Skk82
Registered User
It'll be interesting to see with no Jordan Staal if they change usage of Crosby and Malkin.
Was easy to just use Staal for defensive zone draws and keep 87/71 on the bench until o-zone draws. And that's smarter too. Even though Crosby and Malkin are good players and would do OK with more d-zone starts, it's still preferable to give them (or anyone) more o-zone starts and expect more production.
I'm of the opinion to keep Crosby/Malkin on the bench on the PK- the Pens have had one of the top PK units without them, and I think it's smarter to use the best offensive players in the best offensive situations, of which killing penalties most certainly is not.
Malkin and Crosby play top-10 league wide forward ES minutes per game. I wouldn't reduce that to give them more PK time to tire them out in situations where they probably won't have the puck too much.
Sure, situationally (you need a goal, Sutter is in the box, want Sid to win a big faceoff) I wouldn't staple them to the bench on PK's, but I wouldn't want them in the regular rotation either.
I'm not too worried about the injuries (even though Datsyuk missing most the SCF in 2009 by blocking a shot on the PK is the haunting idea)....I'm more concerned about burning them out by doing a job that guys like Dupuis, Cooke, Sutter and Adams can do and have had a top PK unit in the league.
PK'ing forwards can be pretty replacable and they're probably the least important position on the PK. To that end, I'd rather get Crosby/Malkin a breath to use them at their biggest impact the 5v5 shift that follows a PP where the other team might throw out their 4th line.
Was easy to just use Staal for defensive zone draws and keep 87/71 on the bench until o-zone draws. And that's smarter too. Even though Crosby and Malkin are good players and would do OK with more d-zone starts, it's still preferable to give them (or anyone) more o-zone starts and expect more production.
I'm of the opinion to keep Crosby/Malkin on the bench on the PK- the Pens have had one of the top PK units without them, and I think it's smarter to use the best offensive players in the best offensive situations, of which killing penalties most certainly is not.
Malkin and Crosby play top-10 league wide forward ES minutes per game. I wouldn't reduce that to give them more PK time to tire them out in situations where they probably won't have the puck too much.
Sure, situationally (you need a goal, Sutter is in the box, want Sid to win a big faceoff) I wouldn't staple them to the bench on PK's, but I wouldn't want them in the regular rotation either.
I'm not too worried about the injuries (even though Datsyuk missing most the SCF in 2009 by blocking a shot on the PK is the haunting idea)....I'm more concerned about burning them out by doing a job that guys like Dupuis, Cooke, Sutter and Adams can do and have had a top PK unit in the league.
PK'ing forwards can be pretty replacable and they're probably the least important position on the PK. To that end, I'd rather get Crosby/Malkin a breath to use them at their biggest impact the 5v5 shift that follows a PP where the other team might throw out their 4th line.
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