PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Nearly two decades into a Hall of Fame career, Evgeni Malkin says he needs a change. Not a chance of scenery, rather he needs to change his game. It’s something he’s come to realize over the course of the season.
The 37-year-old center says he is attempting to play smarter than he ever has. He has come to realize he can’t be the same player he was when he won the Hart Trophy as a 25-year-old.
“We have seen Geno trying to make adjustments to his game,” said Pens head coach Mike Sullivan. “I think there have been moments where he’s very good at it.”
Sullivan said it’s not a conversation that was generated this week. Rather they’ve had these talks ‘over the last little while’. With him for the last nine seasons, Sullivan said Malkin is still an elite player in the NHL. He believes he still has the ability to drive offense, but he needs to use his experience to make him faster and more efficient and in turn, it will make it easier.
It’s much like you might here a 10-year veteran NFL defensive back discuss how knowledge of the game helps him keep up with faster receivers. The analogy might be an MLB pitcher explaining why he can still be effective even if he’s lost speed off his fastball.