Will Anze Kopitar ever win the Art Ross Trophy for most points during the regular season? Probably not. But, I’ve always considered him to be more of a complete two way player. I personally myself would rather the Slovenian that Penguin star Evgeni Malkin. Would you rather not know what you’re going to get each night (in Kopitar) compared to Malkin where he’s prone to take periods or entire games off. Does the Russian centerman have three 100 point seasons under his belt, yes he does. But, the Kings have two equal power play units (per power play) and do not play as wide open as the Penguins do.
The fact us Kopitar only has missed five games in the last 5 years and those games were last year after suffering a broken ankle. Compare that to Malkin who’s missed 61 games in the last three years. That proves one think, the Kings superstar is more durable and is willing to play through all bumps and bruises.
Have you ever seen the centerman from the west coast bitch or complain due to a non call? That’s a common occurrence three or four times a night in Pittsburgh. If one were to take a survey among NHL coaches and/or General Managers before the start of the playoffs, it would have been 75% for Malkin. Kopitar’s play along with the Kings dominance during their current 15-2 run, would likely have more of them taking Kopitar over Malkin. I’ll go as far as saying this, when both of their careers are done, I see the Kings and Kopitar with more Stanley Cups than Malkin and the Penguins.
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