Evgeni Malkin: Is the Pens’ Superstar Already a Hall of Famer?
April 9, 2013; Raleigh, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) looks on from the bench against the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Center. The Penguins defeated the Hurricanes 5-3. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Evgeni Malkin has been somewhat of an interesting case for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Despite an already unbelievable career that has featured numerous personal accolades as well as a Stanley Cup championship, Malkin as always been somewhat underrated due to the fact that he rides second fiddle to Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh.
Often passed over for consideration as the league’s best – not only in favour of Crosby but also players like Jonathan Toews, Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, etc. – it must be asked: just how great is Malkin, in terms of the league’s history as a whole?
Has the Russian superstar already put together a Hall of Fame career, despite having yet to reach age 30?
A look at some of the recent greats inducted into the Hall of Fame suggests a resounding yes.
Let’s take a look.
The last five forwards inducted were Mike Modano, Peter Forsberg, Brendan Shanahan, Mats Sundin, and Joe Sakic – a list that few could disagree represent some of the best to have ever played the game.
What exactly drove these players to land in the hallowed Hall of Fame? It’s an ever-changing, partially inexplicable combination of factors.
The dominant level of play that comes with generational talent. The unconquerable will to win.
And, of course, a trophy case brimming with championships and personal awards.
Taking a closer look at the performances of these legendary players, Malkin’s achievements begin to shine brighter than one might expect.
Championships
Sundin never won a single Stanley Cup – unsurprisingly, considering he spent almost his entire career with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Feb 17, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) takes the ice before playing the Washington Capitals during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Modano won only one – with Dallas in 1999.
Sakic and Forsberg each won two (1996 and 2001), both with the Colorado Avalanche.
Shanahan takes the cake in the championship category, having won three Cups in 1997, 1998, and 2002, all with the Detroit Red Wings.
With one Stanley Cup to his own name (won in 2009), Malkin seems to fit in just fine. He isn’t at the level of Sakic, Forsberg, or Shanahan just yet – and he may never be – but he’s certainly not too far behind with one already and plenty of time to get another.
Notably, however, Malkin does have one championship-related accolade that only one of the five previously mentioned greats received – a Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during his championship run.
That puts him in the company of Sakic, who was voted the MVP of the Avs’ 1996 run.
Modano, Forsberg, and Shanahan, however, never received the honour.
Thus, while Forsberg and Shanahan have more championships to their names, they didn’t come without considerable help, as other teammates led the charge.
Leading the League
Speaking of MVP awards, Malkin hasn’t fared too badly in that category either – having won the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 2012 after being voted the league’s MVP by both the Professional Hockey Writers Association and his fellow players.
Nov 21, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) looks on during a time out against the New York Islanders in the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Islanders won 5-4 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
This again puts Malkin in the company of only a few of the previously mentioned greats – Sakic and Forsberg both received league MVP honours, while Sundin, Modano and Shanahan were never recognized as such.
What about leading the league from a purely statistical standpoint? For that we’ll turn to the Art Ross Trophy awarded to the league’s scoring leader.
Malkin’s already racked up two in 2009 and 2012.
How do our selected legends fare here? Only one has a scoring title to their name – Forsberg (2003). Not Sakic, Modano, Sundin, or Shanahan.
Now, some of that can certainly be attributed to the calibre of players these four had to suit up against (they did play in the era of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Jaromir Jagr after all).
It isn’t as if Malkin hasn’t had his own competition – most notably from teammate Sidney Crosby, who has two scoring titles of his own – but perhaps a further analysis is needed:
Century Scorers
As the 100-point mark is one rarely achieved, denoting players as elite when they do attain the triple-digit point total, let’s start there.
Feb 6, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) skates with the puck against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Pittsburgh Penguins won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Malkin has three 100-point seasons under his belt already in his first eight campaigns.
Modano and Sundin never topped the century mark. Shanahan did it just once (1993-94).
Sakic and Forsberg seem like closer comparisons in terms of style of play, and each have more experience with 100-point seasons.
Forsberg managed to top 100 points twice throughout his entire career.
Sakic, however, did it six times (with the last coming at age 38).
So where does Malkin rank among these five? At only age 28, he’s already done what four of them never did throughout the entirety of their careers. With three century marks in his first eight seasons, Malkin is on roughly the same track as Sakic, who had four over a similar timespan.
It certainly doesn’t seem out of the question that Malkin could post a 100-point season again. As he’s only just in the midst of his prime, it’s a pretty fair bet that he’ll have at least a couple more – putting even more distance between himself and some of the other recent greats.
A Strong Case Already
So what are Malkin’s chances at a Hall of Fame bid?
Even if he retired today, it appears the Russian would already be a sure bet. He’s already amassed a legacy worthy of historic recognition, as seen by the fact that he’s already done things that players hailed as some of the sport’s best – like Modano and Forsberg and Shanahan – have never done.
May 4, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) on the ice against the New York Rangers during the first period in game two of the second round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Pens won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Combine that with the fact that, barring injury, Geno has at least a decade of hockey left in him (or more if he pulls a Jagr) and it’s hard to argue against the possibility of Malkin being called to the Hall in his first year of eligibility.
While riding shotgun as a Penguin, with Crosby in the driver’s seat, certainly has its advantages – the two have become the most prolific scoring duo in modern NHL history – it has simultaneously left Malkin without some of the league-wide respect owed to him.
On any other team in the league, Geno would be a franchise player. That includes Washington, Chicago, and Tampa Bay.
If not for the presence of Crosby’s own generational talent, Malkin could present a very strong case as the best of his generation. Ovechkin could certainly make a case of his own – but winning Rocket Richard trophies means little when your club never makes it past the second round.
Regardless of whether Malkin is the second-best of his generation or third-best, he remains one of the greatest players to have ever suited up for the National Hockey League.
No matter what the rest of his career holds, it’s clear Evgeni Malkin has already cemented his place as one of the game’s best, and will undoubtedly be called to the Hall of Fame when his career does finally reach its close.