Jon Pennline —
If we’re comparing teams, I’ll take the Chicago Blackhawks over the Pittsburgh Penguins in a seven-game series. But we’re not. We’re talking about comparing two dynamic duos and, in that sense, I’ll take Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin every time and twice on Sunday.
With Crosby and Malkin, you’re getting two players that have won two Art Ross Trophies each; the award for highest scoring player in the league. While Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane haven’t been too far behind in the scoring races, they still combine for 933 points in 999 games. By comparison, Crosby and Malkin have combined for 1401 points in 1068 games. And that’s just the regular season we’re talking about here.
The Penguins’ star centers both average over a point per game in the playoffs while Toews and Kane both fall short.
Also, keep in mind that while Toews and Kane have enjoyed the likes of Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg and Marian Hossa for most of their careers, Malkin and — more notably — Crosby, have lacked the type of wingers associated with high-scoring offenses. Would you rather center a line with Brandon Saad and Sharp or Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz? Crosby did have Marian Hossa for one postseason run and since then, Hossa has failed to come within 10 points of his career high 26 in 2008.
There is no doubt that Toews and Kane are among the best players in the NHL, but they aren’t quite as good as Crosby and Malkin. All four salaries are comparable to each other so there can be no argument, in my opinion, to choosing Toews and Kane over Crosby and Malkin. Furthermore, the fact that the Penguins’ best two players are both centers is a major plus over using one as a center and the other as a wing. The Blackhawks have experimented by moving Kane to center the second line but he is a natural right winger.
Crosby and Malkin have the pedigree and the resume to be the best players in the league. They’ve won on the biggest stage and have shown the consistency to win scoring titles and MVP trophies.
Gar Bercury —
Not that long ago, the notion that any duo in the NHL could be better than the Evgeni Malkin/Sidney Crosby combo would have gotten you laughed out of the room.
After all, from the day Crosby was drafted by the Penguins, he was labeled the greatest talent in the league.
Drafted the previous year, Malkin drew similar comparisons. Some experts even said that Malkin was a more complete player than fellow countryman Alexander Ovechkin, and 10 years later, those claims have some credence.
Crosby and Malkin have racked up various honors like the Hart Memorial, Art Ross and Ted Lindsay awards. Malkin has a Conn Smythe award to his name, given to the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Of course that was 2009, when Crosby and Malkin hoisted the Stanley Cup. Since 2009, the awards and individual accomplishments have continued, but so have the playoff failures.
Now, there’s another duo in Chicago making their case for being labeled the best tandem in the NHL; the Blackhawks Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
So I’ll be the one to say it, and I’ll probably get run out of town for doing so.
If I had to pick between the two duos today, i’d go with Kane and Toews.
After all, in professional sports, don’t we ultimately ask our players to lead their teams to championships?
I’d assume after an offseason in Pittsburgh that included the firing of a GM considered untouchable not long ago, or the dumping of a coach fastest to 250 regular season wins, that I am not alone in believing that you are judged based on the bottom line of winning when it counts.
If management and coaches are going to be held to such a high standard, how can we not expect the same of the star players?
This leads me back to Kane and Toews. Though neither player has put together the “shock and awe” statistical performances that Crosby and Malkin have, they do have two Stanley Cup rings, and both have been named Conn Smythe winners as playoff MVPs.
Its one of the many reasons why the Blackhawks awarded both players eight-year, $84 million contracts this week.
The 26-year-old Toews has drawn comparisons to Mark Messier, rightfully so, as it’s his leadership on the ice that has made him so valuable to the Blackhawks. While many of openly questioned Crosby’s value as a captain, Toews has no such questions dogging him in Chicago. Though he’s never scored more than 34 goals or 78 points in his career, many hockey insiders are now beginning to call Toews the most complete player in hockey and yes, dare I say it, the best in the NHL.
Similarly, the 25-year-old Kane has never broken the 100-point plateau or scored more than 30 goals in a season. Yet, his skating and playmaking abilities are considered as good as any player in the NHL. Again, much like with Toews, the stats tell you that Malkin and Crosby are better players, but yet, its Kane and Toews who keep winning, and that does not look to be ending anytime soon.
Thats another reason to pick the Toews/Kane tandem. Unlike the Penguins, who will be starting the season with a new GM and coaching staff, not to mention a roster that will have many new faces, the Blackhawks will head into next season with very few major changes or question marks.
Understand that does not mean the Crosby/Malkin tandem does not deserve its due. However, looking at the two tandems and one looks like it has a lot of question marks and disappointing playoff exits, the other looks like they are poised to win big when the games mean the most.
Sometimes it comes down to winning, and if you are looking at that factor when choosing between Crosby/Malkin or Kane/Toews, its hard not to pick the Blackhawks star pairing.
That might not be the popular view in Pittsburgh. I understand that, but until the Penguins starting winning in the playoffs, I’ll have to give the nod to Kane and Toews as the best tandem in hockey.
