part of a trade. If Corey Perry gets more points on Sid's line than Geno does in Anaheim, then Perry is the better part of the trade. Now you may say trade Staal instead of Geno so I will tell you why that is a horrible idea. First, money plain and simple. Plus Staal is only 21 and is becoming a force on the ice. And most importantly European players are eccentric and Canadian players are grounded. Remember when Jagr decided he didn't care who he played for as long as it was near a beach? European stars are too unpredictable.

We have only seen glimpses of Sid's potential as a playmaker in his short time with Hossa, and we have seen how good he is when he decides to do it on his own. But obviously teams like the Devils and Caps have figured out ways to neutralize him enough to beat the Pens. They can do this because they know no one else on the ice at the time can beat them single-handedly the way the Wizard of Cros can. We are 0-8 against those two clubs, one or both of whom we will see in the playoffs. I think something needs to be done sooner than later in order for us to stay atop the league. Obviously Jersey and Washington have figured something out about us and it's our turn to counter-punch. So come on Shero, show some cojones and make a blockbuster deal for someone... anyone! Trade Fedotenko for that dryer in Sid's basement, he can probably bank 20 to 30 goals off it. I'm telling you, if this move is ever made, we will get those Lemieux and Gretzky-esque numbers we all know the Kid is capable of. Can we please get our Maverick a good wing man?