Malkin's efforts in Russia

Essentially hours after the NHL officially locked out its players, Evgeni Malkin announced he would be playing for Mettalurg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), just four games into their season.

Fans had mixed reviews of seeing the favorite players head overseas; it darkened the hope of a resolution coming quickly, but also gave them some hockey games to which they could relate.

How’s our MVP being fairing overseas?

After going scoreless in his first two KHL games, Malkin was already drawing criticism. He stood firm, saying, “My KHL goals will come,” (qtd in Rianovosti). He hadn’t even been in the country for a week, but when your reputation precedes you, people expect a lot.

The KHL is shorter schedule, with only 52 games played in the regular season compared to 82 for the NHL. To achieve his 50-goal accomplishment of last year, Malkin would have to score at least once in all but two games. Altering the numbers to reflect the shorter season, he would have to score roughly 32 goals to be on the same pace in the KHL.

As of Wednesday, November 7, Malkin has eight goals, 20 assists and 28 points in 18 games. Malkin has clearly been a contributing factor to Mettalurg’s third place ranking in the Eastern conference, but he’s behind the pace for a season as notable as last year’s.

Perhaps that’s a good thing. We want to make sure he comes back to the NHL once an agreement is reached, whether that’s yet this season or next year.

One thing is for certain, he can still weave in and out of defenders and score like it’s nothing! Check out this video of a goal Malkin scored in October:

Wait out the (potential) lockout or play in Russia?

With the looming possibility of a lockout, players are starting to come up with Plan Bs. For Evgeni Malkin, that plan B is playing hockey in Russia. 

I have mixed feelings about this. First of all, typically when you go on a "strike" of sorts, aren't you not supposed to earn money elsewhere? But that's the least of my concerns.

The dilemma is do you want your players keeping up with their skills by playing elsewhere or is the risk of injury too great that they should continue with their off-season workouts? 

After training in Russia two summers ago, Malkin had a season that earned him the Hart Memorial Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Award and the Art Ross Trophy. Clearly he was doing something right. By continuing the training he did prior to the 2011-2012 season, there's no telling what his next season would bring. But training is just that - training. It's not the game intensity of competing on the ice. Nothing can replace the experience of facing your opponent on the ice in uncontrolled situations. The previous season Malkin suffered from a torn ACL AND MCL. While last year didn't show any lingering issues, the memory is still fresh of not having him on the ice. While it's not an easy answer, I say Malkin would benefit from playing in Russia. 

But then I heard Captain Sidney Crosby might join him. If we're still in a lockout after Christmas, Crosby will probably head overseas to play in Russia. At its root, it's the same dilemma: keep your skills strong or risk injury? Without implying that Malkin is tougher than Crosby, I have the opposite gut feeling when it comes to Crosby playing: don't do it. Crosby's concussion battles continued into the 2011-2012 season. When he played, he made his presence known. But he went two long stints without making an appearance on the ice. He finished the season strong, but missing him on the ice is an even fresher memory. Simply put, Crosby has been injury-free for a shorter period of time. Concussions are a trickier injury to contend with, and the risk is still high. One hard hit and Crosby could be right back on the bench.

That's not to say any of these concerns wouldn't be a reality if playing in the NHL. They would be. But, to be completely selfish, at least it would be for our team.

I also have to at least acknowledge what it would be like for the players - you have a career doing what you love, but because a large group of people disagree you're told you can't play/work? I'd go after my heart and find where I could do what I wanted to do, too.

To play or not to play?