dogthateats
Registered User
It’s also kind of weird how Malkin has not taken any dumb penalties for the 1st time in his career and people still spin it as a negative against him.
Uh, ok. I don't think you have the same definition of 'north south' that I do. Malkin plays all ways and doesn't really have a defined style that fits into north south or east west categories as they've been defined for decades in the NHL. Nobody who's watched Malkin closely for the last 15 years would define him as a north south NHL player.
Regardless, it doesn't matter. You won't find a player like Zucker among the collection of wingers who have worked the best with him, or even well. Zucker would need a dramatic change of heart at this point to begin to mesh with Malkin, and that almost never happens. He doesn't fit and it's classic of this coach to keep him there.
Yeah, at this point I'd be putting Zucker with Blueger. However, I'm not sure who I'd want on the LW with Geno and Kap. I guess alternate with ZAR and DOC.
It’s also kind of weird how Malkin has not taken any dumb penalties for the 1st time in his career and people still spin it as a negative against him.
Uh, ok. I don't think you have the same definition of 'north south' that I do. Malkin plays all ways and doesn't really have a defined style that fits into north south or east west categories as they've been defined for decades in the NHL. Nobody who's watched Malkin closely for the last 15 years would define him as a north south NHL player.
Regardless, it doesn't matter. You won't find a player like Zucker among the collection of wingers who have worked the best with him, or even well. Zucker would need a dramatic change of heart at this point to begin to mesh with Malkin, and that almost never happens. He doesn't fit and it's classic of this coach to keep him there.
Cooke is one of those old school hard-nosed trouble makers and tough enough to back it up with enough skill to be useful when he's not causing havoc...
There aren't many of those players left anymore...
Cooke is one of my top 5 favorite players non sid / geno.
Who in the nhl today plays a game similar to cooke?
Malkin still just doesn't look right to me this year. Call it conditioning or linemates or both or whatever you want but he just looks old. Old and slow.
I don't think that would be fixed by any change in linemates. It's a Malkin problem. Maybe his legs are finally going and he needs to adjust how he plays to continue being effective. Or maybe he's just off to a slow start. Or maybe it's conditioning due to the unique circumstances covid have brought and him being unable to do his normal training routine.
We have to hope it's not just age.
Sid on the other hand still looks fine to me.
Quite a bit tbh. Marchand and both Tkachuks come to mind right away.
And with the Powerplay being Terrible, Malkin hasn't been able to pick up some cheap points. Usaully he would still be PPG if he were playing poorly because he still got Powerplay points.
I think anyone that understands the concept of north south hockey would say that is the type of hockey Malkin plays and it is absurd to say otherwise.
When Marchand was going around doing that, I was really hoping someone would uppercut him mid-lick.
I don't care how dialed in the first line may look, you have to swap Zucker and Guentzel. id rather have both lines at 8/10 than have the first at 10/10 and the second 2/10.I agree that Zucker and Malkin need to stop being a thing, but do you really think Tanev will help get Geno going?
Ahhh yeah.. true true.. still a few.
I can't see Cooke ever licking a mans face on the ice though...
Zucker, to me, doesn't look like a prototypical skill guy who's overly creative. IMO, he's like a Pascal Dupuis but with an actual scoring touch.
Here's the big problem... or concern. We have 1 line working well right now, and I fully believe that swapping the wingers is more likely to leave us with 0 working lines than with 2.
I don't even know if I'd call it a scoring touch. He's kind of a garbage man... which is more than fine. But we're looking at yet another questionable fit for the top six owing to the Jake/Sid perma-duo.
That line needs more hands/offensive IQ. Kap can be the chaotic energy element to that line. But they need a guy with some more reliable hands and can think the O-zone a bit better, there.
That isn't to say there aren't flashes of promise re: Zuck and Malkin. But it's very intermittent. Like... Zucker had a couple good games and went last two without even a shot. Prior to his good games he was struggling. Etc. It's gonna keep going that way.
Zucker does have a very good shot though.
That "one line that needed it" would have had Simon or Sheary on RW on the top line and Rust on LW on the 2nd line, so that wasn't "one guy on his off-wing".
Why would Kapanen, who has extensive experience on LW, and Zucker on their off-wings somehow be any different than Rust and Simon/Sheary on their off-wings?