You are obviously on top of your game Ishstylish circketer! You do have a lot of legit points. We may have given up too much for a rental player, though he is very good, unless we win the cup or able to resign him for a longer contract. You have to remember that this Pens are not the bankrupt organization that they were a few years ago. New arena is coming. Games are always sold out and have a waiting period for season tkt's much like the Steelers across the river. Primary owner Ron Burkle is a billionaire and wants a winning franchise. Revenue sharing will also kick in. We do have a lot of young great players but most are under contract. In the future, we may have to give up somebody, but that goes with every team. We are not mortgaging the future. We had a ton of high picks in last six years and the cream of that crop will remain here : Sid, Malkin, Staal, Letang etc. Colby is a good team guy, but for a no.1 pick, he never panned out the way we would have liked. Christensen is a center in a team already blessed with Sid, Malkin and Staal! Where do you play him? Fourth line? If we traded Staal or a Ryan Malone, I would be upset, but we didn't, and as much as I liked Colby, he aint no Hossa.We still have a lot of character guys in the team i.e, Talbot, Ruttu, Roberts, Kennedy, Hall etc. Don't forget the best fighter/enforcer in the league also plays for Pens. About 1st round pick: Lets say, we don't need any at the moment or in the immediate future. Esposito may turn to be a good player though his stock fell in the draft. He is still a few years away from being NHL ready. Its a myth that Colby was the only one who backchecked. Almost every player back checks these days under Therrien. Goalie? Heard about Conklin? Check his stats. The way the East is cramped this year, we had to a make a big move to help us go over the top. Only time will tell if it works or not. I am only worried about this year right now. I heard Montreal had jersey made for Hossa! Too bad..
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