Aleksey Morozov's career with the Penguins could be finished.
It's hard to believe that general manager Craig Patrick has taken kindly to the right winger committing himself to a Russian team for the next year without an option to return if there is any semblance of an NHL season.
This, after the Penguins made a multi-year offer and a one-year offer that was worth $1.8 million.
It's one thing to commit to playing in Europe during what likely will be a lockout-shortened NHL season, at best.
It's quite another to leave oneself without an escape clause and thereby to snub your NHL team.
If Morozov has played his final game here, his Penguins career could be described as a colossal bust.
When he arrived in Pittsburgh in the summer of 1997, Morozov was hailed as the best player in the world outside of the NHL and was introduced at a Ben Roethlisberger-like news conference.
He scored seven minutes into his first game. That same day, his agent, Alex Diatchenko, said Morozov "wants to be one of the best, maybe the best. Maybe another Mario."
Morozov confidently chose No. 95, the highest number in team history.
Teammate Joe Dziedzic, of all people, was stunningly and unintentionally prophetic when he said of Morozov, "I don't think he'll change his game from the way he played in Europe."
Dziedzic added, "I hope he's as good as they say he is."
He wasn't. Not even close. Morozov never scored more than 20 goals or 50 points in the equivalent of 5 1/2 seasons.
The three obvious culprits were himself, the Penguins and the NHL.
For his part, Morozov never seemed all that interested in adapting to North America, whether that meant learning the language or adjusting his game (although he certainly learned to appreciate the finer things in Western culture, especially money).
He failed to make the simplest alterations, driving coaches crazy with his reluctance to shoot (career average: 1.48 shots per game) and his failure to realize that the fastest way to the net is a straight line, not a figure-eight.
He's a great kid, but you never got the feeling he wanted to be a star. He was shy about stepping into the spotlight -- and about going where the goals are.
As one wag put it: "Morozov wouldn't go near the net if Anna Kournikova was playing goal in a one-piece bathing suit."
It seemed as if the Penguins didn't want Morozov to be a star, either.
They never have demanded it of him.
First, Kevin Constantine tried to convert him into a Russian Bob Gainey. As the years flew past, Morozov rarely got a chance to showcase his talent. Part of that was the team's wealth of skilled forwards.
Finally, there is the league itself.
Morozov grew up playing a sport called hockey, a sport vastly different from what he found in the NHL, which caters not to skilled craftsmen but to talentless hacks.
The shame is that Morozov, 27, showed signs of coming around toward the end of last season.
Maybe somebody will get a real player if and when he returns to North America.
Maybe.
