#91 - Evgeni Malkin

Evgeni Malkin (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #91)

Adjusted Stats

2006-2007 Pit         78 GP   35 goals   56 assists   91 points   1.16 PPG
2007-2008 Pit         82 GP   53 goals   67 assists   120 points 1.46 PPG
2008-2009 Pit*       82 GP   38 goals   84 assists   122 points  1.49 PPG
2009-2010 Pit         67 GP   31 goals   54 assists   84 points   1.26 PPG
2010-2011 Pit         43 GP   17 goals   25 assists   42 points   0.97 PPG

Adjusted Playoff Stats

2006-2007 Pit          5 GP     0 goals     5 assists     5 points    0.91 PPG
2007-2008 Pit          20 GP   10 goals   13 assists   23 points  1.15 PPG
2008-2009 Pit*        24 GP   14 goals   23 assists   37 points  1.54 PPG
2009-2010 Pit          13 GP   5 goals     6 assists     10 points  0.80 PPG

Career - 352 GP, 174 goals, 286 assists, 459 points, 1.30 PPG
Career-Highs - 53 goals (07-08); 84 assists (08-09); 122 points (08-09); 1.49 PPG (08-09)
Avg. (5 seasons) - 70 GP, 35 goals, 57 assists, 92 points, 1.30 PPG

Playoff Career - 62 GP, 29 goals, 47 assists, 75 points, 1.21 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 14 goals (08-09); 23 assists (08-09); 37 points (08-09); 1.54 PPG (08-09)

Accolades - 1 Art Ross, Calder, Conn Smythe
All-Star Teams - 2-time 1st-team
1-time Stanley Cup Champion

Of all of the young stars in today's game, Malkin's is the hardest to project for the rest of his career. If you talked to me at the end of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, I'd have argued that Malkin was the best player in the game. Two disappointing and injury-riddled years later, he's not even close, and with a knee injury threatening to cut into his 2011-2012 season, it's debatable whether Malkin will ever return to his previous heights. But we shouldn't forget how high those heights were. Ridiculous as it seems right now, at the time the Pittsburgh Penguins won their Stanley Cup, a more-than-legitimate case could be made that Sidney Crosby wasn't even the best player on the team, it was Malkin.

Consider: Malkin had been the finalist for the Hart Trophy two years in a row, not Crosby. He had back-to-back years of 120+ adjusted points, while Crosby had 81 in an injury-shortened year (in which, when Crosby went down, Malkin put the team on his back) and 111 in a somewhat lackluster 08-09 (lackluster by Sid's standards). Malkin had made 1st-team all-star at center both times. And it was Malkin who won the Conn Smythe trophy after putting forward the highest scoring playoffs of anyone since Joe Sakic, and in the process becoming the first player since Lemieux to lead the regular season and the playoffs in scoring in the same year. Add it all up and it looked like Malkin was legitimately in the conversation for the beginnings of an amazing career.

When I watched Penguins games during that stretch, it was amazing to notice how Malkin was the one who drew your attention when he was on the ice, not Crosby. When Crosby went down with an injury halfway through Game 7 of the Cup championships against Detroit, I was amazed by how Malkin and Jordan Staal seemed to be always on the ice from that point on, never missing a shift. It was also interesting to see how underrated Malkin's defensive game was...seeing him in person, you noticed his constant attacking presence and the way he forced turnovers consistently.

But in 2009-2010, Malkin battled through injuries and inconsistency, winding up with a still respectable 84 points in 67 games, but not ever seeming a dominant presence. Unfortunately, Malkin didn't shake that funk in 2010-2011 to get back to his 07-09 levels...on some nights, he looked dominant, but on far too many nights, he was listless. When Crosby got nailed by David Steckel and was forced out with a concussion, it looked like it was Malkin's time to take over the Penguins, as he had done in 2008, but a fluke injury occurred when Tyler Myers fell on Malkin's knee, spraining his ACL and MCL. Malkin may end up missing a calendar year, a devastating injury (although still one that I think is more hopeful than Crosby's concussion).

It still looks like Malkin may end up putting together a great career, but its the variance within that greatness that is difficult to predict. Will he return to his elite scoring levels and end up with a career on par with, say, the great Jaromir Jagr? Or will it be more of a modest, 80-90 point range from now on, one that leaves us appreciative of Malkin's prowess but also feeling like he's leaving something on the table. Only time will tell...he may end up shooting up the Pyramid, or perhaps be content to be second-banana in the Sidney Crosby show. The worst scenario is that the knee injury plagues him as it did Pavel Bure, in which case we'll have been robbed one of the most dynamic European centers to ever play the game.