Cup of Joe: Starkey on Sports in 400 words or less (or significantly more, in this case)
People are often quicker to rip Evgeni Malkin than give him the benefit of the doubt. And that continues to amaze me.
Has this man not earned the benefit of the doubt by now?
Two decades into a legendary career, one in which he has doggedly battled back from significant injuries, Malkin appears ready to finish his excellent age-39 season in grand style. His two-goal, three-point outburst Tuesday in Colorado seemed indicative of that.
He’s a hot topic, which inspires a series of Malkin-related hot takes …
• The notion that Malkin recently let his contractual situation creep into his play, even propelling him to snap on Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin, was unbelievably insulting. He’s allowed to have a few quiet games.
The Dahlin incident was portrayed in some quarters as a petulant Malkin, angry over not getting his contract demands met, snapping at the slightest provocation. I viewed it more as a retaliatory outburst prompted by a cheap-shot artist who’d just cross-checked him from behind.
Malkin sometimes snaps. That’s not news. Just remember, the well from which his rage and combustibility materialize is the same from which his positive passion flows. You live with the former to benefit from the latter. I think that’s been a pretty good trade for the Penguins over the years.
• Malkin told reporters after the Colorado game that his suspension should have been more like three games instead of five, given that Dahlin was not injured. He compared the NHL’s suspension vagaries to the confusion around goalie interference. He’s right. The league has no idea what it’s doing on either front.
• Malkin said GM Kyle Dubas met with him recently and told Malkin they’d wait until after the season to discuss a new contract. That seems perfectly reasonable. Malkin said it’s just business.
“He asked if (I) want to play next year. I say, ‘Yes,’ but then he says, ‘Don’t worry. We talk after season,’” Malkin said. “I’m OK. I feel great.”
I believe him.
• If Malkin continues to play this well, I’d sign him for at least one more year and continue to play him on the wing. It’s not like he’s blocking a super prospect. He’s still an incredibly important player. He’s not going to bust the payroll. Why wouldn’t you sign him?
This is no nostalgia tour. This is a highly effective player helping lead a surprise playoff team by putting up 50 points in 47 games.
• Remember when Malkin was snubbed for the NHL’s all-time Top 100 list back in 2017? What an embarrassment that was to every single member of the 58-person panel.
Malkin was easily top-50 then and has a good argument for top-25 now. He is tied for 28th all-time in points per game (1.11) with Jaromir Jagr, Gilbert Perreault, Bryan Trottier and Pavel Bure and has won the Calder (rookie of the year), Hart (MVP), Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) and Art Ross (scoring champion) trophies, plus three Stanley Cups.
Do you know how many other players have won the Calder, Hart, Conn Smythe and Ross? Wrong. Five. Their names are Bobby Orr, Bryan Trottier, Mario Lemieux, Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane. (Wayne Gretzky was denied the Calder on a technicality, having played a full season in the WHA a year earlier.)
That is the kind of historically elite company Malkin keeps.
• Given his trophy case, plus his still-expanding resume, plus the fact that he has been here for all 20 of his seasons, Malkin also has established himself as the third-greatest Penguin, behind only Lemieux and Sidney Crosby and just ahead of Jagr.
I’m sure you’d agree.