Blackhawks kicked the tires on Evgeni Malkin trade: Report

There are different types of trade rumors presented in the media. There are trades that are close, and you hear about them a few moments before the press release hits. There are rumors where one team is calling another to inquire about a player. And then there are trade rumors started by “some dim bulb in Tampa” who misreads a Bob McKenzie tweet and pretends to be an insider.

So what to make of Steve Zipay’s news that the Chicago Blackhawks are in on a potential deal for Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin?

Now, this is some earth-shaking stuff right here. Malkin, 29, remains one of the best, most game-changing players in the NHL. He makes $9.5 million per season through 2022, and the Penguins are up against the cap. A Jonathan Toews/Evgeni Malkin one-two punch would be the most potent in the NHL since … well, the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin one-two punch.

So Malkin to the Blackhawks!

Well, except for the fact that it’s rather difficult to imagine the numbers working for the Blackhawks given their cap situation. Unless they traded away Brent Seabrook ($6.875 million), who has a full no-move through 2022. Just like you know, Evgeni Malkin does.

Even then, the Blackhawks would have over $30 million against the cap dedicated to three forwards through 2022. Unless they traded Patrick Kane for Malkin, the same Patrick Kane who, again, has a no-move clause.

For what it’s worth, Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune also heard Malkin-to-the-Hawks and followed up on it:

To which Zipay said:

So there’s at least been some tire kicking, some “due diligence” by the Blackhawks. What there isn’t, at least at this point, is a logical path to this trade ever actually happening. Why would the Penguins trade Malkin? Now? At a time when the entire focus of the organization should be 'let's win as many Stanley Cups as we can while our best players, LIKE EVGENI MALKIN, are in their prime'?

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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