Phil Kessel and Sidney Crosby on the same line – a match made in hot dog heaven?
According to the Pittsburgh Penguins official Twitter feed citing coach Mike Johnston, Crosby will likely get first crack playing with the Pens’ newest and biggest and roundest acquisition – though he has been working out hard this summer so it’s all good.
Is this the right move for the Penguins? For Kessel anyone other than Tyler Bozak is a total step up. Last year was the only full season with the Toronto Maple Leafs where Kessel did not score over 30 goals – and he still had 25 playing with the gong show Leafs.
But is Crosby the right person for Kessel, versus say … Evgeni Malkin? NHL.com’s Dan Rosen explained why Kessel and Malkin would make the most sense, harkening back to the golden age of when James Neal played with Geno.
The reason Neal thrived with Malkin is the same reason Kessel should. Neal had time to read and react off Malkin, who likes to carry the puck and play an east-west, change-of-speed game. Neal, reading Malkin, would play stealth-like and pop out in a scoring area at the right moment for a Malkin pass.
Together, Malkin and Neal were unpredictable, which worked to their advantage. Kessel, like Neal, can get open. And Kessel's shot, with its quick release, accuracy and heaviness, is better than Neal's.
With Kessel and Malkin on the ice together, there would be constant movement and interplay between two threats able to score on virtually any possession in the attacking zone.
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But, wait, isn’t Crosby the best player in the world? Why wouldn’t he and Kessel – two speedsters – make sense playing with one another?
Crosby plays more of a north-south game of direct lines and quick puck movement. Crosby's linemates have to think the game quickly, react quickly, and be ready in a hurry. He wants his wings to be predictable.
That's a big reason Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz have played so well with him. They thrive on finding pucks, especially inside the dots. They have the ability to score before the opportunity to score makes itself evident to others. Crosby is the one of best in the world at making something out of nothing in the blink of an eye.
It’s not like putting two superstars together creates immediate and undeniable chemistry. Brett Hull and Wayne Gretzky didn’t jibe super well while playing with the St. Louis Blues during Gretzky’s small stint there, even though it seemed like both should have been the perfect linemates. Gretzky was the NHL’s greatest passer. Hull had the leagues greatest one-timer.
Regardless of whether Crosby and Kessel are the best fit for one another, it’s nice for the Penguins to have depth of options.
As Pensburgh notes, moving Patric Hornqvist to Malkin’s wing could be a blessing for both the Swede and the Russian.
That should be a good thing as well, the two played together in limited stints last season (for a total of 222:18) but had some success. In that time, Malkin scored 6 goals and 6 assists, Hornqvist scored 4g+5a. Their Corsi For was a very strong 57.5%, and their Goals For% was 55.6. Also, encouragingly Malkin+Hornqvist had a 4.05 GF/60 while together, which was the highest for Geno for any forward linemate. Of course, they also hada 3.24 GA/60 (highest for Malkin aside from Beau Bennett, and interestingly Crosby).
Also, playing with a fleet skater like Crosby could help Kessel burn off his notorious pre-game meal.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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