Will Patric Hornqvist Be a Consistent Goal Scorer Alongside Evgeni Malkin?

After acquiring Patrick Hornqvist in a draft-day trade last June, the Pittsburgh Penguins are hoping that the winger will provide some greasy offense for the second line alongside his projected center, Evgeni Malkin.

When it comes to scoring, Hornqvist is all about going to the net, using his tenacity to make up for a shortage of top-end skill. "I wanted to play like Peter Forsberg when I grew up," he told Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as the Penguins' exhibition schedule wound to a close on Wednesday. "But I decided I couldn't."

"I’ve always liked to be in front of the net, start some scrums, try to find those loose pucks and screen the goalie," he said. "I’m not fancy … I don’t have those hands. I have to take it to the net to have a chance."

Two guys who do have "those hands" are a pair of Hornqvist's new teammates—Malkin and Sidney Crosby. According to Molinari, the only chance Hornqvist has ever had to play with centers close to the caliber of Pittsburgh's Hart Trophy tandem was during the 2014 Olympics, when he lined up with Henrik Zetterberg as part of silver-medal-winning Team Sweden.

Not only are Crosby and Malkin stars in their own right, Jonathan Willis shows in this piece for Sportsnet that they've consistently improved their linemates' production throughout their careers. Nine different players who lined up with Crosby saw their offense increase by an average of 36 percent compared to their output on other teams, while wingers who played with Malkin improved by about 25 percent. 

Last season, Malkin was limited to 60 games. When he was in the lineup, he showed good chemistry with his wingers, Jussi Jokinen and James Neal. Despite their success, Malkin will be making a fresh start in 2014-15: Jokinen left the Penguins as a free agent this summer, while Neal was the trade chip sent to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Hornqvist and checking forward Nick Spaling.

At worst, Hornqvist should slot nicely into Jokinen's spot on the left side. Their playing styles are different—Jokinen's a skilled forward without much of an aggressive edge—but their 2013-14 stats are remarkably similar: Jokinen had 21 goals and 57 points for the Penguins, while Hornqvist posted 22 goals and a career-high 53 points in 76 games.

If the "Malkin effect" has its desired impact, Hornqvist's numbers should improve, possibly matching those of the man he was traded for. Malkin's old right winger, James Neal, scored 27 goals last season after peaking with 40 goals and 81 points during his first full year in Pittsburgh, back in 2011-12. 

While almost all of Crosby and Malkin's wingers over the years have benefited from their playmaking, there have been a few exceptions. The most notable was Jarome Iginla, who struggled to click with Malkin when he was acquired at the 2013 trade deadline.

So far, the chemistry between Hornqvist and Malkin remains untested, as the big Russian has been sidelined with an undisclosed ailment throughout training camp. General manager Jim Rutherford has been cagey so far, but he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Tuesday that there's a chance that Malkin could be in the Pittsburgh lineup on opening night.

Malkin's absence has caused Hornqvist to be shuffled through the lineup during preseason, where he didn't record a point in four exhibition games.

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

On Wednesday, he got his first chance to play with a top-notch center when he lined up with Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz on Pittsburgh's first line. The trio didn't score, but Crosby looked great in his first game of the year, recording seven shots, while Hornqvist and Kunitz had two shots each.

Hornqvist seems to have made a positive first impression on Crosby, who told Dave Molinari that the relentless Swede "creates a lot of havoc out there."

That gritty playing style will add a new dimension to a Penguins top six that questioned itself after last year's playoff elimination for relying too much on skill. With Malkin (or Crosby) feeding him, expect to see Patric Hornqvist enjoy a career year and flirt with that 40-goal plateau in 2014-15.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.