Last season when the Pens were auditioning linemates for Malkin (what a difference a year makes) they tried Arron on Geno’s wing for a few games, with less-than-overwhelming results. He just doesn’t have the ability to read and react to an elite talent like Sid or Geno—at least not at their speed.

Then there’s a matter of stamina. If you watch Asham closely, he skates at borderline average speed during the first 15-20 seconds of a shift. Extend him past 30 seconds and his skating drops off dramatically. Now think about Sid, who often extends his shifts and is still flying around after 45-60 seconds. The two just don’t match up.

Sullivan & Dupuis have never been players that are going to jump in and help or mix it up in front of the net. Asham would do it in a second. If Jeffrey would start getting more involved he would stand a chance to be on that line also.

As far as speed goes, Robbie Brown made a living on Lemieux’s line. Asham’s would just need to head straight to the net each time and mix it up.

BTW: Asham had two years in Juniors that he scored over 40 goals.

An under-the-radar guy might be Dustin Jeffrey. Although he hasn’t produced much this season, I think he has the skills to play with Crosby. It’d be more a matter of how well he reads and reacts to Sid, which a lot of guys have trouble doing.

If Staal is able to adapt to playing wing, he and Sid could make a really nice combo ala Malkin-Neal. I’m not so sure about Asham, though. While “Ash” provides toughness and has some underrated skills, I don’t think he skates well enough to keep up with Sid, who does everything at full speed. I think Pascal Dupuis is a more likely candidate, given that he’s played with Sid in the past.