Tim Benz: Max Talbot on nuances of being winger for Sidney Crosby vs. Evgeni Malkin

Maybe too much was made of it.

But the quote did kinda just hang out there.

After Jason Zucker’s first game with the Pittsburgh Penguins — a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning last week — captain Sidney Crosby probably thought he was giving Zucker a compliment.

“Regardless of who he plays with, I think he’s got a ton of speed,” Crosby said. “He fits the way we play as a group. If you look at our line combinations, everybody kind of plays with different guys.”

But what many people seemed seize from that quote was, “The new guy is good. I’m just not sure he’s the right fit for me on my line.”

Crosby may not have even realized he said it. Or maybe he 100% did. Who knows? Regardless, it spurred the conversation, “Does Crosby even want the new guy on his line?”

Much of the assumption was that Zucker was acquired specifically to be a winger for Crosby, given the injury to Jake Guentzel and the success that Bryan Rust has had with Evgeni Malkin.

Zucker is fast. Has a good shot. Plays a simple straight-ahead game

We’ve made similar assumptions in the past. With James Neal. And Phil Kessel. And Jarome Iginla.

Often times, those wingers found more success being paired with other centers, including Malkin.

That may seem incongruous. On the surface, one would think that it’d be difficult to sync with Malkin’s more unpredictable, East-West, European, creative style.

Meanwhile, for as advanced as Crosby’s skillset may be, he plays a basic, straight-ahead, workmanlike, fundamental game.

He just does it at a freakishly high level of precision.

Malkin is a Lamborghini. And even though Crosby looks like a Ferrari, he works like a pickup truck.

Former teammate Max Talbot was back at PPG Paints Arena recently. He was the guest public address announcer for “French Language Night” when Montreal was in town Friday.

Magnifique job, @Max25talbot. pic.twitter.com/IqOQBnYnRZ

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 15, 2020

By the way, “travail bien fait, Maxime!”

Before the game, I asked Talbot why it appears harder for new players to gel with Crosby than with Malkin.

Talbot flipped the answer, claiming that playing with Crosby isn’t necessarily difficult. But he insists being on a line with Malkin is easier than what many would think. Talbot would know, often playing with Malkin to the tune of Stanley Cup success in 2009.

In a way, Talbot says the complexity of Malkin’s game almost makes the job of the winger simpler.

“I feel like Geno is easy to play with because he’s got the puck on his stick and you just go and try to open up,” Talbot explained. “To me, I kind of liked that he wasn’t just straight ahead. So (as a winger) you could adjust and read.”

“It’s not ‘easier,’ ” Talbot emphasized with his voice. “It will get you more chances. Because he does stuff. He holds (onto the puck) one extra second.”

As a result, because of Malkin’s size and reach, that draws more defenders and potentially results in more open ice for his wingers.

“Geno sometimes does things differently. You always have to be ready. But if you think that he thinks like that, it’ll create more space for you,” Talbot continued.

“With Geno, there is different stuff that will create options.”

Talbot went on to cite Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz as perfect examples of players to blend with Crosby, which is why they so frequently worked as partners for the captain on his line.

“With Kunitz and Duper, it’s two straight-line guys that would go and play with Sid,” Talbot said.

Talbot pointed out that he rarely played on a line with Crosby. But when he watched those two flank Crosby, there are reasons why the trio worked so well. They think about the game like Crosby. Could skate well enough to keep up with Crosby. And they worked as hard as Crosby.

“A lot of give and go. A lot of speed. But it’s more straight line. It’s the right work. No cheat,” Talbot stressed.

Those attributes all seem to match Zucker’s scouting report. So, in time, one would think the partnership should get entrenched. And, in their second game together, the picture started to emerge as the two connected for a pair of goals by Zucker.

“It’s communicating, it’s talking through it,” Crosby said after the 4-1 win over Montreal. “It’s a process. But you build confidence and you produce.

“His game is pretty simple to play with. Whoever plays with him. And it just comes with reading off each other.”

1️⃣6️⃣=?? pic.twitter.com/A5ZV5ejJ11

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 15, 2020

Our gift to you this Valentine's Day: this beautiful goal. ? pic.twitter.com/ahKqXj6O7K

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 15, 2020

Well, there it was again. “Whoever he plays with.” But when Crosby said it that time, it felt a lot more like a nod to Zucker’s flexibility as opposed to a “let’s wait and see” approach.

“He knows when it’s time to pull up and open up for a shot or go hard to the net,” Crosby continued. “It may not always translate into you scoring. But you may take someone with you and open space for someone else. His speed really pushes guys back. It allows him to get open. And when he gets open, he does a good job of getting his stick on pucks.”

Based on the progress made between their first contest together and the second night, there’s more reason to believe than ever that the two can find some chemistry.

“I’m just going to get open,” Zucker said of playing with Crosby after the Montreal game. “Just skate. Push some ‘D’ back. Use my speed so the option is there if he sees me.”

It’s funny when you think about it based on Talbot’s answer. The simplicity of Crosby’s game may, at times, make this more complicated for his partners. And the complexity of Malkin’s game may make things simpler for his.

But analyzing the results for their wingers has been pretty simple for both since they became teammates in 2007:

If you keep things simple yourself, look out.