Marek Malik can be a SOLID defenseman in this league. Now wait a second, before you hit the x in the upper right hand corner because you think I have lost my mind, please at least finish reading this paragraph. Marek Malik CAN be a solid NHL defenseman but frankly isn’t. There, hopefully youre still with me.

So, why the grandiose statement followed by a backtrack? Because its really how I feel about the guy. Look, he was probably our best defenseman 2 seasons ago, and suddenly became the team pariah. The guy that causes the entire stadium to collectively groan when he has the puck. But why is that? Well, before we start on the negatives, lets cover the positives.

Marek Malik can be one of the best positional defenseman when he is on his game. He uses his size effectively to angle out forwards along the boards. He uses a superior stick check, and smarts to maneuver guys into low risk areas of the ice. He is pretty good at closing guys off on the boards, and hes an excellent first pass.

However on the flip side, Marek is extremely slow and falls victim to rookie mistakes at least once every 3 games. So what exactly is a rookie mistake? Why do we use that phrase so much? It’s simple really, a rookie is generally a young player, who still has a lot to learn. This learning generally means improvement in his game, decreasing obvious mistakes, and increase in team value. Marek Malik makes rookie mistakes, and makes them often. The guy does blind passes up the middle. The guy pinches when three men are already below the net to try to keep the puck in. The guy leaves his partner out to dry so often, it is scary, and yet somehow he is a +32….Huh?!

How do you explain the +32. Well the cynic says, simple, the guy plays only when Jagr and company is on the ice, which raises his +/- and also decreases chances against since that 3-some has the puck for so long. But that really is only part of the story. As I have said earlier, Marek really does have an excellent first pass, WHEN HE AVOIDS ROOKIE MISTAKES. As long as the guy doesnt try to pass through 3 people to hit the home run outlet pass, he makes smart, tape to tape passes. And yet, he forgets to do so just often enough to make him the whipping boy of the fans. Malik further distanced himself from the fans by proclaiming that he will not change his game to suit the fans. He plays his game for his teammates. However therein lies the problem. The fans do not hate Malik because he doesnt do enough good things. I dare say that most Ranger fans, if they dont have so many glaring negatives to look at, can spot the good in his game enough to make him a fan favorite. However what they cannot stand for are unforced turnovers, sloppy and overstickhandling, and a refusal to use the boards to get the puck out of pressure situations. Malik often tries to make a breakout pass when under extreme pressure, rather than pull a Girardi and make the safe, smart play out of the zone. Remember, he is a DEFENSEMAN, not a forward. He is paid to help keep the puck out of the net, not to help put it in the other guys net.

Now, if Malik could improve, and irradicate those rookie mistakes, and continue to improve upon all the pros we have just talked about, I feel he could be our #3 defenseman next year. But the likelyhood of this stubborn guy getting over himself, and sucking it up and playing smart, safe hockey rather than high risk, high reward hockey is doubtful at best. Mareks friction between himself and the fans is going to do nothing but grow next season. We can all see it coming. We see the improvement of Tyutin, the emergence of Girardi and Rozsival, the Messiah in Staal is on his way, all these things further shed a light on Maliks gaffes, rather than on his gems. When the group as a whole plays well, it makes the 1 bonehead play to really stand out. Malik wouldnt look as bad playing on a team like Phoenix or something, but here, he looks really bad. We are a team built around keeping pucks out of our net, and transitioning to offense after that. A more offensive version of the Devils imho. But if you play that style, you cant have guys like Malik on the team.

Malik has value, those of you looking to move him for a bag of pucks will be surprised at what he could fetch. My guess, a 2nd rounder, or a decent prospect, or as part of a larger trade to get a big name here. He has a relatively light contract, and a lot of pros in his game that I feel most scouts will be able to notice.

So that would be my suggestion, move Malik before he becomes a distraction, and a detriment to the team because of the fans hating him. There are a lot of kids who are ready, and able to take his place.

-Inferno

Posted by inferno272 on Thursday, May 17th, 2007 at 6:21 pm.