Pittsburgh radio host calls 'bulls***' on Evgeni Malkin.
He's not buying it.
In spite of the fact that there are now less than 4 days remaining to get a deal done, the Pittsburgh Penguins and star forward Evgeni Malkin have yet to come to terms on a new deal that would likely cement Malkin's legacy as a lifelong member of the Penguins franchise.
On Saturday, news began to circulate about the impact that this was having on the psyche of the Russian star, including comments from a current Penguins teammate and one of Malkin's personal friends. Both men would indicate that Malkin feels unwanted by the Penguins franchise, and all in all it painted a rather sad picture of the current situation for Malkin.
That being said though, not everyone is buying it.
On Saturday, perhaps in response to the story regarding Malkin's state of mind, controversial Pittsburgh area radio host Mark Madden took to social media to offer his thoughts on the ongoing negotiations between Malkin and the Penguins. Madden began by dismissing the notion that Malkin was in any way being disrespected by the team.
From Madden:
Malkin is not in any remote way being "disrespected." Not even close. Offering a guy with two knee surgeries a three-year deal after a checkered season = mega respect. It parallels Sid's term. He should take it. Letang took less. Rust took less. Who's Geno ***king kidding?
Madden would go one step further though and indicated his belief that Malkin is merely trying to look for a way to walk to free agency without being perceived as the bad guy by the Penguins fans and the general public at large. Madden cited Malkin's wife's well known love of Florida as well as Malkin's connection to Dallas through former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar, a close friend of Malkin's.
From Madden:
Letang and Crosby aren't Malkin's "brothers." What a crock. His best friend lives in Dallas. His wife& kid live in Florida. He's looking for a way out w/o being the bad guy. If the Pens offered 4 years, he'd want 5.
The controversial radio host even went so far as to describe the lifelong Penguin as a "bulls*** artist" as it pertains to this whole fiasco.
Surprisingly Madden's fiery comments were met with a good amount of both dissent and agreement, indicating at least somewhat of a divide in opinion among the fan base.
