Peak Malkin vs Current Draisaitl (Regular Season only - Do not count playoffs)

[KevinRedkey]

Malkin:
Most point in a single season: 113 (08-09)
Best 'pace' in a single season: 119 (11-12)

Draisaitl:
Most point in a single season: 107 (and counting)
Best 'pace' in a single season: 133 (current pace)

If playoffs are included, Malkin wins - but I'm curious to see what people think if we left it to just the regular season, given Draisaitl's monster year thus far.

Click to read more...

 

[Appleyard]

Once you account for scoring era... Malkin in 2011-12 was pretty comparable offensively.

Malkin 11-12:

0.76 adjusted G/GP
1.63 adjusted P/GP

Draisaitl 19-20:

0.66 adjusted G/GP
1.63 adjusted P/GP


But once you add 2-way play into it I would say Malkin was better.

Malkin 11-12:

60.41% GF
55.87% ExGF
+0.64 GF Rel
+0.15 ExGF Rel

Draisaitl 19-20:

52.25% GF
48.62% ExGF
+0.24 GF Rel
-0.13 ExGF Rel

Draisaitl is having an AMAZING offensive year. But there are two ends to a hockey rink and he is only "just" outscoring the opposition at 5v5 and arguably getting better results there than he deserves.

So I would go Malkin.

BUT that does not detract from the insane offensive year Drai is having. That version of Malkin was as good a peak forward player as the NHL has seen over the last ~25 years alongside peak Crosby, Ovechkin, Jagr, Forsberg, Sakic and Lindros.

 

[tony d]

Peak Malkin for me.

 

[bobholly39]

I think Drai's current season will end up better than anything Malkin ever did in regular season. Was similarly as high on Kucherov last year. I think the point totals is insane - Drai is even inching close to the Rocket on top of it.

I think we'll get a better sense 5-10 years from now. If players hitting 125-130 points becomes the norm in coming seasons - maybe you start to attribute it a bit more to scoring era and Malkin's season looks a bit better in comparison. But until proven otherwise - ~130 points is better than Malkin.

 

[Nadal On Clay]

I pick 2012 Malkin for now, but if Draisaitl reaches 130 points and sweeps the awards, then the conversation is over.

I think both of these seasons are top 3 of the cap era with 65 goals OV (assuming Draisaitl ends the season at his current pace)

 

[Appleyard]

I think Drai's current season will end up better than anything Malkin ever did in regular season. Was similarly as high on Kucherov last year. I think the point totals is insane - Drai is even inching close to the Rocket on top of it.

I think we'll get a better sense 5-10 years from now. If players hitting 125-130 points becomes the norm in coming seasons - maybe you start to attribute it a bit more to scoring era and Malkin's season looks a bit better in comparison. But until proven otherwise - ~130 points is better than Malkin.

We can already account for scoring era though... and already know that the early 2010s were simply a different climate in that regard to now.

2010-17 was the lowest continual 8 years of scoring since the 1950s...

 

[valet]

Malkin blows Drai out of the water. Drai doesn't play defense.

 

[FatTugboatFlahr]

I’ve watched Shrek dominate so many games in ways that Drai just doesn’t or cannot.

 

[daver]

I think Drai's current season will end up better than anything Malkin ever did in regular season. Was similarly as high on Kucherov last year. I think the point totals is insane - Drai is even inching close to the Rocket on top of it.

I think we'll get a better sense 5-10 years from now. If players hitting 125-130 points becomes the norm in coming seasons - maybe you start to attribute it a bit more to scoring era and Malkin's season looks a bit better in comparison. But until proven otherwise - ~130 points is better than Malkin.

How can you not start by ignoring raw totals and look how each player measures up vs. their peers? You know better than this.

100 point players were a rarity from 2010/11 to 2016/17. No more than one year. Now we have multiple 100 point players the last three years.

 

[newfy]

Malkin blows Drai out of the water. Drai doesn't play defense.

Are we going to pretend Malkin won a selke or something?

 

[illpucks]

This is peak Malkin


No one else close

 

[Coffey]

I’ve watched Shrek dominate so many games in ways that Drai just doesn’t or cannot.

lol Shrek

 

[filinski77]

Assuming that Peak Malkin is 2011/2012 Malkin (He won the ross in 08/09, but Ovechkin was better that season).

	Malkin - 2011/2012	Draisaitl - 2019/2020
Points	109	107
Goals	50	43
Points Rank	1	1
Goals Rank	2	4
2nd points	97	94
5th points	83	86
10th points	78	77
Lead over 2nd	12%	14%
Lead over 5th	31%	24%
Lead over 10th	40%	39%
1st in goals	60	47
5th in goals	38	36
10th in goals	36	32
Lead behind 1st	-17%	-9%
Lead over 5th	32%	19%
Lead over 10th	39%	34%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Some things to consider:
So Malkin had better comparative numbers compared to the league, especially considering that he missed 7 games, and those differences would have been much larger than they already are. Draisaitl's lead over 2nd place is boosted because of his teammate missing some time, whereas if McDavid played the same amount of games, Drai would only have a 4% lead over #2.

Crosby also only played 22 games that season. Malkin's points/gp was 1.45 (0.44 higher than Neal who was #2 in points on the team, and almost TWICE as high as #3 on the team)

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Malkin in 11/12 had more separation from his peers, he wasn't Crosby's W for half the season and Crosby missed 60 games so Malkin was facing the toughest matchups.

Draisaitl doesn't have as much separation as Malkin, he was McDavid's W for half the season and he only drew the toughest matchups for the 6 games McDavid was injured.

Malkin was better and it's not really close.

 

[SillyRabbit]

Why is no one acknowledging that peak Malkin did it when Crosby missed almost the whole season whereas Draisaitl had McDavid for all but 6 games?

Even if you think their production is equally impressive, Malkin did it without the best player in the world.

 

[Connor McConnor]

Malkin in 11-12' is better than this season.

With that being said, Drai has improved substantially every single year and next season would put him at the same age as Malkin's best season so let's see if he has another gear to get to.

 

[KevinRedkey]

Why is no one acknowledging that peak Malkin did it when Crosby missed almost the whole season whereas Draisaitl had McDavid for all but 6 games?

Even if you think their production is equally impressive, Malkin did it without the best player in the world.

That argument is great until you consider Malkin not having to beat the best player in the world to be #1, and Drai being even more productive centering his own line (for now anyways).

 

[SillyRabbit]

That argument is great until you consider Malkin not having to beat the best player in the world to be #1, and Drai being even more productive centering his own line (for now anyways).

You mean like he did in 08-09?

 

[Beauner]

That argument is great until you consider Malkin not having to beat the best player in the world to be #1, and Drai being even more productive centering his own line (for now anyways).

That's because he was #1

 

[McFlash97]

How can you not start by ignoring raw totals and look how each player measures up vs. their peers? You know better than this.

100 point players were a rarity from 2010/11 to 2016/17. No more than one year. Now we have multiple 100 point players the last three years.

By saying multiples you mean mainly McDavid and Draisaitl with a couple of other guys thrown in here and there.

 

[Thenameless]

Well, that was easy.

 

[Regal]

Once you account for scoring era... Malkin in 2011-12 was pretty comparable offensively.

Malkin 11-12:

0.76 adjusted G/GP
1.63 adjusted P/GP

Draisaitl 19-20:

0.66 adjusted G/GP
1.63 adjusted P/GP


But once you add 2-way play into it I would say Malkin was better.

Malkin 11-12:

60.41% GF
55.87% ExGF
+0.64 GF Rel
+0.15 ExGF Rel

Draisaitl 19-20:

52.25% GF
48.62% ExGF
+0.24 GF Rel
-0.13 ExGF Rel

Draisaitl is having an AMAZING offensive year. But there are two ends to a hockey rink and he is only "just" outscoring the opposition at 5v5 and arguably getting better results there than he deserves.

So I would go Malkin.

BUT that does not detract from the insane offensive year Drai is having. That version of Malkin was as good a peak forward player as the NHL has seen over the last ~25 years alongside peak Crosby, Ovechkin, Jagr, Forsberg, Sakic and Lindros.

Saved me from making essentially the same post.

Outside of league wide scoring, Malkin's lead over the rest of the pack was better as well.
The #2-10 leaders in PPG this year average out to 1.324, so Draisaitl's 1.62 is 22.4% higher. The #2-10 leaders in PPG in '12 was 1.065, so Malkin's 1.45 was 36.2% higher. Even if we take out McDavid this year, since Crosby played too few games to add him in '12, the #3-11 leaders this year average 1.28 PPG, so Drai would be at 26.6%.

 

[snipes]

Why is no one acknowledging that peak Malkin did it when Crosby missed almost the whole season whereas Draisaitl had McDavid for all but 6 games?

Even if you think their production is equally impressive, Malkin did it without the best player in the world.

Drai has been better away from McDavid on his own line than he was with McDavid.

Since Nuge-Drai-Yamamoto have been a line they have a legitimate claim to the best line in the NHL or 2nd best after Boston’s perfection line. That line has straight up eviscerated their opponent since they’ve been together.

 

[SillyRabbit]

Drai has been better away from McDavid on his own line than he was with McDavid.

Since Nuge-Drai-Yamamoto have been a line they have a legitimate claim to the best line in the NHL or 2nd best after Boston’s perfection line. That line has straight up eviscerated their opponent since they’ve been together.

Okay and? No one is arguing against that.

Having McDavid on your team opens up more space and opportunities plain and simple.

Malkin benefited immensely from having Crosby on his team. Yet he was able to dominate without Crosby playing as well.

We haven't seen that from Draisaitl except for a 6 game sample.

 

[snipes]

Okay and? No one is arguing against that.

Having McDavid on your team opens up more space and opportunities plain and simple.

Malkin benefited immensely from having Crosby on his team. Yet he was able to dominate without Crosby playing as well.

We haven't seen that from Draisaitl except for a 6 game sample.

You don’t think Drai has shown how dominant of a player he is on his own terms outside of a 6 game sample?

Yikes. You need to re-evaluate your evaluation.