Confirmed with Link: Mike Johnston HC, Tocchet AC, Martin ??|Penguins Hire Headless Body of Gary Agnew

[schommer75]

It's not like Malkin is unfamiliar with killing penalties:

See that's the lazy D everyone talks about! Cherry picking on the PK

 

[quins]

See that's the lazy D everyone talks about! Cherry picking on the PK

How that is possible who knows haha

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

When Geno tries, he is the best backchecker on the team and a complete takeaway machine.

Yup. One of my bigger disappointments is him getting away from that. I don't think it is 'try' in a lazy sense as much as it is him playing a different way. Whether he wanted to change his game or the coaches wanted him to change it is anyone's guess.

The 4 players on the PK in that were Malkin, Hossa, Gonchar and Whitney. I don't know if Bylsma would have used any of those 4 on the PK if he was the coach then.

Goddammit I miss Hossa. I wish he would have taken that 7 year deal

Edit: I was watching a couple clips from the Pens 2 cup runs in 2008 and 2009. Three things I noticed that are massively different on the cup run compared to last year was that a lot of goals were scored on rebounds around the net, there was a lot more cycling and there was just more enthusiasm. All 3 of those were lacking in recent years.

Exactly. We've gotten really sloppy in other ways too, such as taking the right angles to the puck carrier, taking away lanes, positioning... The coaching really killed this team and I think they need to relearn much of what won them a Cup.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

It's not like Malkin is unfamiliar with killing penalties:

Terrible, terrible announcing.

"Basket hanging"

 

[billybudd]

Genos defensive play is very underated. He does try.

He tries, but I'm not so sure his overall defensive game is underrated. A lot of the time he'll leave his guy to double team someone who is already contained. That's *a* defensive play, but it's also *the complete wrong* defensive play in most situations.

There was also a while there where he took Dan's "go north" bull **** a little too seriously. Like, Letang would be first to the puck, surrounded by 3 players and forced to his backhand, with his numbers pointing to the offensive zone and Neal and Geno would both just jet to the opposite blueline under the assumption that they were about to somehow be sprung for a 2 on 0. It never worked.

 

[Gurglesons]

He tries, but I'm not so sure his overall defensive game is underrated. A lot of the time he'll leave his guy to double team someone who is already contained. That's *a* defensive play, but it's also *the complete wrong* defensive play in most situations.

There was also a while there where he took Dan's "go north" bull **** a little too seriously. Like, Letang would be first to the puck, surrounded by 3 players and forced to his backhand, with his numbers pointing to the offensive zone and Neal and Geno would both just jet to the opposite blueline under the assumption that they were about to somehow be sprung for a 2 on 0. It never worked.

If Malkin had actually been given the time to develop his defensive abilities in the NHL, I would say he'd be a player on par with Federov in his prime. Even if we start that development now, I think Malkin is the kind of player that can adapt his game well into old age. I think Malkin's hockey IQ is a very underrated aspect of his game.

 

[iFishyHD]

He tries, but I'm not so sure his overall defensive game is underrated. A lot of the time he'll leave his guy to double team someone who is already contained. That's *a* defensive play, but it's also *the complete wrong* defensive play in most situations.

There was also a while there where he took Dan's "go north" bull **** a little too seriously. Like, Letang would be first to the puck, surrounded by 3 players and forced to his backhand, with his numbers pointing to the offensive zone and Neal and Geno would both just jet to the opposite blueline under the assumption that they were about to somehow be sprung for a 2 on 0. It never worked.

Well people saying he doesn't try and his defense is bad is what I mean by underrated. Comparing him to other good defensive players (Crosby, Toews, Bergeron, Kopitar), he really isn't in their tier. Malkin just needs a little refining on his PK and defensive play (which could easily come this year) and then he won't have any problems making "a play" vs "the right play." Neal on the PK wasn't exactly helping him either.

EDIT: After watching the video he wouldn't have been there if he wouldn't have gotten wrecked in the corner, but I will just leave that there .

 

[Gurglesons]

EDIT: After watching the video he wouldn't have been there if he wouldn't have gotten wrecked in the corner, but I will just leave that there .

I haven't seen Richards hit like that in two years and I live in LA. That was the part of the video that blew me away.

 

[Pancakes]

Malkin's defensive play is thoroughly dominant when he wants it to be. He was imo our best defensive center in the finals when we won the cup. I particularly remember in game 7 him backchecking and sticklifting like a madman and then when he had the puck nobody could take it from him.

 

[Darth Vitale]

Johnston's comments on playing young D / relying on young D to grow the organization: Approved ™.

Suck it, Bylsma.

 

[ColePens]

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