#2eddieshore said:
I don't agree. If he is on the top line he will be playing against the teams top checking line. If you put Lemieux and Malkin on different lines it will be not so simple for the other team to defend and its likely Lemieux will take the attention away from Malkin. Also Lemiux and Malking are playmakers more than scorers so probably not the best combination to have.
That line of logic actually warrants that Malkin's going to easily adjust to the NA game, center his own line, be good enough in his own end, and hold up to the grind of an NHL season (probably without much of a Training Camp if he does come this year) while producing his own chances and points with relatively deficient (i.e. nowhere near as talented as himself) players on his wing. While still facing top four pair defensemen. Yeah. That makes sense. Most teams go at least 3 defensemen deep. Heck, the Caps can ice 2-3 tolerable ones. He's not going to play against chumps being on the second line. And sometimes more defensive oriented forwards are placed on the second line.
Putting him on Mario's wing is a smart, sound hockey decision. He wouldn't have to worry about the responsibility of taking as many crucial faceoffs (maybe that's a strength, I'm not certain) or being as defensively responsible. Even against the top defensive pair, Mario's going to get the shadowing of the best defenseman, effectively giving Malkin more room to manuever. Mario also can finish. All I ever hear about is how great he is/was/blah blah blah, (I don't like him as a Caps fan, obviously) but the guy has enough finish still in him to finish off passes from Malkin. And while Malkin is adjusting at a slower pace (and not being relied upon to carry his own line) he'll still be able to build confidence and experience from Mario. Not to mention, he could be gradually worked into centering his own line... Instead of right off the boat, right into the fire.
I'd be hard pressed to hand over the Second line centerman's job on a 'potential playoff team with a few pickups' [to quote someone else] (sorry, that's funny...) 18-19 year old, who's still got a few questions he needs to answer. You know what that reads like to me? Either stunting his growth, or bottom 5.
But, you know your Pens better than I. Who would you put Malkin on a line with?
Koltsov? Fata? I don't know. A Mario/Malkin/(Recchi maybe) line wouldn't look too bad.