Pittsburgh Penguins superstar forward Evgeni Malkin has won an award as the most valuable Russian NHL player this year.
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Monday that Evgeni Malkin has been named the recipient of the 2017 Kharlamov Trophy as the best Russian NHL player. This is Malkin’s second time receiving the award.
He last won it in 2012 right after his Hart Memorial Trophy winning season as Playoff MVP. That season, he scored 50 goals and 59 assists for 109 points (2011-12)
Pittsburgh Penguins
The award has been won by many other star Russian NHL players like Alex Ovechkin (seven time winner) and Pavel Datsyuk (two time winner). Last season’s winner was Artemi Panarin.
Congratulations to Evgeni Malkin for winning the 2017 Kharlamov Trophy (most valuable Russian NHL player). 📷: Malkin's Instagram pic.twitter.com/7gw9ZrzIlf
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 14, 2017
A Look Back at His 2017 Season
Let’s just take this moment here to acknowledge how great Evgeni Malkin’s season was.
Malkin scored 33 goals and 39 assists for 72 points in just 62 games this past season. Although Nikita Kucherov, Vladimir Taresenko and Artemi Panarin may have been fellow Russians who scored more points, Malkin helped lead his team to a Stanley Cup.
Malkin really shined in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He put up 10 goals and 18 assists for a total of 28 points in 25 games. His point total allowed him to lead the playoffs in points. He may not have won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, but he certainly led his team on the scoreboard. For the record, he finished second in Conn Smythe voting right behind Crosby.