News Article: Malkin Opens up about 18-19 season

[froods]

We went 13 pages on a Rob Rossi article? Goodness the season can’t start soon enough.

 

[pistolpete11]

I'll admit I didn't read it, but based on the comments here, there's a few nuggets in there I guess, but the biggest take aways for me are:

1. Crosby's the man
2. Malkin's the man
3. The situation with Kessel was ugly and it was best for everyone involved to move on

I knew all of those things before the Rossi article.

 

[Ugene Magic]

Let me summarize...

We are back to the beginning. The team is better "with", Kessel, Malkin, isn't happy with how this last season played out, and people are still trying to correlate Kessel for why Malkin had said bad season.

Oh..... Let's be friends 'til the end.

You're cured.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

This is actually shocking, to be honest. I thought Malkin and Kessel got along well, at least off the ice. Yeah, they may have had serious problems when playing together, but I can't imagine that makes him demand a trade.

I don't think there are many Kessel truthers left at this point, but this is a fantastic point to bring up to the people who just say "Kessel put up points". Kessel was so bad outside of his point production that he nearly pushed Evgeni Malkin to demand a trade.



This is actually really encouraging to see, I was assuming he was done after this contract but I'd love to get him extended.

I think the issue was more that he was in the middle and just wanted it solved and he argued with both Sully and Kessel. No one wants to be the guy that gets a coach fired so kessel it was.

 

[EightyOne]

Eh. I am ready to trade everyone at some point at least 82 times a year.

But no one caused Kessel to be traded but himself.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Chiclets crew digs into the article/Malkin stuff a bit. All pretty skeptical that Malkin wanted Kessel gone, etc.

 

[MrBurghundy]

Chiclets crew digs into the article/Malkin stuff a bit. All pretty skeptical that Malkin wanted Kessel gone, etc.

Biz had great insight on the Malkin/Tocchet dynamic too.

 

[SEALBound]

Kessel was a good guy. But hes not on the team anymore so who gives a shit? I mean, really? Who gives a f*** how he and Geno performed with anyone? That situation literally will not happen this season. May as well look up Sid and Kunitz stats and discuss them while were at it.

 

[Angrrus]

So it turns out, Malkin wasnt frustrated with Sully, or the roster construction, but only with one specific teammate, huh?

 

[Angrrus]

Didn't JR come out and say he was thinking about trading Malkin, though?

It did the trick tho: made him rethink his own attitude and approach.

Might just have been 80 lvl string-pulling.

 

[Angrrus]

I'm actually curious about things like this. Do other players think Johnson is as bad as analytics suggest he is or fans think he is? I don't think any player would go to a GM to demand a bad player gets moved, but do these players privately want these guys to get shipped out?

I'm sure the players aren't seeing him as being that bad. The analytics crowed tends to overblow things. No way JJ's impact can be that big as to cause 87, 71, 81 and 58 to have 2g, 7p between them in the Islanders sweep.

 

[Angrrus]

And knowing Malkin, especially... there was less than zero chance that he was going to go up against Sullivan. For one he respects him too much.

So much that he snarls at him in front of the whole team in a tactics video session?

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Kessel was a good guy. But hes not on the team anymore so who gives a ****? I mean, really? Who gives a **** how he and Geno performed with anyone? That situation literally will not happen this season. May as well look up Sid and Kunitz stats and discuss them while were at it.

The narrative has been that Malkin and Kessel, while productive, bled goals against last season so that combo was untenable and Kessel had to go. But the stats show that when you take Johnson out of the equation, Malkin and Kessel actually performed better together last season than the year before, in terms of production and possession.

Johnson was the X-factor, not Kessel. Johnson is still here.

Galchenyuk - another offense-only winger - will be flanking Malkin this year. So if Johnson is playing behind them as often as he was with Malkin-Kessel, there is cause for concern.

 

[SEALBound]

The narrative has been that Malkin and Kessel, while productive, bled goals against last season so that combo was untenable and Kessel had to go. But the stats show that when you take Johnson out of the equation, Malkin and Kessel actually performed better together last season than the year before, in terms of production and possession.

Johnson was the X-factor, not Kessel. Johnson is still here.

Galchenyuk - another offense-only winger - will be flanking Malkin this year. So if Johnson is playing behind them as often as he was with Malkin-Kessel, there is cause for concern.

I will support the narrative that Johnson was an issue but I will continue to demean people who think it was the sole issue. To simply suggest that everything outside of JJ was peachy is delusional. I doubt the fights between Kessel and Sullivan were about Johnson.

With that, I highly doubt we see Johnson on the 2nd pairing with Schultz and attached to Malkin.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I will support the narrative that Johnson was an issue but I will continue to demean people who think it was the sole issue. To simply suggest that everything outside of JJ was peachy is delusional. I doubt the fights between Kessel and Sullivan were about Johnson.

With that, I highly doubt we see Johnson on the 2nd pairing with Schultz and attached to Malkin.

True. But there's a good argument that it compounded the problem.

Hopefully they minimize JJ's presence to the point where it's a non-issue for Geno and Gooch.

 

[HandshakeLine]

It did the trick tho: made him rethink his own attitude and approach.

Might just have been 80 lvl string-pulling.

Nah.

 

[Freeptop]

Chiclets crew digs into the article/Malkin stuff a bit. All pretty skeptical that Malkin wanted Kessel gone, etc.

That was good. I also wonder if Biz's point about after season meetings may well have been what led to the rumors of Malkin demanding a trade.

Consider this scenario (which is entirely speculation): JR asks Malkin if Kessel's become a problem. Malkin responds with, "I can't play with him anymore." Malkin thinks he's saying that he can't play on the same line anymore. JR and others in the room think Malkin's saying that "it's him or me."

So, "sources" can say that they heard that Malkin demanded a trade while Malkin denies it. And neither would be lying. It's just that one isn't correct, because there was a misunderstanding.

Additionally, this may also make JR's unwillingness to say he wouldn't trade Malkin fit with the fact that he never actually tried to do so. If JR believed (albeit incorrectly) that it was either Kessel or Malkin, then he had to hedge his bets in case he couldn't trade Kessel. Of course, if this is the case, that doesn't look for JR, because he absolutely should have made sure he was understanding Malkin properly.

 

[Empoleon8771]

That was good. I also wonder if Biz's point about after season meetings may well have been what led to the rumors of Malkin demanding a trade.

Consider this scenario (which is entirely speculation): JR asks Malkin if Kessel's become a problem. Malkin responds with, "I can't play with him anymore." Malkin thinks he's saying that he can't play on the same line anymore. JR and others in the room think Malkin's saying that "it's him or me."

So, "sources" can say that they heard that Malkin demanded a trade while Malkin denies it. And neither would be lying. It's just that one isn't correct, because there was a misunderstanding.

Additionally, this may also make JR's unwillingness to say he wouldn't trade Malkin fit with the fact that he never actually tried to do so. If JR believed (albeit incorrectly) that it was either Kessel or Malkin, then he had to hedge his bets in case he couldn't trade Kessel. Of course, if this is the case, that doesn't look for JR, because he absolutely should have made sure he was understanding Malkin properly.

I feel like the same thing happened between the team and Kessel. JR said that Kessel asked to be traded multiple times, but Kessel denied that right after the trade. I think what happened was that Kessel said things that JR interpreted as asking for a trade, but Kessel wasn't actually asking for a trade.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Chiclets crew digs into the article/Malkin stuff a bit. All pretty skeptical that Malkin wanted Kessel gone, etc.

As am I, I 100% think the issue Geno had wasn't with Phil, but the other person he had arguments with.

Why are people so f***ing scared to just flat out say it?

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Yeah this is exactly it.

I think it seems pretty obvious that Malkin was far past fatigued with the nonstop squabbling between Sullivan and Kessel. And who can blame him. And knowing Malkin, especially... there was less than zero chance that he was going to go up against Sullivan. For one he respects him too much. It's also telling that there seems to be some indication that Malkin was concerned about Kessel's hunger and didn't want to be associated with that same attitude as his full time linemate. That bodes very well for this year combined with some other things we have been reading and seeing.

I still have lots of reservations on how the team has set up it's second most important player this year after so much bellyaching about how much better he has to be. But it's tough not to get excited about an angry Geno with a huge chip on his shoulder looking like he just got done pulling tanks out of the bottom of the Volga by hand all Summer long.

Sully also seemed to beef with Geno but tried harder to smooth that out knowing Crosby would also be pissed off. I call 100% bs that Phil was the issue, it's so clear who is and I am curious how this plays out when nothing changes there.

 

[66-30-33]

Too much shit going on with who said this who said that. I'm going with Occams razor here. The simplest explenation tends to be the right one. I'm going with Geno did not ask to be traded if Kessel is here. As for whatever else, I could care less. HOCKEY'S COMING BACK!!!

 

[66-30-33]

Kessel was a good guy. But hes not on the team anymore so who gives a ****? I mean, really? Who gives a **** how he and Geno performed with anyone? That situation literally will not happen this season. May as well look up Sid and Kunitz stats and discuss them while were at it.

KCD for lyfe!

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Well, I mean... one can never be too calm, yeah?

And I'll never dispute Rossi's "connected" status. Obviously he gets access. To deny that is pretty cement-headed. I just don't know how much that parlays into "accuracy" and "integrity." At least all the time. I've just read too much of his junk in the past, I guess.

I don't care who he's connected with. He's unbearable. It disgusts me that the Athletic hired him.

 

[Tacitus Kilgore]

I don't care who he's connected with. He's unbearable. It disgusts me that the Athletic hired him.

Jesus christ does he ever come off like a smug bastard who thinks his shit don't stink.

 

[Gurglesons]

As am I, I 100% think the issue Geno had wasn't with Phil, but the other person he had arguments with.

Why are people so ****ing scared to just flat out say it?

Because it ain’t true. And Malkin is the only player that has never given a shit about quitting on a coach.

# @KIRK