What if Washington selected Malkin first overall, and left Ovechkin to Pittsburgh?
 

If Washington selected Malkin first, and Pittsburgh now has Crosby and Ovechkin on a line together. What would the NHL be like? Would both players point totals be boosted by each other's presence? Could they both be consistently putting up 140 points a year? And most importantly, would the penguins be tearing up teams enough to make the Habs of the fifties jealous?

Thoughts.

never would have happened in any universe.

Pens would just be tearing it up. I know Ovechkin has kind of struggled this season, but he's better than Malkin imo.

only if the penguins kept doing ceremonies during regular season games 60 years later.

Both teams would be as happy with their players as they are now, and both teams would be among the best teams in the NHL as they are now. That top line with Crosby and Ovechkin would be particularly awesome for stat lovers, but I do not see much difference. Both are amazing players among the best in the league, so in the end I doubt it would make a huge result team wise.

The Winter Classic every year would simply be a Penguin practice and scrimmage.

Who knows what would have happened. Maybe the Pens wouldn't have won a single cup. Hell, the only reason they have one this decade is because of Malkin's insane play in the finals.

Was Ovechkin the undisputed #1 back then, or were some scouts saying Malkin could go first?

Ovechkin was the clear consensus. Only one scout, Dave Conte, head scout for the New Jersey Devils said he would have benn tempted to take Malkin number one if he had the pick.

They would have taken Cam Barker. :sarcasm:

What a dropoff from Malkin to Cam Barker. :laugh:

Crosby probably wouldn't be a Penguin (Something about the draft lottery for 2005). NHL would be completely diffrent if that happened though.

:dunno: it wouldn't make that much of a difference..

Yep.


Never would have happened though. Aside from David Conte being absolutely smitten with Malkin there was just no way Ovechkin wasn't going to go #1. Ovechkin had been the clear #1 for years heading into the draft and had completely lived up to every expectation that he had up to that point. Malkin wasn't considered an elite talent until around the middle of the draft year, and his stock steadily rose throughout...but Ovechkin was always the 'safe' #1, while Malkin was the more raw player with the potential to be on Ovechkin's perceived future level. I'd say they've both lived up to expectations and they're definitely both on that top elite tier in the league. I doubt things would be much different on the ice, really. Fantasy players would be creaming their pants, but that would be the biggest effect.

I agree. As far as the teams go, and assuming the Pens still win the lottery (they would in this hypothetical as it states washington passed on Ovechkin and picked Malkin so no lost lottery ball), the teams would look differently to a degree, but overall both would be around where they are if you exchange those two parts.

No, you could not match the Habs of the 50's and 70's with current cap restraints. Just look at the team of the 76-77 season (statistically the greatest NHL team ever assembled): Lafleur would be making 7-8 million today, Shutt would be making 5 million, Robinson would be making 6 million, Lemaire would be making 5-6 million, Lapointe would be making 4-5 million, Philly would probably give Dryden 11 million, Savard would be making 5-6 million, Gainey would make 3-4 million. Just with those seven skaters alone, that's over half of the cap. You just can't put talent like that together anymore.

No that wouldn't have made a difference. The OP is saying if Washington had picked Malkin instead of Ovechkin, so Washington still picks first.

I think Pittsburgh would be about the same, but they would be a one line team. That being said, maybe Staal, with the second line ice time, becomes better and they still win the cup.

Washington could go either way, but they would still be one of the top teams

It was Ovechkin and had been for at least a few years.


As for what could have been, imo different looking teams simply because of the development of Backstrom & Staal, if they're drafted the same.

why don't we go further and assume the pengs tanked for all three of them...

You just love being wrong...

If the Capitals chose Malkin first overall instead of Ovechkin nothing about the 2005 Draft changes. The Capitals still had the first overall pick by virtue of winning the draft lottery...


The bigger mind**** is the fact that had the Penguins retained that 1st overall pick in 2004 Sidney Crosby would have been an Atlanta Thrashers (the winning lottery ball was #12, the Penguins had balls #10, 11, and 12...had the Penguins retained that first pick we would have lost that 3rd ball and been somewhere in the 30s or 40s for lottery balls, since they were sorted first by the # of lottery balls held by a team and then by alphabetical order...with Pittsburgh dropping off that tier and Washington moving from 1 ball to 2 then the other 2 ball teams move up. Anaheim would have received balls 10 and 11 and Atlanta would have had 12 and 13. Now that would have had lasting implications on the league, to say the least.

Things would absolutely change. Malkin didn't hop the Ocean until 2006-2007, meaning Washington would have spent the 2005-2006 season without their elite pick while Pittsburgh would have had both Crosby and Ovie instead of just Crosby. Who knows how that impacts the standings for the 2006 draft (but it's a safe bet to say that Pittsburgh probably would have moved up a couple spots and Washington would have had a better chance at #1). Maybe Washington then ends up with Erik Johnson, Jonathan Toews, or Jordan Staal instead of Nick Backstrom. Or, even pretending the standing are the same, with Washington already holding a top notch center prospect, maybe McPhee accepts the trade with Boston and the Bruins get "the Swede" and Washington lands Kessel. Maybe then Kessel never holds out and is traded to Toronto, and Boston never gets Seguin.

In other words, everything changes.

****in' butterflies! :laugh:

There would be a thread called "What if Washington selected Ovechkin first overall, and left Malkin to Pittsburgh?"

In this alternate universe message board posters would be making threads "What if Washington had taken Ovechkin with the 1st pick?".

Hum.. Without Malkin Pittsburgh never wins the cup.