Chris Kunitz LW FA Sun 5/12/13 11:49 AM
Chris Kunitz
LW FA
Pittsburgh left winger Chris Kunitz is in the enviable position of being wanted as a linemate by two of the finest centers in NHL history.
Both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin would like Kunitz to be their left winger for the remainder of the playoffs. Kunitz has spent a lot of his Pittsburgh career playing alongside Crosby, including most of this season as Crosby ran up 56 points en route to being a finalist for the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player. Last season, when Crosby missed a lot of games because of injury, Kunitz played on a line with Malkin, who won the NHL scoring title and Hart Trophy, and right winger James Neal. "It's a good problem to have when you get to play with either one of those guys," Kunitz said of coach Dan Bylsma's decisions on line combinations. "Throughout my years in Pittsburgh, I've had a chance to play with both. They're both such elite talents that they make players around them way better. If you work hard, they're going to reward you with good plays."