Ever since his miracle game (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlXiwCSuWgI) I had 99% confidence that Kuz was gonna be a big-game player if/when he adapts, but his adjustment to the NHL game was anybody's guess.
I was very happy that he was getting ice-time and stayed healthy early in the season, although when he was playing 4C with grinders the development prospects looked pretty uncertain.
But when Bura got shelved and Kuz earned Trotz's trust, I started to think that Datsyuk-lite was a matter of time, muscle, and experience. He just started doing the right things in all 3 zones, not mistake-free, but you could see the complete game emerging.
This Malkin-type stuff is pretty new, though
I did not expect him to be physically ready (or even capable) to do this kind of thing... in playoffs.. already!
Don't know if he can reach superstar-like scoring levels in the NHL, teams will try to adjust and there are bound to be some slumps -- but very happy for him.
To have a great 1-2 punch down the middle is huge, amazingly the core of the team looks completely set now -- it should be so much more doable to figure out the wingers..