Early in Staal's rookie season, however, there was still speculation that he would be returned to his junior team before playing his 10th game to avoid allowing him to accrue a full season under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement. Due to his strong play, however, particularly on the penalty-kill, the Penguins chose to keep him for the remainder of the season. Staal, along with fellow rookie Evgeni Malkin joined superstar Sidney Crosby, who had himself only entered his second NHL season, and goaltender Marc-André Fleury to form an effective young nucleus that revived the Penguins franchise.