Malkin's been a cash cower

By Mark Madden
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
October 28, 2013

No need to worry about the Penguins’ three-game losing streak. It’s nothing compared to a four-game losing streak in the Eastern Conference final.

It’s October. The Penguins are 7-4 and lead their division. The absences of James Neal and Beau Bennett are causing negative trickledown up front. But Neal and Bennett should be back before too long. Rob Scuderi’s injury? That’s a problem.

So is the extended mediocre play of Evgeni Malkin.

Yes, it’s time for that column. Already.

Malkin makes $8.7 million. Next season, that jumps to $9.5 million per year through 2022. Malkin has 10 points in 11 games. He’s tied for 42nd in the NHL in scoring.

For most players, that’s good.

But Malkin’s points don’t match his price, and haven’t since 2011-12. Malkin had just nine goals and 24 assists in 31 games last season. He had 16 points in 15 playoff games, but didn’t score in the Eastern Conference final as Boston swept.

Neither did Sidney Crosby. Like it or not, that comparison is always there. The double donut against the Bruins noted, it doesn’t favor Malkin.

Crosby is a buzzsaw: 110 percent every shift and the fourth-best points-per-game average in NHL history.

Crosby and Malkin were once considered virtual equals, but no longer. If anything, the gap is growing at a rapid pace.

Malkin, to his credit, doesn’t make excuses. He verbally accepted responsibility for his poor performance against Boston. Malkin’s effort very occasionally drags, but not often enough to warrant criticism. He’s dedicated. He’s motivated.

But Malkin’s production is inadequate and inconsistent. He piles up errors: Witness two turnovers that led to goals at Toronto Saturday night. Those mistakes were garnished by an offensive-zone penalty, a Malkin specialty.

The Penguins need better. At that salary, they require better.

It’s difficult to identify exactly what’s wrong. But whatever Malkin lacked last season, he still hasn’t got. His last two games produced just three shots total.

Neal, Malkin’s usual linemate, is out. That hurts, especially when Chuck Kobasew is the replacement. But what were Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis before Sidney Crosby?

What was Neal before Malkin? Malkin won his first scoring title while playing on a line with Ruslan Fedotenko and a rapidly slowing Petr Sykora.

In 1988-89, Mario Lemieux got 199 points skating between Bob Errey and Rob Brown. Lemieux helped Brown post 115 points. He spoon-fed Warren Young 40 goals in 1984-85. Brown and Young were otherwise nondescript.

No one expects Malkin to be Lemieux. But great players elevate their linemates. Great players produce regardless of circumstance.

Even if his linemates lack, Malkin is on a high-octane power play. Make up numbers there.

Malkin has just 12 goals in his last 42 regular-season games. He has two scoring titles, one MVP and one playoff MVP, but those things are ancient history.

Malkin usually breaks out when Crosby is hurt. If that’s the only time Malkin lives up to his payday, it greatly dilutes the value of having both Crosby and Malkin. It’s quite a paradox: Malkin seems to like Crosby handling the burden of being top dog, but Malkin doesn’t always maximize when he’s in the shadows.

The money matters. The salary cap dictates. Malkin’s cap hit trails only Alexander Ovechkin’s at the top of the NHL heap. Production must equal pay.

Malkin isn’t a leader. He’s not a locker-room guy. He’s not gritty. The Penguins don’t need him to sell tickets. Getting on the score sheet is all he offers. So he must.

Malkin hasn’t had one dominant game so far this season. Not one.

It’s early, especially if last year is ignored. Is Malkin’s urgency to be questioned? Doesn’t matter, because the Penguins have no one who dares question it.

Michel Therrien was an ideal coach for Malkin. Therrien would point at the scoring leaders and ask Malkin, “Where’s your name?”

Good question.

Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9)