Therrien centers in on Malone to make impact
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Five months ago, Ryan Malone looked to be the logical -- and
leading -- candidate to center one of the Penguins' top two lines.
Whichever one didn't have Sidney Crosby in the middle, to be precise.
Malone is big, can skate and has pretty fair skills, so it's easy to
understand why he was a popular choice fill that role.
But as training camp approached, the Penguins' coaching staff and
management became enamored of casting Lasse Pirjeta as a top-six forward.
The idea surprised some observers, and proved to be a lot like casting
Gilbert Gottfried as Hamlet, which is part of the reason Pirjeta is now
working on another continent.
But even after the Pirjeta experiment was declared to be an abject
failure, Malone never really made it into the mix for a job in the middle.
Coincidentally or otherwise, the Penguins always came up one forward shy of
the number they needed to have two productive scoring lines, and Malone went
through autumn and early winter as a virtual non-factor.
But after his season hit its nadir when he was a healthy scratch four
times in a five-game span in late December and early January, Malone was
shifted from left wing to center, a place where he had been used only
sporadically by former coach Eddie Olczyk. And he seems to be settling into
his new role quite nicely.
Penguins coach Michel Therrien said "we're looking to get
bigger in the middle," and, at 6 feet 4, 219 pounds, Malone certainly helps the
Penguins do that.
More important, though, is that he is beginning to perform effectively at
both ends of the rink.
"Lately, he's playing better," Therrien said. "He's skating better. I think
he's been better, more comfortable in his own end. He knows how to react in
defensive situations."
Malone is doing pretty well in offensive ones, too. His line -- he played
between John LeClair and Eric Boguniecki -- produced both the Penguins' goals in
their 5-2 loss Monday at Ottawa, with Malone scoring the first and assisting on
the second.
He has put together multiple-point games for the first time this season, and
enters the Penguins' game against Boston at 7:38 p.m. today at Mellon Arena with
a three-game scoring streak that matches his season high.
Because the Penguins' offense ranks among the least efficient in the league,
generating just 154 goals in 56 games, Therrien will take as much scoring as he
can get from any source.
Truth be told, though, playing Malone at center isn't so much about upgrading
the Penguins now as it is preparing for the future. Therrien and the front
office are interested in finding out if Malone can be counted on to hold down a
job in the middle in coming seasons, which is why his trial at center figures to
go on for a while.
"This is not only for a weekend," Therrien said. "It's probably for the rest
of the season, because we want to make sure of that when we make decisions."
Because Crosby figures to be a fixture with this franchise for many years --
and because all concerned expect Russian prospect Evgeni Malkin to be in the NHL
next season -- Malone likely is auditioning for a spot on the third line.
Malone has played on the first and second units at various times during his
season-plus with the Penguins, so some might view a spot on the No. 3 line as a
step down. Malone isn't one of them.
"I don't care," he said. "You can put me on the fourth line, as long as we're
winning."
The Penguins (12-33-11) haven't done much of that this season, but figuring
out who can fill which roles in coming years should expedite the process of
becoming a playoff contender.
Malone never has expressed a strong preference for being used on the wing or
at center, but acknowledged that, "if I had to pick one, I'd pick center."
He likes the defensive responsibilities that go with the position, he said,
and the way he tends to get more involved when he's playing in the middle.
And he recognizes that he, like so many of his teammates, has a great deal to
play for the next two months, even though reaching the playoffs ceased to be a
realistic objective long ago.
"Obviously, a lot of young guys are getting a great opportunity here," he
said. "It's important for all of us to seize the moment because, in a couple of
years, those opportunities aren't going to be there.
"If you don't make the best of the rest of this year, it could come back to
haunt you."
Malone quite familiar with Penguins' camp
Monday, September 22, 2003
By Dave Molinari, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
WILKES-BARRE - Ryan Malone is only 23 years old, and is just a few months
into his first professional contract.
Even so, attending a pro training camp isn't exactly a novelty for him.
Fact is, Malone already has done it a half-dozen times or so.
Just not in the past 15 years or so.
Malone, you see, is the son of Greg Malone, the Penguins' head scout. The
elder Malone's NHL career included stints with the Penguins, Hartford and
Quebec, and his son was a regular at practices and training camps.
"Any chance I could, even if we had a day off school, I'd go down and
watch the Penguins practice," Ryan Malone said. "Whenever I could, just to
be around the rink."
It's worth noting that if drafting Malone, a fourth-rounder in 1999, was
a move rooted in nepotism, the Penguins might want to consider locking up
the rights to every draft-age child whose parents work for the organization.
For while Malone is a bit behind right winger Eric Meloche, the son of
Quebec scout Gilles Meloche, he has the size (6 feet 4, 215 pounds),
toughness and mind-set, along with no small measure of skill, required to
have a productive career in the NHL.
Perhaps starting as early as next month, because coach Eddie Olczyk said
yesterday that Malone remains very much in contention for a place on the
Penguins' regular-season roster.
"Absolutely," Olczyk said. "No question."
Malone sat out the Penguins' 4-2 exhibition loss to Washington at
Wachovia Arena last evening, but that was because he had played in games the
previous two nights, not because the front office is dissatisfied with what
he has shown during camp.
And while there isn't much question that some more time in the minors --
Malone has appeared in just three games with the Penguins' American Hockey
League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre -- probably would benefit him, Malone won't
object if his AHL apprenticeship is over.
"Talking to all the reporters, everyone expects me just to play in
Wilkes-Barre and be happy with that," he said. "And obviously, that's not
going to make me too happy. I definitely want to make the big club."
Olczyk played Malone on the left wing during a 4-1 loss to the New York
Islanders in Wheeling, W.Va. Friday night, then used him at center during a
1-0 loss to the Islanders Saturday night at Mellon Arena.
The latter game reinforced management's feeling that Malone is most
effective in the middle -- "Most of our people feel that he's going to be a
centerman," Olczyk said -- but that did not detract from what he showed on
the left side the previous evening.
"I thought he banged the body very well [in Wheeling], created a lot,"
Olczyk said. "He missed a couple of good [scoring opportunities], but was in
the right place, where he needed to be."
That Malone lacks a little polish is pretty clear, but it also is evident
that any shortcomings he has cannot be traced to a reluctance to sweat or
sacrifice. "I'm a big guy, and I'm not really afraid to do anything," Malone
said. "So whatever they need me to do, I'm willing to do."
Malone underscored that during the championship game of the Penguins'
training-camp tournament, when he engaged winger Tom Kostopoulos -- a pal
from their time together with the Baby Penguins -- in a fairly spirited
fight.
"We're friends, but we were getting whupped pretty badly in the game, so
I figured I might as well get a fight under my belt before I go into the
exhibition games," Malone said. "I hadn't fought for a while, so it was nice
to take a couple of punches and give a couple of punches."
Forward Colby Armstrong is another of Malone's buddies, and doesn't have to
strain to see Malone fitting in with the Penguins this season.
"He looks really good out here, and he's so big and strong," Armstrong
said. "He's got great hands, and goes to the net hard. I think he does all
the things you need to do on this team."
Armstrong and Malone spent a couple of weeks this summer at a camp run
by Penguins scout Chuck Grillo in Brainerd, Minn. -- "We were talking about
Pittsburgh the whole time," Armstrong said -- and Malone credits his annual
trip to that camp with being a key to his development.
"I've been going there since I was 15 years old," he said. "That's
what made me the player I am. I thank them every chance I get. That's just
an unbelievable camp. It's done wonders for me."
Malone, who played at Upper St. Clair High School before leaving the area
to further his career, pointed out that when he was a youngster, he did not
display any particular promise.
"[Penguins prospect] Jimmy Abbott was on the 'A' amateur Penguins teams, and
I was on the 'B' team back then," Malone said. "I wasn't really a good
player, but I kept working every summer. I worked hard to get where I am
today, and I keep working to get to the next level." |
