Evgeni Malkin spoke with reporters in Russia about his 2018-19 NHL season when he joined the national team earlier this month.
"I had a bad season and I’m going to get out of the pit," he told reporters in Russian. "Sometimes, criticism is justified. This time, it’s probably justified.”
There was plenty to criticize in Malkin's season, but there was a lot of good, too. I'll take a look at the bad, the good, and where things go from here.
THE BAD
Malkin led the Penguins in giveaways this season with 84.
Playmaking is inherently risky, and that's evident by looking at the next three players on the giveaway rankings -- Phil Kessel (78), Kris Letang (76) and Sidney Crosby (67). Crosby's a great playmaker, yet even he commits his fair share of turnovers despite having arguably the best two-way game in the league. So, you should expect Malkin's count to be high, as well.
Still, some of Malkin's giveaways this season were more egregious and avoidable.
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