Penguins/NHL
Where Penguins forward Max Talbot fits into the Penguins plans is still undetermined following the Penguins pro scouting meetings.
No contract discussions have taken place since the Penguins season ended in late April but representatives for Talbot are hopeful to engage in the 1st set of talks as early as next week.
Talbot has fallen behind others such as Craig Adams (resigned), Mike Rupp and even Pascal Dupuis on the team’s priority list.
However,
no one inside the organization is ready to rule out resigning Talbot before July 1.
The first step though is at least engaging in talks, something Talbots reps Jim Nice and Pat Brisson are still waiting to happen.
The biggest dilemma inside the organization has been whether the team is confident he can be an impact player in a top-9 role. Talbot I’m told was a popular topic at the teams recent scouting meetings.
There is said to be mixed opinions from team scouts.
One source close to Talbot predicted to me that Talbot loves Pittsburgh so much that he see’s him staying for $1-$1.4 million per season (of course if the Penguins were to make an offer), telling me Talbot has endorsements and some business ventures he would like to invest in if he stays around.
That’s what has made the Penguins not even reaching out to Talbot’s camp to see what it would take interesting thus far through the process.
A picture on whether Talbot has any future with the team should become much more clearer in the next 7 to 10 days.
