Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin has won the 2017 Kharlamov Trophy. The Kharlamov Trophy is awarded annually to the most valuable Russian NHL player.
The Kharlomov Trophy is named in honor of legendary Russian player Valeri Kharlamov. The trophy has been awarded every year since 2003 with the inaugural winner being Sergei Fedorov.
Evgeni Malkin Wins 2017 Kharlamov Trophy
This is the second time Malkin has won the Kharlamov Trophy, with his first coming in 2012. The trophy is awarded for how they play in the season prior. Malkin had an outstanding 2011-12 season with the Penguins, scoring 50 goals and adding 59 assists in just 75 games.
That season he won the Art Ross Trophy, the Hart Memorial Trophy, and the Ted Lindsay Award. This cemented Malkin as a truly elite player in the mind of Penguins fans and others alike.
Congratulations to Evgeni Malkin for winning the 2017 Kharlamov Trophy (most valuable Russian NHL player). 📷: Malkin's Instagram pic.twitter.com/7gw9ZrzIlf
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 14, 2017
Despite only playing in 62 games last season, Malkin was able to put up impressive enough numbers to secure himself a second Kharlamov Trophy. In his 62 games in 2016-17 he scored 33 goals and had 39 assists. Malkin continued this point production into the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 10 goals and 18 assists in 25 games on his way to another Stanley Cup.
Malkin joins some elite talent as one of only three players to win the Kharlamov Trophy multiple times. The others to do so are Alexander Ovechkin, who has won the trophy on seven occasions and as recently as 2015, and Pavel Datsyuk, who won his second back in 2013.
Malkin is truly cementing himself as one of the best Russian-born NHL players of all-time, and certainly one of the best in this generation. In 706 NHL games he has 328 goals and 504 assists. Keeping over a point-per-game pace for one season, let alone a career, is truly an impressive feat.
Malkin’s 832 career points currently sit seventh all-time for NHL points by a Russian. He is only 21 points behind Vyacheslav Kozlov. His 328 goals rank ninth all-time and his 504 assists rank seventh all-time. With plenty of hockey left in his 31-year-old legs, there is every reason to believe that Malkin could finish top five in goals and could push for the top spot in assists all-time.
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