Malkin or Kopitar

[Lil rat]

For the next 3 years Who would you take

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[Rengorlex]

For Oil I'd go Kopy as we have enough high end scoring talent but a shutdown #3c for the playoffs would be perfect.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Malkin.

He is still well above a point-per-game player, Kopitar on the other hand has fallen off a bit.

 

[Saidin]

Kops in his prime was something else. I know Malkin was too but just like Kops style of play so much.

 

[slapKing]

Kopitar only because of health

 

[banks]

I know it's risky to take Malkin, because he misses time every year. But I can't pass him up. Love Kopitar. But this is Malkin, still, all the way.

 

[Video Nasty]

Easily Kopitar.

Malkin is obviously the better talent, but Kopitar is a year younger and plays the games so I could depend on him more. One has missed 29 games in his career and the other has missed 255.

Unless you’re Mario Lemieux, you can’t miss that much time and not be penalized, especially going forward.

 

[bobholly39]

Malkin is better so i voted for him.

Injuries makes this complicated so I expext it'll be close

 

[COHawk]

Kopi has played 89 more games than Malkin in the last 4 seasons. So I would probably take him.

Although the point difference is impressively only 20 in favor of Kopitar.

 

[Regal]

Depends on how good my team is I guess. If I can make the playoffs despite his missed games, like Pittsburgh, I’d take Malkin and hope he’s healthy and on his game when it matters. If not, I’d probably take Kopitar

 

[Hisch13r]

I guess Kopitar just because Malkin's health can never be relied upon. I still think Malkin's the better player.

 

[LDX]

For the next 3 seasons, I would take Kopitar. For the next 3 playoffs, I would take Malkin.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Geno got me ready to risk it all. Even if your Ferrari is in the shop every other month you still got a Ferrari right?

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Malkin is the better player but he's always going to miss games.

 

[Peat]

Even as a Pens fan I'm leaning towards Kopitar here. It's not the missed games I mind so much as the fear that the next one is going to be it.

 

[ESH]

Easily Kopitar.

Malkin is obviously the better talent, but Kopitar is a year younger and plays the games so I could depend on him more. One has missed 29 games in his career and the other has missed 255.

Unless you’re Mario Lemieux, you can’t miss that much time and not be penalized, especially going forward.

I’m actually surprised Malkin hasn’t missed more than that even

 

[Video Nasty]

I’m actually surprised Malkin hasn’t missed more than that even

He missed only 4 games total in his first 3 seasons so nearly all of his missed time has come in the past 13 years; an average of close to 20 per year or 1/4 of every season. Looking at it like that makes it seem more right.

It didn’t feel like it at the time, but through 2011-2012, it certainly seemed like Crosby was going to be the bigger question mark with time missed and what it does to a career.

Then Malkin took over the injury mantle while Crosby missed “only” 82 games since then, with 12 coming the season after, 28 during COVID Year 1, and of course 12 this season.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

This is the first time in Kopitar's career I might say Malkin...I could be wrong as soon as next season--in fact, i HOPE I'm terribly wrong--but it looks like Father Time finally showed up for Kopitar and beat the everliving shit out of him behind a shed.

He's played waayyyy too much hockey over the last decade, and has been healthy for virtually all of it, playing all the hardest defensive/PK minutes...so it's not REALLY surprising, but it is VERY sad to watch him right now, looks like a dying dog out there.

But if it's the Kopitar of every year up until now, I pick Kopitar without blinking. Malkin is amazing but the raw consistency of Anze all over the ice, 20 minutes a game, 82+ games a year is completely underrated and arguably legendary. If it weren't the Bergeron era or if Anze played in Chicago or East, he'd have had a LOT more fanfare.