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willus3
Moderator
Canada
1948 Posts |
 Posted - 12/23/2008 : 14:42:25
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Poll Question:
It occurred to me that Malkin is on pace to have one of the most rare seasons in hockey. He is on pace for a 106 assist season. He'd be joining some pretty elite company if he ends up over 100 assists. I guess we'll see how it plays out, there is a lot of hockey left to be played.
Will he make it?
"Society, have mercy on me. Hope you're not angry if I disagree." - Jerry Hannan
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Leafsfan_94
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1070 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2008 : 16:36:05
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i dont know, i see malkin as a one dimensional player, a pure goal scorer. i mean he gets alot of assists but, who wouldnt with a player like crosby at your side. i guess its possible malkin is a good hockey player. maybe im wrong, maybe he is more than 1 dimensional but we'll have to wait til the end of the season to find out.
Leafsfan_94
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Edited by - Leafsfan_94 on 12/23/2008 16:37:19 |
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leigh
Moderator
Canada
1755 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2008 : 17:12:09
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quote:
Originally posted by Leafsfan_94
i dont know, i see malkin as a one dimensional player, a pure goal scorer. i mean he gets alot of assists but, who wouldnt with a player like crosby at your side. i guess its possible malkin is a good hockey player. maybe im wrong, maybe he is more than 1 dimensional but we'll have to wait til the end of the season to find out.[blue]
They don't play much even strength time together and Crosby only has 14 goals this season so far. Crosby only has 2 pp goals so Malkin's not assisting much for Crosby on the PP either. So I'd say that Crosby is not contributing to Malkin's total ASSISTS.
I don't think Malkin is "one dimensional" if you are talking about splitting goals and assists. He's played 2.5 seasons and has over 50 assists each year (and like Willus said, he's on pace for over 100 this year) Not to mention his plus minus is on a nice steady incline as well. So while he is a fierce goal scoring machine he's not JUST a sniper.
The only flaws I see in him (but I admit that I only see a few games a year of his) is that he gets a little lazy sometimes, and he hangs on to the puck and tries to get too fancy ocassionally. But hey, offensively gifted players often do. |
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leigh
Moderator
Canada
1755 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2008 : 17:38:47
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This got me thinking. We'd all agree that Marc Savard and Joe Thornton are considered modern day masters of the pass. They've received more than their fair share of assists in their careers.
Well did you know it took Savard 3 seasons to break 50 assists and he has only four 50+ assist years (if you include this year)
And big Joe didn't crack 50 assists until his 6th season. He now has seven 50+ assist season (if you include this year)
My point is, Malkin did it in his rookie season and has proven that it wasn't a fluke by doing it again in his sophmore season and is now on pace to eclipse even Thornton's and Savard's best seasons!
Pretty special stuff, and we're witnessing it!
For the record, Gretzky broke 50 his first season (86) and did it 17 MORE times. He cracked 100 assists 11 times and averaged 109 assists per year over his entire career. Just mentioning this for scale and context. |
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Alex
PickupHockey All-Star
Canada
2816 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2008 : 17:53:27
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This has absolutely no facts of any kind backing it up, but I get the feeling that Malkin's assists aren't beautiful passes or needle threads as much as Thornton's are or Savard.
A lot of Malkin's assists that I have seen have been tipped shots, give and go's, him touching the puck last... And an assist is an assist is an assist, but I still wouldn't see he is necessarily a better passer.
Malkin is a big body who creates his own chances and other's benefit from his skill. It's not as much of weaving passes as it is creating opportunities galore just by being able to singlehandedly beat defenders, keep the line, fight down low, etc. That's why he can score and get assists, because they both come the same way for him. That's my two cents at least.
Make sure to cast your votes in the PickUpHockey Hall of Fame
EDIT: No, I never said they were fluke Irvine. I think he makes his plays purposely knowing that he can at the very least create a chance or setup a goal. That's not to say that not one of his 43 assists haven't been passes, and I'm sure a few have been pretty ones at that. I'm just trying to make a separation between Thornton and Malkin, where one, in my mind at least, is probably still a better pure passer.
The practical difference in that is this:say you, as Malkin or Thornton, have been given a bad breakout pass and you've got guys coming in on you. Thornton will more likely be able to get the puck up to the next guy in the little room he has, under pressure. Malkin will be less likely too. We saw how many goals he gave away against Toronto and I believe one (at least a chance) against Buffalo... The best passer in the league wouldn't do that |
Edited by - Alex on 12/23/2008 18:11:04 |
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irvine
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1315 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2008 : 18:03:30
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No matter how the assist comes, it's an assist. Fluke (as Alex seems to believe it is,) does not happen 50+ times per season, one after another.
Malkin is a highly skilled player, who, as Alex said makes his own offensive chances.
I do believe Malkin has a shot at reaching a 100 Assist season, I am just not sure it is this one. Perhaps in a couple of years, he may do just that. I just believe this season will be an 80-90 assist year.
It is pretty cool seeing the top 3 young players in the NHL, in the top 3 in Points. :)
1. Malkin 2. Crosby 3. Ovechkin
Irvine |
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n/a
deleted
4809 Posts |
Posted - 12/24/2008 : 05:41:44
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Yeah, a 100 assist season is pretty special alright, for anyone not named Gretzky.
Malkin, if he doesn't get injured, will do it this year. Some comments for the posters here:
Leigh - Crosby only has 14 goals? So Malkin at 15 goals is a gifted sniper, and Crosby is a terrible goal-scorer, on pace to score around 35. Hey, the leafs need a couple of terrible goal scorers like that and we'll be a contender! 
Alex - I know what you're getting at, and I mostly agree. In terms of eye-popping moves and overall talent in terms of passing, Malkin is probably behind guys like Thornton, Savard, Datsyuk and others. Yet, he has a ton of assists on a team that hasn't dominated, so he's clearly got the talent. He's just a solid, all-around amazing offensive player, so I think sometimes it goes in runs of either goals or assists.
Leafsfan 94 - you might want to look at the stats for Crosby and Malkin this year, as well as the last three years. Someone who gets 154 assists in 2 and a half seasons (194 games) is certainly not a one dimensional player. If that's what you're seeing, you need a new prescription for your eyeglasses!
"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 12/24/2008 : 08:59:42
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If Malkin can do this, he would be in the absolute most elite company. Only three players in NHL history have ever had 100 or more assists. They happen to be my top three of all time in Gretzky, Orr, and Lemiuex. Wow!
I am not sure if it will happen or not, but I know I am cheering for it. I would love to see an level achieved offensively from pre-dead puck era. Very much like Ovechkin's 60+ goals last season. I would consider anything more than 80 assists a huge accomplishment. 80 or more assists in a season has only happened a handful of times since 1995 and the last 100 assists season was 89/90. For Malkin to join that club 20 years since the last time it happened would be awesome.
Will he do it??? Maybe. Do I want to see it happen, definately. |
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leigh
Moderator
Canada
1755 Posts |
Posted - 12/24/2008 : 10:22:12
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quote:
Originally posted by slozo
...Leigh - Crosby only has 14 goals? So Malkin at 15 goals is a gifted sniper, and Crosby is a terrible goal-scorer, on pace to score around 35. Hey, the leafs need a couple of terrible goal scorers like that and we'll be a contender! ...
Hey Slozo, oops that's not what I meant, but now that I reread it I can see how it was interpreted that way, let me clear it up. I was not trying to insinuate that Crosby was not a goal scorer (he's averaged over 30 goals a season). I was merely pointing out to Leafsfan_94 that if Crosby has only scored 14 goals so far this season then Crosby could not have been a major factor for Malkin's awesome assist pace thusfar. |
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Leafsfan_94
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1070 Posts |
Posted - 12/24/2008 : 12:06:01
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Leigh, Slozo
i agree with you i meant that over the years malkin has had some help with crosby, and i didnt say he was a one dimensional player, he just kinof seems like one because he is a pure sniper, kinda like guys like heatley etc.
Leafsfan_94
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leafsfan_101
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1530 Posts |
Posted - 12/24/2008 : 16:30:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Leafsfan_94
Leigh, Slozo
i agree with you i meant that over the years malkin has had some help with crosby, and i didnt say he was a one dimensional player, he just kinof seems like one because he is a pure sniper, kinda like guys like heatley etc.
Leafsfan_94
There are so many things wrong with that post that its hard for me to put into words. First off, you did mean to say he was a one dimensional player, and you quickly shifted your views to try and save face. (ADMIN EDIT - CONTENT REMOVED -PLEASE DO NOT MAKE PERSONAL ATTACKS) Explain to me Malkin's defensive play? Explain how Malkin is able to get so many assists while still being a "Pure Sniper". Tell me how Malkin's sweet passes on the powerplay are fluke!
So explain this to me, and you will see how wrong you are.
(ADMIN EDIT - CONTENT REMOVED -PLEASE DO NOT MAKE PERSONAL ATTACKS - It adds absolutely no value to our discussion, thanks!)
Thanks
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Guest4180
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Posted - 12/24/2008 : 16:49:05
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| I don't think he'll break one hundred assists this season. As the season wears on he'll drop off. It's not very often a guy can keep up this type of pace for a whole season |
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Guest9244
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Posted - 12/25/2008 : 13:09:52
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| Malkin is just a sniper? He is a playmaker first and foremost, but also posseses deadly shooting abilities and unreal hands in close, which help him score tonnes of goals. He will never have more goals than assists, as he usually looks to pass first. If I'm not mistaken he had 40 something assists as a rookie and around 60 in his second year. This year, as previously mentioned, he is on pace for over 100. I do not think he will keep that pace, but will probably end up with around 70-80. That is not a one dimensional goal scorer. He is possibly the most talented all-round offensive player in the league considering his playmaking and scoring skills. |
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DangleFest89
Rookie
122 Posts |
Posted - 12/25/2008 : 16:41:26
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Malkin does not posses the skills right now to get 100 assist sorry to say from my perspective no player will ever do it again unless its Thorton or Savard.
P.S off topic I know
Is Gonchar and Whitney in 3rd and 4rd in Allstar voting without even playing a game? Hello Pens Bandwagon lol |
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Malkin - The next 100 assist season? 
