Value of Malkin (compared to Crosby)?

[Tender Rip]

My simple analysis is that Crosby is the more complete superstar; what with faceoffs and his defensive game being better.

Malkin went above 50% on draws last season, improved on that again in the KHL and started out well against Philly. Not to say that he is at Crosby's level in that regard, but it clearly isn't a weak point anymore.

As for defense.... lets get pre-concussion Sid back before we say this.
Actually, lets get pre-concussion Sid back before this is a discussion. That guy was clearly the best player in hockey. Last season it was clearly Geno, and with the latter having fully recovered from his injuries, it would be great if we could get back to discussing who is truly better like after we won the cup.

 

[mpp9]

Yeah. Sid still isn't anywhere near 2010 form. We'll see how long it takes him.

 

[yuri28]

If babcock had put lidstrom and zetterberg on malkin, I think crosby would have had the more dominant finals and a Conn smythe. I doubt either care as they won the cup.

That's only an assumption.
The same assumption that a lot of people used to make about Malkin being able to win the Conn Smythe in 2009 because he had to face the secondary units.
Nevertheless, his career ppg is higher when he played at first line than in second line......

 

[yuri28]

Malkin plays a bit sloppier with the puck in the neutral zone but really made few mistakes last year. You will know when Malkin is on the ice more than Crosby, Malkin is a guy who will drive a snapshot from the point or deke through 10 guys, Crosby will be invisible for a second or two but he's always there to make that big play. One other thing is that I think that a lotofMalkin's success came from Crosby's absence, I think he shines with the spotlight focused on him and not so much when he's in the passenger seat.

Great description

 

[useless]

Valueable how? Skill wise you can debate till you are blue in the face but marketing and $$ wise it's not really close. From a business perspective Malkin isn't even close to Crosby in the NHL anyways.

 

[KIRK]

Malkin went above 50% on draws last season, improved on that again in the KHL and started out well against Philly. Not to say that he is at Crosby's level in that regard, but it clearly isn't a weak point anymore.

As for defense.... lets get pre-concussion Sid back before we say this.
Actually, lets get pre-concussion Sid back before this is a discussion. That guy was clearly the best player in hockey. Last season it was clearly Geno, and with the latter having fully recovered from his injuries, it would be great if we could get back to discussing who is truly better like after we won the cup.

I'd also like to see whether the Paul Maurice effect sticks with Geno's defensive game.

This weekend, it was back to the future, because he was a takeaway machine who forechecked and backchecked like someone stole his hockey puck, clogged passing lanes in the neutral zone, backtracked on his man perfectly, and was better than I've seen him in front of his net and defensive zone positioning.

 

[laufer72]

Last time I saw player as exciting as Malkin is right now, was when I was kid.....that player was Valeri Kharlamov.

 

[Shady Machine]

Valueable how? Skill wise you can debate till you are blue in the face but marketing and $$ wise it's not really close. From a business perspective Malkin isn't even close to Crosby in the NHL anyways.

Valuable in terms of getting your team wins (since that is what hockey is about). I'd argue it's as close to even as it can be.

 

[M0NTY26]

Q: Does the franchise post-lockout promise include keeping MVP Evgeni Malkin even though there is $104.4 million guaranteed to captain Sidney Crosby?
A: We‘ll do whatever we can to keep him. The promise is to do whatever we can to win the championship. That‘s a financial commitment to keeping our players and also bringing the best people in to run the organization. It‘s not just spending money; it‘s creating the atmosphere that fosters a championship team and providing the resources, structure and philosophy. The plan is to keep Geno and Sid here for as long as they play in the NHL.


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