Call me crazy, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of Evgeni Malkin moving to the wing to allow Brandon Sutter to take the reigns as team’s second line center. Call me even crazier for buying-in after one game, but rookie head Mike Johnston’s bold move of having Malkin at wing just might work.
It isn’t just solely on his play alone; he had his moments – ups and downs. An assist to go along with two penalties in 16:58-worth of ice time last night against the Anaheim Ducks had Malkin all over the ice. That, maybe, was the biggest concern for having Malkin playing the wing, the idea of forcing him to one side of the ice seemed to put a slight restriction on a player with so much talent.
But Malkin didn’t let a position label stop him as he was bouncing from one side of the ice to another at a moment’s notice. That’s where his line mates come in, and why this line can be so incredibly dangerous. Pascal Dupuis has shown the innate ability to bounce from one wing to the next, and play at a high level.
Dupuis had settled in as the right wing on the Sidney Crosby line for the most part of the past two years, but before that spent time on the left. Having a player with Dupuis’ speed and ability to play both wings can allow Malkin to freelance at times he sees fit.
The results were undeniable. Despite not being on the ice together for every point they scored, the new trio combined to register six points (2 G, 4 A).
It is hard to argue against saying that Sutter was the team’s best forward during last year’s playoffs. He carried that momentum into camp, and looks like he is finally ready to break through as that second line winger that GM Jim Rutherford thought he could be when he drafted him all the way back in 2007 with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Sutter has the speed to stay with Malkin, has the grit to go to the net and finish the play when ‘Geno’ gets the puck on the net, and has the skill to be able to do things himself and take some eyes off the Penguins superstar.
Versatility, skill, speed – all with a little bit of grit. That’s what the new second line is able to bring to the table, a wide range of sets that can keep opposition guessing what is coming next.
It was just one game at the beginning of the year, so a lot can change from now to when the real problem presents itself – the playoffs – but it was a win against the Anaheim Ducks, one of the preseason favorites to represent the vaunted Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final.
Without Beau Bennett, and with Kaspari Kapanen and Oskar Sundqvist sent back overseas, the Penguins could struggle with their depth scoring on the wing – again. It helps though to be able to plug in a former Hart, Art Ross, and Conn Smythe Trophy winner on the wing.
Johnston was a believer from the get go in moving Malkin to the wing, I am not sure how many others bought in as well and it still may be too early to do so, but after last night I am more than certainly prepared to buy into it.
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