It's funny when I hear people talk about the Pens managing Crosby and Malkin's minutes over the year to keep them fresh for the playoffs but then dismiss the impact of reducing the physical toll they take during those minutes over the course of a season.
If they have to fight less, that helps. If they take fewer targeted cross-checks and punches to the face, that helps. And if guys like Dubinsky and Staal don't stop, it'll help that we have one player who will inflict punishment to them and/or their stars in kind.
They fought once between them all season. There is no evidence that having an enforcer reduces punishment on players. Increases in staged fights and stupid penalties though.
[QUOTE/]
You're essentially making an argument against yourself here.
We don't
know how Reaves addressing it would affect Malkin's reaction, but we do
know how Malkin reacts when there is no Reaves. He makes dirty hits and then has to answer for them. There's at least potential for the situation to play out differently if we have someone else to step up.
I'm all for seeing how Reaves addresses it, because
it's better than doing absolutely nothing and expecting things to turn out differently.[/QUOTE]
Turning out differently than winning the cup twice in a row? Is that something we want?
We'll be worse off for it every time he steps on the ice and he takes away ice time from potentially useful players. Best case he doesn't play at all in the playoffs and we just traded down from a first round pick and lost Sundqvist.