Will having played overseas help or hurt returning players?

[pittsoccer33]

The Penguins only had a few guys overseas - Malkin, Engelland, Jeffrey, and Vokoun. The Flyers, Rangers, and Islanders all had more.

Will those players come back in better physical condition and be less likely to be injured, or will they come back with less energy and be more likely to wear down over the next four or five months?

I have to imagine Malkin will be our overall best conditioned player right now.

[Idoit40fans]

Once people get in gear, i'd assume those who didnt' play would be at an advantage. That said, ice on european rinks tends to be least wearing. That said, its still hockey. That said, who knows. That said...

[MarioLives]

I am more concerned about the players who have not been playing. With the compressed schedule I can see some muscle and hip injuries to those players. I think Malkin will tear it up for the first few weeks while other players are getting into shape.

[Tico Rick]

Yeah, I expect Malkin to be flying. He'll be in mid-season form while others are just gearing up.

[Gaucho]

Tanner Glass was playing in Slovakia.

[meecrofilm]

Obviously helps Jeffrey getting that knee in game-shape. I'd hope he ends up on the roster if deserving, though I fully expect Adams' worthlessness to keep a better player off the roster.

[Gaucho]

Hey, Jeffrey's teammates were Andy Sertich and Jonathan Filewich.

[thepittman]

I would think they guys who aren't rusty would have the advantage

[Gaucho]

Obviously helps Jeffrey getting that knee in game-shape. I'd hope he ends up on the roster if deserving, though I fully expect Adams' worthlessness to keep a better player off the roster.

Because who needs good penalty killers and whatnot.

[newarenanow]

I think it will both help them and hurt them.

[tfrizz]

Obviously helps Jeffrey getting that knee in game-shape. I'd hope he ends up on the roster if deserving, though I fully expect Adams' worthlessness to keep a better player off the roster.

Because who needs good penalty killers and whatnot.

I agree but they still have Cooke, Glass, Sutter, and Vitale.

[netwolf]

If a player gets off to a good start after playing overseas, it will be b/c he's already in game shape. If he struggles, it will be b/c he isn't as rested as the guys that didn't.

If a player gets off to a good start that didn't play overseas, it will be b/c he's well-rested and got extra time to recover from last year. If he struggles, it will be b/c he's not in game shape and has a bunch of rust to knock off.

[Admin]

Game shape trumps all.

[meecrofilm]

I thought that was love...

[America]

Malkin also has been tearing it up over there, something like 31 points in 11 games? If he continues that here, Mr. Art Ross is all his.

[KennyTheKangaroo]

I think it will both help them and hurt them.

way to make a decisive statement there nanerpuss

[mikey287]

I was talking to a couple of people "in the biz" about this...there's no strong feelings one way or the other really...a lot of European schedules (like the KHL) aren't as demanding...breaks for tournaments occur, not a grind...45, 50, 55 game seasons spread out over a similar length of time as our 82-game jobs...less physical, less demanding systems...inside smaller countries like Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, less travel compared to the United States/Canada also...

Some get game shape out of it and start out better but finish worse...some might be worn out, hot dog it through the NHL season and get strong at the end...I mean, there's a few different possibilities...case by case basis though is the mantra for such a thing...no strong correlation one way or the other is evident to me...