Evgeni Malkin: Pittsburgh Penguins Center Ready to Avenge Poor Season

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Penguins beat writer Rob Rossi released the following article after the Pittsburgh Penguins received a disappointing boot from the Montreal Canadiens in the 2010 playoffs.

Rossi's note to GM Ray Shero to "field offers for [Evgeni] Malkin" brought forth many negative reactions, including a rebuttal from yours truly concerning Malkin's invaluable worth to the team.

Trading away one of the greatest talents in the league today would be both a foolish and brash decision, and the Penguins organization smartly disregarded Rossi's opinion on one poor season from the young star.

The 2009-2010 season was Malkin's most disappointing since joining the NHL in 2006. He registered career-low numbers with 28 goals, 49 assists and a plus/minus of minus-6.

Many attribute this to foot and shoulder injuries that not only forced Malkin to miss 15 games in the season, but also nagged him when he was playing. Another factor would be the physical and psychological burnout of two long runs in the playoffs building up over time.

Regardless of the reason, it was clear to many that Malkin wasn't ready to play last season. Unfortunately for him, the season was preceded by the best of his career.

A force on both ends of the ice, Malkin led the league in scoring with 35 goals and 113 points while leading the league in takeaways. It was a breakout season that displayed Malkin's capabilities as a two-way center. He followed up his strong season with an equally strong playoff where he earned his first Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

By the end of the hockey season, people were proclaiming that Malkin, not teammate Sidney Crosby, was the best player on the team and top overall talent in the NHL.

When Malkin's lazy backcheck that led to sloppy penalties and lackluster attitude on the ice replaced his defensive savviness and offensive hunger, the disappointment in the fans and media was constricting. People panicked and demanded his immediate trade for a winger for Crosby.

Five months later, following a restful summer, training camp, and four preseason games, Malkin has demonstrated that this season will be unlike the previous one.

Looking purely at the surface, Malkin led the Pens in scoring with three goals and three assists for a plus-four rating. However, the chemistry he developed with linemates Mike Comrie and Eric Tangradi in such a short amount of time was truly astonishing.

Tangradi, who spent a majority of the preseason on the second line left wing, is a strong contender to start the season in that position but may find his way back to AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as time passes. Even without Tangradi, Comrie, who finished the preseason with four goals and one assist in four games, can surely maintain that chemistry with Malkin if he can keep up with Malkin's quick hands.

Taking away the linemates, Malkin was showing flashes of midseason form when it was just him and the puck on his stick. I'm talking about the moments Malkin delves into his creative side and produces incredible snapshots of good hockey.

The sign of a solid-playing Malkin is a creative Malkin. When it's clear he's having fun (the proof is typically on the scoreboard) by weaving in and out of defensemen, dangling the puck as if it was tied to his stick, and deking the jocks off goalies, there is no stopping him which is why he was unstoppable in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals against Carolina.

There was very little creativity in Malkin's strides last season, which answers why there was a substantial decrease in production on his end.

After a season with Ruslan Fedotenko on his wing, getting new linemates in Comrie and Tangradi might just trigger that creative spark that ignites Malkin and ultimately the rest of the team. So far, it seems to be working.

In his four seasons in the NHL, Malkin has been able to take, inconsistently, some of the negative jabs at his game and turn them into positive performances. With a long break distancing him from his mediocre play, Malkin looks ready to move on and show doubters why he belongs on this team and the value that comes from his presence on the bench.

Come Thursday evening, everyone should expect a new and improved Malkin to step onto the ice against the Philadelphia Flyers, ready to avenge his previous poor performance.

Laura Falcon is a college intern for Bleacher Report and Featured Columnist for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Follow her on Twitter or email her at [e-mail].