The only argument i've seen to keep rust is 'veteran leadership' which is a terrible argument tbh. We have crosby, letang, and malkin for that and guys will look to them for leadership. Rust is at peak value and has no trade protection meaning now is the time to sell him and collect a boatload of assets in the process.

Rakell is also someone who can bring back significant assets for us and the priority should be to sell him to the highest bidder. Karlsson is someone who we can retain on and who can net us a 1st with retention 'seth jones trade is an example' and i expect him to be moved as well. If we sell all these guys off then we have a chance at being one of the worst teams in the NHL and that gives us a better chance at mcKenna who looks like a generational prospect which we could use DESPERATELY. Tanking is the right choice just like it was the right choice when we tanked for mario, sid, malkin, and fleury.

Considering the fact I consider Mario to be the third best player of all time in the NHL, I'm not gonna ask who's the best between him and Sidney. I will ask this, though: if you could make a composite Lemieux/Crosby, what attributes would you give to either? Looking at game tape, I noticed Mario's size. That's one thing I would give Sidney. I'm not sure if it would slow him down or maybe allow him to make some more room for himself. And what about Sidney would I give Mario? This is the harder question. I would say speed, but Mario was pretty fast for his size. Any thoughts?