Yzerman191 37 Report post Posted January 6, 2009 Usually when talking about the best, most dynamic talent, people bring up names like Crosby, Ovechkin, Kane, Iginla, etc, and rightfully so. They're all tremendously talented players, and sure-fire stars. However, I'm wondering why Malkin often sneaks under the radar. I've been keeping a closer eye on him this year than years previous, and I feel like he may just have the most raw talent in the NHL. He's only 22 and in his third NHL season and leads the league in points while playing on the second line behind Crosby. Last year, he was runner up to Ovechkin (which is no knock against Malkin; Ovechkin is an amazing player) for the Art Ross, Hart, and Pearson. He doesn't have tremendously talented wingers, and his points are (generally speaking) not coming on the PP when he plays with Crosby. So what's the deal? Is it because he plays behind Crosby? And on another note, am I the only one taking joy in the Pens' horrible slump? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedArmy 4 Report post Posted January 6, 2009 Malkin has been a better player over the past 2 years than Cindy... Unfortunately, he was inconsistent in playoffs and struggled in the Stanley Cup finals... He has been putting up numbers whether Cindy was on injured or on the ice. Obviously his assist figures will look better if he is on the PP feeding Ciny or on the same line with him, but he is still one of the best players in the league... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted January 6, 2009 You picked the coldest hes been all season to post about him? Only has 2 points his past 6 games whereas he was putting up 3-4 point nightly for a while there. Good player, but he benefits from a s***load of ice time. What does he get? 6 minutes of PP time? Thats double any forward on this roster gets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted January 6, 2009 Malkin has been a better player over the past 2 years than Cindy... Unfortunately, he was inconsistent in playoffs and struggled in the Stanley Cup finals... He has been putting up numbers whether Cindy was on injured or on the ice. Obviously his assist figures will look better if he is on the PP feeding Ciny or on the same line with him, but he is still one of the best players in the league... Yup. The only exception being the playoffs - which says a lot, but even then Crosby had the better linemates. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yzerman191 37 Report post Posted January 6, 2009 (edited) Yup. The only exception being the playoffs - which says a lot, but even then Crosby had the better linemates. Regardless of the cold streak, he's still a phenomenal player. Whether or not he's putting up a point per game or four points per game isn't the point of the thread. The point is to question why he doesn't get any sort of credit for his accomplishments. By most fans' accounts, Malkin seems to be one of the only players TRYING to get them out of this funk they're in. They had an absolutely terrible December and an even worse start to January. Also, my initial post stated that Malkin really doesn't get his points on the powerplay. For some reason, the Pens just cannot get their powerplay together, and he only has 20 of his 60 points on the powerplay, which is right in line with all of the players atop the statistics chart. Also, people keep using the playoffs as a knock against Malkin. He still finished with 22 points, and was one of the top performers prior to the last playoff round. The kid was only in his second season, played just 4 playoff games the year prior, and was clearly just not used to the amount of games. I think next time he'll still have some gas in the tank, assuming there is a next time. Also, once the playoffs were over, the Pens said that both Crosby and Malkin had been playing with injuries (Malkin with the flu and another injury). Edited January 6, 2009 by Yzerman191 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted January 6, 2009 Yup. The only exception being the playoffs - which says a lot, but even then Crosby had the better linemates. He was their best player last year in the playoffs UNTIL he got rocked by that hit in Philly. He was never the same since. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheOwl 77 Report post Posted January 6, 2009 Penguins are playing terrible right now. I bet they regret re-signing Flurry for such a long expensive contract. Long contracts are killing the NHL. Imagine if the cap goes down. Also interesting about the Pens, their right up against the cap, and are getting Malkin at 2.5 million right now. Next season it jumps to 8 million. How the hell do they expect to clear 8 mill worth of cap space? The Penguins are screwed now, and long-term. Bad contracts. Malkin is obviously playing with good players because he has 44 something assists, and only 16 goals? Something like that. He's obviously a great play-maker, and a better all around player then Crosby. Still, I'd take Datsyuk over either in a heart beat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted January 6, 2009 Penguins are playing terrible right now. I bet they regret re-signing Flurry for such a long expensive contract. Long contracts are killing the NHL. Imagine if the cap goes down. Also interesting about the Pens, their right up against the cap, and are getting Malkin at 2.5 million right now. Next season it jumps to 8 million. How the hell do they expect to clear 8 mill worth of cap space? The Penguins are screwed now, and long-term. Bad contracts. Malkin is obviously playing with good players because he has 44 something assists, and only 16 goals? Something like that. He's obviously a great play-maker, and a better all around player then Crosby. Still, I'd take Datsyuk over either in a heart beat. The price break is what makes Datsyuk such a good choice. Holland's 7 years at 6.7 million is an insane bargain in the current salary situation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Datsyerberger 279 Report post Posted January 6, 2009 Malkin is lacking a bit defensively (not saying he's horrible, just saying its comparatively weak compared to his other assets). I think I could argue a case for him being the greatest -offensive- talent in the league at the moment, but not the best all around player. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edicius 3,269 Report post Posted January 6, 2009 And on another note, am I the only one taking joy in the Pens' horrible slump? No, you're definitely not. I want to see the Ducks feel the same kind of slump too. I think Malkin suffers partially from the "He's not Canadian" NHL media machine bias that Ovechkin suffers from as well. Honestly, I think that if the situations were reversed - Ovechkin and Malkin were Canadian (ignore their Russian names ) and Crosby was Russian - both Ovechkin and Malkin would be in the spotlight a hell of a lot more. That's not to say they're not in the spotlight now, because they are, but they're overshadowed significantly by Crosby. Just due to the origins and nature of the league, Canadian players will always seem to get the green light before the Europeans. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted January 6, 2009 No, you're definitely not. I want to see the Ducks feel the same kind of slump too. I think Malkin suffers partially from the "He's not Canadian" NHL media machine bias that Ovechkin suffers from as well. Honestly, I think that if the situations were reversed - Ovechkin and Malkin were Canadian (ignore their Russian names ) and Crosby was Russian - both Ovechkin and Malkin would be in the spotlight a hell of a lot more. That's not to say they're not in the spotlight now, because they are, but they're overshadowed significantly by Crosby. Just due to the origins and nature of the league, Canadian players will always seem to get the green light before the Europeans. I'm not backing up the idea of supporting Canadians over anyone else, but I can understand where it comes from. Folks like to be able to identify with players of their same nationality. That said, I can't stand the amount of press that Crosby gets when NO ONE else is being promoted. I mean, even the fricking NBA promoted Ming and Ginobili and its looking like Malkin and Ovechkin are a half step above Crosby in a variety of ways. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LivoniaGrinder 37 Report post Posted January 7, 2009 And on another note, am I the only one taking joy in the Pens' horrible slump? I thoroughly enjoyed watching the spanking the Rangers gave them the other night! I don't know what I think about Malkin yet, but I will say I loved that slap shot he made during a shootout or breakaway last year. That was friggin' great! I wish I had that vid, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jenova0 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2009 IMO, Ovechkin is still better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zata fan 40 6 Report post Posted January 7, 2009 Think Malkin is better than Crosby. Better all around player than Ovie. Doesn't get as much press because he is behind Crosby and more reserved than Ovie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted January 7, 2009 He showed a lack of toughness both physically and mentally last year in the Finals. He was totally gassed by the end of the series. He's a great offensive player, but sucks on draws and lacks defensive ability. Those things will likely improve, but his pathetic performance last year in the Finals will continue to be questioned. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest dekeyuk Report post Posted January 7, 2009 Yep, just like Dats if you fail to show up in a playoff then it is written in stone, you are over paid, not worth the risk... So, given this "logic" the Penns should dump his league leading ass asap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted January 7, 2009 Think Malkin is better than Crosby. Better all around player than Ovie. Doesn't get as much press because he is behind Crosby and more reserved than Ovie. How is he a better all around player than Ovechkin? Ovechkin is top 5 in the NHL in hits with 133. Malkin? A whopping 29. Hes no better than Ovechkin defensively, if not worse, and it would be tough to make an argument for Malkin being better offensively than Ovechkin. And hes definitely not the better goal scorer of the two. Not to mention in terms of the intangibles - grit, leadership, determination, etc, Ovechkin wins in a landslide. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted January 7, 2009 Yep, just like Dats if you fail to show up in a playoff then it is written in stone, you are over paid, not worth the risk... So, given this "logic" the Penns should dump his league leading ass asap. 1. Its the "Pens", not the "Penns" 2. Did the Wings dump Datsyuk? Thats what I thought. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueMonk 102 Report post Posted January 7, 2009 I'm not sure I agree that Malkin is underrated, although next to Crosby nobody else seems to get any press at all. But whenever anyone talks about the Penguins, all I hear about is how they have 2 of the 3 best players in the game. Sid and Ovechkin are the two biggest stars, sure. But I don't think the 3rd guy they're talking about is Ryan Whitney. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest dekeyuk Report post Posted January 7, 2009 1. Its the "Pens", not the "Penns" 2. Did the Wings dump Datsyuk? Thats what I thought. Oh man, you got me! You have made me see the light. Thank you! I am so indebted to you. Indeed, due to a typo it simply must be that you are so wise and I am completely wrong in assessing the knee jerk reaction of so many posters here. I like your avatar. You have to asses, but really only one is required. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steveyzerman 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2009 He's a big softy. Talk to me when he does something when it matters. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stormboy 47 Report post Posted January 7, 2009 No, you're definitely not. I want to see the Ducks feel the same kind of slump too. I think Malkin suffers partially from the "He's not Canadian" NHL media machine bias that Ovechkin suffers from as well. Honestly, I think that if the situations were reversed - Ovechkin and Malkin were Canadian (ignore their Russian names ) and Crosby was Russian - both Ovechkin and Malkin would be in the spotlight a hell of a lot more. That's not to say they're not in the spotlight now, because they are, but they're overshadowed significantly by Crosby. Just due to the origins and nature of the league, Canadian players will always seem to get the green light before the Europeans. i'm going to have to go ahead and agree with this. to me, malkin's a great player but because of his odd appearance and relative inability to speak the language (sounds like someone else we know ) you can't use him to make inspirational NHL commercials and the like. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DatsMyWings13 4 Report post Posted January 7, 2009 Only thing I'll say about him is that he's a great player and I enjoy watching him play. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
