Recently we’ve experienced a rather spirited and passionate exchange of comments involving PenguinPoop founders, staffers and our faithful readers regarding the comparative merits of franchise pillars and fabled Two-Headed Monster Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
I’m jumping into the fray well downstream. And it’s always a bit risky to air laundry publicly, as I’m about to do. But I thought I’d throw my two cents in for public consumption.
Before I begin, I need to be clear. It isn’t my intent to throw either Sid or Geno under the bus or pit them against each other in any way. They’re generational talents, near the very top of a short list of greatest players to ever don the black and gold. Considering the supreme talents who’ve graced our roster over the years, that’s really saying something.
Nor is it my aim to squirt gasoline on an incipient in-house fire. Just the opposite, in fact.
As is almost always the case in a debate, the truth most likely lies somewhere in between the opposing viewpoints. Lodged somewhere between my esteemed colleague Other Rick’s strictly-by-the-numbers evaluation and the impassioned and wholly valid observations of others.
I confess, I was surprised as anyone when Other Rick presented metrics that indicate Geno is the (much) more effective of the two superstars when skating 5v5 between Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust. Which flies squarely in the face of my eye-test observations.
Statistics undeniably have their place. So do intangibles…the kind that can’t be quantified or measured on a slide rule.
In my humble opinion, Sid’s a rock…a marvelously consistent and meticulous two-way player whose attention to detail is off the charts. I began watching him away from the puck a lot more this season and, frankly, was awed. His game is so complete.
If Sid cuts a superb straight line in terms of consistency, Geno’s game is more like a sine wave, oscillating between brilliant, benign and varying points in between. At his best, No. 71 has few peers, possessing a top gear I’ve rarely seen. Magnificent as a Rachmaninoff Concerto.
When not? He can drift into lulls of sloppy and indifferent play.
In fairness to Malkin, with few exceptions Crosby’s always gotten the pick of the litter when it comes to linemates. About the only instance when I recall otherwise? When James Neal skated with Geno, a combination too dynamic and electric to split up.
Perhaps that’s as it should be. After all, Sid’s the face of the franchise.
However, this season the disparity in talent seemed to be especially acute. While No. 87 skated virtually all season with favored wingers Guentzel and Rust, except for a brief stretch when talented trade deadline acquisition Rickard Rakell supplanted the latter, Geno was handed a virtual revolving door of linemates.
Danton Heinen, Kasperi Kapanen, Brock McGinn, Rakell, Evan Rodrigues, Rust, Jason Zucker…even fellow center Jeff Carter…all skated on the rangy Russian’s wing. At times he seemed to have a different set of wingers virtually every game.
Tough to develop any synergy or chemistry under those conditions. Yet Geno still managed to notch 20 goals and 42 points in 41 games coming off major knee surgery. A 40-goal, 84-point pace over a full season. Not exactly chicken feed.
Personally, I’ve often wondered why coach Mike Sullivan didn’t give Malkin more of an opportunity with Guentzel, while Zucker didn’t get more of a look with Crosby. Zucks and Sid play a similar grinding style. Despite somewhat disappointing numbers since arriving in the ‘Burgh, Jason does have hands.
Initially, the former 30-goal man did flank Sid…with decent results. In 15 games following his acquisition in 2019-20, he tallied a highly respectable six goals and 12 points. But the following season Zucker was teamed with Malkin, a combination that blended as seamlessly as oil and water, while Guentzel returned from a severe shoulder injury to reclaim the port side next to Sid.
Crosby’s preference? Sullivan’s? Both?
Dunno.
Although subsequent injuries probably would’ve prevented it, I could easily have envisioned Zucker and Rust forming matching 25-goal bookends for Sid, while Jake would’ve provided Geno with a bona fide scoring threat on his wing.
And who knows? With opponents scrambling to cover Guentzel and Malkin, perhaps Kapanen could’ve escaped detection, affording him more opportunity to slip into open space where he’s historically thrived. In turn, giving us two strong lines instead of one.
But I digress.
So what’s the point of this ramble? Maybe to soothe some jangled nerves. And to say we’ve been so very blessed to watch these two generational talents and brothers in arms lift our Pens to three Stanley Cups. Not to mention the treasure trove of timeless hockey moments and memories the most dynamic of duos have provided.
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Hey Rick,
I too am going to enter in to this quagmire and give my 2 cents.
If I may, two points before we get to the heart of the matter. First, Florida just got beat by Tampa. This will not sit well. The Panthers on paper are the better team ,but fortunately Hockey is played on Ice and not Paper. From where I sit, Tampa has to be the favorite to win it all. All to say that the Panthers will be keenly interested in Geno and given the favorable tax situation in Florida verses Pennsylvania, they can out bid us. Two , in Washington the Caps are having issues with their aging center Nick Backstrom and there are people who want to see OVI and Geno playing together. Ovi has4 more years on his bloated contract.Hence Geno would get a 4 year contract most likely from Washington. So he has serious options that he can take this summer folks. Just saying.
For me, with Geno's falling 5 on 5 numbers,his history of injuries, his brutal face off numbers, and also his refusal to change his playing style, all tell me that we should NOT resign Geno. His 9.5 million dollar cap hit can be used to obtain an 27 -28 year old Center that would benefit our team moving forward. There are some very good centers that want a change of scenery or have a chance to play with Sid. We may have to wait a year ??? but if we sign Geno to a 8.5 million dollar contract that door will be closed forever. Now if he would sign for 6 million then that would be a different story.
Get rid of Zucker and keep Geno.
But that will not happen. As Geno said..."Good players sign Good contracts."
I know people will object to my logic above but looking at Sid and looking at Geno, it is like looking at 2 used cars. One will keep going for a long time and you will not need to repair it and you will be happy. The other one is already showing signs of wear and not being able to get the job done on a full time basis...Buy it and you will be disappointed.
We need to start looking outside the box if we truly want to build a Cup contending team..
My 2 cents.
Cheers,
JIM
Hey Jim,
I am not saying sign Geno to a stupid contract either. If it had been up to me, I would have tried signing him long ago and if I couldn't get it done before the Deadline I would have dealt him to Fla while I could get a return (Anton Lundl?)
Now, as you rightly point out, there is a strong chance we lose him for free.
I do have a problem with the idea of it has to be one or the other rather than acknowledging them both. And I have a problem with Errey and Caufield and their comments that Geno needs to learn how to play with Bryan and Jake.
Hey Rick,
Like you, I appreciate both Sid and Geno. I have said that before and have likened it to the stupidity of the Fleury - Murray debate, you don't have to pick sides. You can just sit back and enjoy both players. This never should be Twilight. Any and all vitriol vented by me, here was first and foremost directed at the uninformed Penguins announcers, who in game 6 constantly moronically spewed the idiocy that Malkin needed to learn how to skate with Guentzel and Rust, like Crosby did.
Uh, Bob, Jay, Geno skates better with Jake and Bryan than Sid does, close your mouths and stop removing all doubt!
Furthermore, as to your wondering about Zucker - Crosby. You and I have talked about this often. Once Rakell came to the 'burgh, I said he , Zucker, and Crosby would be a most Formidable line. Since Zucker only played 12 minutes with Sid this past season, so I don't want to be accused of his inflated numbers being irrelevant due to sample size.
Player/Crosby - TGF/60 - TGA/60
Rakell/Crosby - 6.71 - 0.61
Zucker/Crosby - 3.32 - 2.47
Guentzel/Crosby - 3.05 - 2.23
Rust/Crosby - 2.96 - 2.14
The difference between Zucker and Guentzel on Crosby's LW is virtually negligible. In terms of TGF%, 57.14 to 57.71.
The difference between Rakell and Rust on Crosby's line - massive. There is tons of evidence to suggest that the Pens would have been better to skate
Zucker - Crosby - Rakell
Guentzel - Malkin - Rust
At the very least, it was worth a try, particularly when plan A was failing. Sullivan may have then found the 2-headed monster again.