Whoa, Hossa is an excellent defensive player as well as a offensive force.  Satan, although talented in both areas, is no where near Hossa’s level.  This is coming from a Pens fan, too.

I think Satan will do fine with Sid, but he’s not in the same area code when it comes to being a complete player.

Posted by Digitalgypsy66 on 10/04/08 at 07:49 AM ET

Satan’s better defensively than he gets credit for, but saying that Satan’s a better backchecker than Hossa just indicates a complete lack of familiarity with Hossa. The two really aren’t in the same class.

Posted by Steve on 10/04/08 at 08:25 AM ET

WOAH!!!! This claim is absurd, and sounds like someone has never watched Hossa play.
Hossa was probably pittsburghs best defensive forward in the finals, and was overshadowed only by Zetterburg and Datsyuk.
this is an absurd claim and is just plain wrong.

Posted by maytag from Ontario on 10/04/08 at 09:41 AM ET

It’s always nice to start the morning off with a really good laugh. Satan is a “more complete” player than Hossa? Please! Clearly Adler’s brain is itself addled.

And if, just for the sake of argument, Satan is a better backchecker at this point in time, he won’t be by the end of this season. Marian’s on a team whose religion is backchecking. And his linemate (Datsyuk) is arguably the best backchecker in the league.

Here’s hoping we get to compare the two face-to-face in the Finals next spring.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 10/04/08 at 10:00 AM ET

Here’s hoping we get to compare the two face-to-face in the Finals next spring.

Cheers bitches

Posted by Osrt on 10/04/08 at 10:22 AM ET

We can only speculate how a season of Hossa and the best playmaking center in the league would have went, but we are going to see Satan and this god on skates play together. If Satan doesn’t put up near career best numbers, than he really is old and washed up and needs to retire. But at the same time, there is no doubt that Hossa is still in his prime and WOULD have put up career best numbers with Sid.
I really doubt however, that Satan will do better than Hossa would have with Sid.
As for the back checking comment, I don’t know how he came up with that.  Satan is a career +9, hossa a career +85.  Obviously this has a lot to do with the team they are playing on as well, but thats a huge difference.
But when it comes down to who is better for the Pens, I have to agree that it is Satan, simply because the Pens could not have afforded to keep Hossa with out losing players like Orpik or Staal. And when it comes down to Hossa vs Satan AND Staal or Hossa vs Satan AND Orpik, I would go with with Satan over Hossa.

Posted by Kevin from Pittsburgh on 10/04/08 at 11:52 AM ET

We can only speculate how a season of Hossa and the best playmaking center in the league would have went…

You won’t have to speculate, Kevin. Just watch what happens this year...because Hossa will be playing with the best play-making center in the league.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 10/04/08 at 12:38 PM ET

Well OTC, I think Pavel and Hank are great, but neither one are better than Sid when it comes to helpers, and Malkin is right in the mix of them too.
Sids 1 season best...84 in 06-07
Datsyuk’s best...........66 in 07-08
Malkin’s best..............59 in 07-08
Hank’s best................49 in 07-08

So the argument CAN be made that Pavel or Hank are better complete players than Sid and Geno, but as far as playmaking goes, Sid destroys all. And factor in that Sid in 06-07 also led the team in goals, that proves he didn’t have a high scoring winger, he just found a way, some way, to find the open man. Even if that man is Rob Scuderi, who has 3 career goals, like he did today against Tampa.

Seeing Datsyuk and Hank in the finals really gave me a greater appreciation for how great they are, but when it comes down to playmaking, Sidney Crosby is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

Posted by Kevin from Pittsburgh on 10/04/08 at 10:07 PM ET

So the argument CAN be made that Pavel or Hank are better complete players than Sid and Geno, but as far as playmaking goes, Sid destroys all.

Well, crap, I guess I’m gonna have to give you that one, Kevin. All hail the #1 disher. But maybe, just maybe, one reason Pavel has fewer assists is because he’s not only on the ice at even strength and on the power play, but he’s also out there on the PK. When Cindy plays a “complete” game, maybe we’ll be able to really compare the two.

But, for now, Cindy is definitely the assist king. Someday, he might even be more than that. Maybe.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 10/04/08 at 10:21 PM ET

But maybe, just maybe, one reason Pavel has fewer assists is because he’s not only on the ice at even strength and on the power play, but he’s also out there on the PK.

Crosby’s higher passing numbers vs. Datsyuk are artificially inflated because Crosby plays less minutes? That’s even weirder than the idea that Zetterberg’s about to sign for $6.5 million.

Well, Crosby’s killing penalties now (and I think he at at least one each SHG and SHA in the preseason), so I guess we’ll find out if extra ice-time sends his passing numbers into the gutter, strange an idea as that is.

Posted by Steve on 10/05/08 at 07:56 AM ET