Polaris922 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 (Article would not copy charts. Open link to see stat charts)http://puckheadsunited.blogspot.com/2015/06/assessing-current-core-evgeni-malkin.html?m=1ASSESSING THE CURRENT CORE: EVGENI MALKINBy Cassandra Anders I'm gonna give my thoughts on the core players of the Penguins.Rutherford deems these to be Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Kris Letang and Olli Maatta. I'll be doing this over the course of the next week.Today is about Evgeni Malkin.Malkin's season, as it usually is, was cut short a little here and there due to injuries. One around the all-star break, one going into the playoffs, et cetera. Over 69 games, Geno put up 28 goals and 70 points. Another season over a point per game, even if it's just one, is the norm for Evgeni, injuries be damned. Now, the trade talks are heating up. Geno is unhappy, Geno wants to be moved. This couldn't be any further from the truth. Malkin explicitly said he believes the Penguins can win another cup, and even said his parents love living in the city of Pittsburgh. This paired with the fact him and his agent recently made a statement saying these rumors are untrue. When the agent comes out and says it, something's gotta seem fishy with the rumors. Let's look at two random wingers of Malkin's this year.BLAKE COMEAU One he spent most of the time with was Blake Comeau. Once put on a line together, it seemed like they developed some great chemistry, able to make plays together and make them look good in the process. He looks good on the surface as a depth player, and HERO chart is pretty supportive of that. But he's not a top six winger. He may have played like one at times, but he can't be considered and depended on as one. He's currently a UFA so there's no telling whether he'll still be a Penguin, but I wouldn't mind him returning for a cheap cost for a depth role. And the talks have been, rather soon after the Penguins were eliminated against the NYR in the playoffs, Penguins management wanted Comeau back and it could be for a cheap price of around 1M. Anything drastically above that is overpaying and not worth it. Verdict: Good depth player, but shouldn't be a regular on Malkin's line. BEAU BENNETTBeau Bennett was supposed to be a top six forward of the future for the Penguins, but his development was handled incorrectly, as admitted by Jim Rutherford. He was rushed to the NHL while he should've had more time in the AHL to develop. In what was a rather busy season for Bennett (not clouded by too many injuries in comparison to the recent seasons for him), he went on plenty pointless streaks and looked invisible at times. Whether Bennett is back or not...Verdict: Maybe he'll surprise us in the future. But right now? Not a good staple for Malkin's line.We can include David Perron and Patric Hornqvist, but they will most likely be on Sidney Crosby's line for the season. If Pascal Dupuis comes back, that's an option for Malkin's right wing. Not a staple, an option. How Rutherford handles the fabled top six winger we'll be trading for is something that must be considered, but we have no way of knowing for sure who it'll be yet. We'll have to wait and see. During the playoffs he didn't muster any points, playing with Perron and Kunitz for parts of the low scoring series against NYR, with his right wing consistently being Blake Comeau. While him and Comeau seemed to have found some chemistry during the regular season, Comeau hadn't been the same since his hand injury which sidelined him for a good while. David Perron also suffered a rib injury during the last game of the season against Buffalo. Now, all that leaves is Evgeni Malkin. He had a sprained foot a good while before the playoffs, and played through it during the series. The entire line was injured. One injured man can only do so much. Of course I expect Malkin to perform, but given the circumstances, I think he deserves to have his performance looked at, beyond just point production. Kinda speaks for itself. Malkin is an elite performer and deserves the reputation he has as such. He's thrilled to be a Penguin, and will be for some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbulb Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I view Chicago and Pitts in the same light. - Perennial 'cup contenders' for the last 5+ years.- Built around 2 star forwards and a star defenseman (Kane/Toews/Keith vs. Malkin/Crosby/Letang)- Both teams continually bump up against the salary cap. Fortunately for Toews/Kane/Keith... their GM has been able to supplement that talent with another layer (Sharp, Seabrook & Hossa) Not only that, they've drafted well enough to plug in players like Shaw, Saad, Hjarmarlson, etc. Unfortunately for Crosby/Malkin, Neither Shero or Rutherford have been able to find consistent supplemental players to take the pressure off them or allow them to be at their best. Yes, they had Hossa for a year, and Neal, but it's mostly been over the hill vets like Satan, Guerin, Iginla or mediocre players like Goc. To make matters worse, other than Maata or Depres, I can't really think of any penguins 'picks' that have panned out lately. Yes, Pouliot looks good for the future, but imo, the true prime of Crosby/Malkin has been 'wasted' by mediocre managerial decisions. Crosby/Malkin are still elite and should be happy. I'm sure they're treated like gods in Pitts. They've got a cup together and make a ton of dough. It must still piss them off though that a few more 'shrewd' trades or decisions and Pitts would have 3 cups instead of 1. (recently) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Malkin rumors abound, not saying he will be dealt or should be dealt just that whispers are getting louder.The biggie is San Jose for a package of Couture, a Dman and picks. Spector and two other places mention it. I know these places make their living off stuff like this, but they are more reputable than Eklund (who isnt). Malkin thru his agent has declared his desire to return to the Pens however. It makessense to at least consider the deal. @fishbulb mentioned the lack of a quality supporting cast, Couture gives Sid a sidekick exraordinaire on his wing, a young vet d~man such as Braun adds depth plus a pick and cap relief for another move. San Jose gets a star forward, Pittsburgh retools. I understand the blasphemy of suggesting trading a long time icon but the right deal reverses the Pens slide, something my Wings didnt do when the window was open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B21 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Malkin rumors abound, not saying he will be dealt or should be dealt just that whispers are getting louder.The biggie is San Jose for a package of Couture, a Dman and picks. Spector and two other places mention it. I know these places make their living off stuff like this, but they are more reputable than Eklund (who isnt). Malkin thru his agent has declared his desire to return to the Pens however.It makessense to at least consider the deal. @fishbulb mentioned the lack of a quality supporting cast, Couture gives Sid a sidekick exraordinaire on his wing, a young vet d~man such as Braun adds depth plus a pick and cap relief for another move. San Jose gets a star forward, Pittsburgh retools.I understand the blasphemy of suggesting trading a long time icon but the right deal reverses the Pens slide, something my Wings didnt do when the window was open. Good catch. I read a few of those yesterday. Like you said, could just be speculation. Intriguing though. The articles I read both mentioned that the Pens should make a play for Saad. Subtract Malkin. Add Couture, Saad, a defenseman and some picks? Where do I sign? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfondajane Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Rutherford doesn't like acquiring draft picks,he loves trading them away! I would love to see Saad in a Pens sweater with the picks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 The articles I read both mentioned that the Pens should make a play for Saad. I didn't think Sadd was as good as he has shown in this years playoffs, tough, gritty, fast, smart with a good shot.....what's not to like, huh? I always thought he was just ok....wow, was I ever off base!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris922 Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 I didn't think Sadd was as good as he has shown in this years playoffs, tough, gritty, fast, smart with a good shot.....what's not to like, huh? I always thought he was just ok....wow, was I ever off base!!And he's a Pittsburgh kid... What's not to like? Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagerMeister Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 This year was Malkin's worst playoff performance by far. 0 points. Wow. Im pretty sure he wasn;t 100% during any of those games Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfondajane Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 This year was Malkin's worst playoff performance by far. 0 points. Wow. Im pretty sure he wasn;t 100% during any of those gamesI believe he had a injured foot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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