I think you'e confusing the term "complimentary player" with "fringe player".
There's no confusion on my part whatsoever. I think you simply don't understand what a "complimentary player" is.
This is no insult to Lafleur or Ovechkin, we all know they'e they're great players, that's not the question or the issue at all.
Once again, they are two of the greatest players who ever played the game. That does not fit the definition of "complimentary player." Where does this nonsense end? Is Gretzky a complimentary player? Bossy? Lemieux? What the hell are you talking about man?
On Pittsburgh, Crosby is the center of the team, the rest are complimentary players, including Malkin.
Lafleur was the best player on his team, maybe the best player of the decade. Kane is the best player on his.
And I'm not sure on what planet Malkin is a complimentary player. He's no more of a complimentary player than Denis Potvin or Ken Dryden or Larry Robinson or Mark Messier was. He's a superstar in his own right. Just like Ovechkin is.
Now, Malkin can be the center of the team, if Crosby is not around, but a guy like Kessel will never be a guy that the team centers on.
So what? Without Kessel the Pens probably are stuck on one cup. And that's despite having two generational players in their lineup. Kessel was a top five scorer for the better part of five years. He'd be a HOFer regardless of whether he joined Pittsburgh or not.
The Oilers of the 80's had the same scenario with Gretzky, Messier and Kurri. The Oilers of today, moved Taylor Hall, because Hall was the center of the team and they wanted to change that to Connor McDavid. Hall had to go. The Islanders of the 80's had Trottier with Bossy (and many others) as complimentary players. You can look at players like the wings Yzerman or Sakic on the Avs with the complimentary players like Forsberg. Most every team is structured this way and certainly most teams that win the cup.
This is just flat out dumb. So Doug Harvey (one of the best blueliners ever) was a complimentary player? Or was that Beliveau, Plante or Rocket Richard Richard? Bossy was a complimentary player? Oh wait sorry, that was Trottier... no wait it was Potvin... um.... which one was the center of the team again? Which one was the superstar? Yzerman was the superstar but Lidstrom was complimentary?
Btw, the Oliers moved Taylor Hall because they were stupid. Why the hell would you have to move him so McDavid could be the center of the team? That is a ludicrous argument.
You mention Montreal. Well, they might be slightly different but through the Lafleur years of the 70's, their team was centered around their veteran players such as Richard and Cournoyer etc. But as good s Lafleur was, he was a complimentary player - so was Shutt.
The team was in no way shape or form centered around H Richard or Cournoyer. You need to brush up on your history. You have no idea what you're talking about here. There are at least three other players ahead of those guys on that roster. Try Lafleur, Dryden and Robinson. You could also throw in Serge Savard into that mix. It's probably the best team ever assembled and the idea that there's only one player that wasn't considered complimentary is stupid. The idea that you'd think it would be Cournoyer over Lafleur or Robinson is even crazier. Messier was complimentary but then won a cup after Gretz left? Was Mario Lemieux complimentary on the Canada cup teams only to go back to being a real player on the Penguins? And what about Jagr? I mean seriously man...
Once again, when you get multiple superstar players on a roster your odds of winning cups go way up. Crosby has had the good fortune of having two other superstars to help him win. Ovechkin has not. That's the real difference here.
A seven time Richard winner is complimentary? That's absolute nonsense.
Here's what's really going on here. You tried to undermine OV with a nonsensical argument and were called on it. Rather than just own up to this, you've decided to double down. And in doing so, you've now talked about players like Malkin, Guy Lafleur and Mike Bossy as being complimentary players. I suggest you quit while you're ahead.