Global Series Media Availability: Malkin, Rakell, Rust, Muse
What do you remember about your first time in Sweden? Uh in 2008 when you guys played here? 200 2008 when you guys came here and played uh Ottawa. What do you remember about that? Oh yeah, I I think about because I’ve been here before. I think my first national game is here. I think it’s 2006. Yeah, but 2008 is a long time ago. It’s a it’s great year for team, great year for me. And I remember I scored I think second goal against Atawa and uh yeah I mean it’s a great country love hockey you know great fans here and uh I hope they support to us tomorrow and again like love to play here it’s a great memories 2014 I play here and we have a gold medal but I mean great great hiking tomorrow for sure. Gino you’re off to a really good start on a personal level. How do how do you feel about your game? Are you pleased with how you played so far? I mean, yeah. When you feeling like good, your team, you like lines play good, you know, you stay healthy, it’s like always uh feel amazing and uh we try to win every game. Last couple games, we’re not a great end like pure period. And again like uh we live uh we come to Sweden and try win two games and uh I not think about my game right now. I like I won’t help the team to win and again like power play it’s work you know guys work PK is blocking shots. It’s uh I’m glad we’re here with my teammates and like uh great great day tomorrow for sure. You said you don’t want to think about your game but you pretty happy with your start. If you guys happy I’m happy too. you know, I mean, uh I’m not try too much focus, you know, I’m trying I’m not try to think about my like maybe new contract like maybe one more year. I tell like uh like before season I I I said like I want to be happy. I want to like uh just play my game, you know, not thinking too much. Just enjoy it every day. Enjoy hockey. And what I did like uh right now I’m just uh enjoy it every day like you know come to rank like try doing my best and like yeah again like my lines like play unbelievable like uh Mont right now they play hard like and I try to be like my best game support with these two guys and like again like power play it’s work you know. Yeah I’m happy for sure. You know do you think this team might be better than people thought before the season? expectations weren’t very high, but I mean, do you think this can be a playoff team if you guys stay healthy? Oh, yeah, for sure. Like, and uh yeah, it’s uh we read like a article three season like we’re not good enough anymore, you know. It’s uh Are you kidding me? It’s hard, but uh I don’t think you asked me. It’s like uh probably last three years we’re not sure like best games but again we change coach you know like couple new faces here in team and yeah we try to do it like best and like see play unbelievable you know we we have good group here and uh I think this group like uh show best and like if we still healthy for sure we make laughs and like uh we see what’s going on. Have you peaked at the standings to see how I never say like this. I always want to be better every day, you know. And uh I want to like play uh top my level, you know, and uh nobody knows what’s my pick. Probably myself included, you know, and yeah, I hope like every game is better and better and my pick and maybe I hope in the playoffs. just how are you doing in your injury recovery and how tough was that to have happen right before you know we come here? Yeah, obviously it was uh really really tough for me uh just knowing that this was uh uh this was in our future to come here and play in front of uh friends and family. Um, so it’s still tough, but at least I’m I’m really happy that I was I’m just going to I was able to go on this trip and be around the guys and just uh see what it’s going to be like. So, it’s still pretty cool. So, uh, no, I’m very much looking forward to watching the games. What’s it been like for you to see your North American teammates embrace the Swedish traditions, the food, and from your perspective, is there a group on the team that’s been more adventurous, whether it’s young players, whether it’s the vets? I think everybody’s done a really good job of uh trying different things and exploring and uh I’ve only heard heard uh good things so far. So, I think uh it’s been a really good trip for everybody. Right side, second row. It’s a big season for all NHL players. It’s the Olympic Olympic season. So, is there like any small trash talk already in the locker room between for example Sydney Crosby and uh Brian Rost uh Villa Coven and stuff like that? Uh no, I wouldn’t say it’s I think it’s too early for that. Uh uh we’re just having fun in a locker room and uh uh no, but we haven’t talked anything about those things. Uh some of us still going to make the team right side. I I guess you were the one who organized the uh the spa day yesterday. How did that come together? And then how did you think everybody enjoyed it? Oh, everybody had a great time. Uh, you know, we had a long flight and uh it’s just nice to uh settle down and uh just enjoy a nice couple hours to relax and uh recover. So, uh no, it was wonderful. We’ll take one more in English in the front here. Taylor, uh Latang said while you guys are here, he wants to try starting. Carl said he’s not a fan. I just want Do you have any comments? Yeah, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Uh, I myself have never tried it and I don’t think I ever will, but if he wants to do it, uh, I can watch a video after, but I don’t want the smell. I don’t want to I don’t want to be close to that thing. Um, you guys have been here for a couple days now. Just what have been your impressions of Sweden and just everything it it has to offer. Um, Sweden’s been fantastic. Um, we’re able to kind of get in here to have a few days to kind of see some sites and uh take in what Stockholm has to offer. Um, I have a little bit of a Swedish heritage, so I uh it’s actually really exciting for me to come back here um and just kind of see where back in the history that uh some of my family came from. Can you tell us more about your heritage? Is it your mom or dad? Um my dad’s mom’s family’s from Goththingberg. If you have a question, please raise your hand. Light lifting today. No, no more questions for Ryan. You want one in the back, John? No. Go, go ahead. Um, and your parents are here, right? Yes. Yeah. So, have you gotten to see them at all yet or? Yeah, we uh went to dinner last night. They’ve seen a couple museums. They went on a kind of bus tour of the city. Um, so my mom was rattling off stats to me last night at dinner, so it was it was fun. Uh, I think they’re having a really good time with it. I could see how excited my dad is, too, to kind of see where see more of his heritage, too. Yeah. And isn’t Carl from Goththingberg? Uh, he’s from somewhere I think he’s from a smaller town, but near Goththingberg. Yeah. Okay. And then, how has Rex been as a tour guide for you guys? I feel behind behind the spa, maybe. Yeah. Uh, Rex has been awesome. Uh, he’s had this little smile on his face ever since we got here. Um, it’s cool. I think it’s I think it’s super exciting to see guys that uh don’t usually get to play at home be able to come home and kind of show us around their cities and uh show us kind of everything they know and everything that uh how we should know. Go ahead, Emily. Uh just wanted to see what you’ve thought about where Eric Carlson’s game has gone, especially since Four Nations last year. What you’ve seen from him. Um he’s been fantastic. Uh he’s been super confident with the puck. He’s been making a lot of plays. He’s been playing really well on defense for us and you can see um I think he’s just having a lot of fun out there. Uh he’s a guy who usually has fun. He usually has a smile on his face and uh he’s having a good time, but you can tell that um how well he’s playing and he’s kind of just feeding off that and it’s just keep he just keeps kind of going and going. I just have one more. Um last time you guys skated was like right off the plane. I know everyone was kind of tired. How does it feel today after getting some time to like acclimate here? How did the the legs feel? Good. Um definitely a whole lot better than right when we got off the plane. I think uh it was definitely good to get that practice in. Um get those uh plane legs out, but I think uh after we’ve gotten to be here for a couple days and get acclimated to the time, I think it’s uh kind of feeling like business as usual. I want to ask you about Eric Carlson. What were your expectations for him coming into this season? I mean, I guess the view was he hadn’t played as well in previous two seasons. And what what have you seen from him this year? Maybe that’s been better. Eric, um, in terms of expectations, I mean, he’s a he’s a he’s a world-class defenseman, you know, I mean, like you’ve seen what he’s done in this league for so long and, you know, just from coaching against him, you know, uh, just knowing you got to be aware every time that he’s on the ice and so, um, yeah, I mean, that’s the expectation and, you know, past couple of years, you know, maybe, you know, he didn’t feel like his game was exactly where he wanted it to be, but honestly, that wasn’t really part of the conversation. I think it was just, you know, I was excited to get an opportunity to get to know him, excited to get an opportunity to to work together with him. Um, seen what he’s done in the league for a long time. And so, um, you know, the expectation is he’s a to he is a world-class defenseman and to be that and like he’s shown that, you know, I think he’s been playing really well and it’s been at both ends of the both ends of the ice. Um, you know, he’s just he skates so well. um you know like and so that that ends up impacting the game both offensively just his ability to whether it’s jump up in the play um carry the puck up in the play, get involved in the offense um but also like you know like the way he can defend as well and just to close space and um and he’s been doing that and so um been really happy. It’s been great to get to know him. Uh great to be working together with him. I’ve I’ve really enjoyed that part of it. Um you know I think he’s he’s playing at a really high level. If you have a question, please raise your hand. Left side. Eric, I think you had CO and CPanin on the same line last game and then split them up at practice today. What do you like about those guys, the two fins together? And what do you like about the look when they’re on different lines? What do they do differently? Yeah. No, you know, we did split them up today for practice. Um, and that wasn’t necessarily based off of, you know, what, you know, something anything they weren’t doing or seeing it together. Um, I don’t typically, you know, we won’t, we’ll look to match guys up together based on previous experience. Nationality typically doesn’t play a role in it. Um, so that wasn’t a factor in having them together there for a little bit. Um, you know, I think it was just looking to, you know, mix up those lines a little bit, see how it looks. Um, Copenan, you know, he’s a guy who, you know, he’s been playing wing for us, even though I think center is a little bit more natural for him when he played we played wing last year. um you know just in previous games that we looked at and just you know talking back to other people here like he did a good job. It allowed him to probably get in on the for check a little bit more too than maybe he does when he’s playing in the middle. Um you know I think when you have the that too some different options there you know multiple guys on the line um they can play in the middle or they could take a face off it’s always a bonus and you’ve had that there whether he’s with Lizo or he’s with Hayes and so it’s just to give it a little bit of a different look. Um, and with Kymanin, you know, I think he’s a guy he’s he’s been playing uh he’s been playing good hockey. You know, he’s been getting to really good areas, really good spots. Um, he’s gotten a lot of chances. He’s getting more chances there on the inside, too. And so, um, you know, we want to see him continuing to to get to those areas and get to those places. And, um, yeah, gave it a little bit of a different look. We wanted to see it today in practice. And, um, we’ll talk as a staff and decide, finalize how we want it to look there for the game. on the right side, third row. Dan, uh Dan, there was a lot of noise around of Genny Malin before the season, just, you know, 15, 17 games in. What are you seeing from his game so far? Yeah. Um, no, I mean, he’s he’s playing really well for us, you know, I think he’s, you see it there five on five and on the um, you know, and on the power play. Uh, he’s a guy if you give him a little bit of time and space, you can make a lot of lot of things happen with it. And so, um, you know, I think he’s obviously from the production standpoint, um, you know, it’s been good, but I think it’s on a nightly basis. You know, I think he’s been getting chances, he’s been getting good looks. Um, you know, you referenced the noise, like I don’t for me, like I came in here like this was, you know, uh, for everybody, it’s not looking backwards, we’re looking forwards. And um you know this was you know I was extremely excited to get an opportunity to get to know him and get to you know work together with a guy who’s been you know a world class player for 20 20 plus years whatever it is now. It’s for a long long time. And you know, I think he came out of the gates there, you know, even going back to training camp, just seeing the way he practiced, um, you know, he’s a really competitive person. Like, he wants to win. He wants to be, uh, he wants to be great, and he shows that on a regular basis in practice and in games. Um, so yeah, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him, getting to work together. Standing up in the center of the room, uh, you mentioned Copenan and Uh about Copenan, he has played like 360 games in the AA AHL. Uh how do you describe him as a player? He just continues to battle his place in the NHL. Yeah. Um you know, I think what I’ve seen from him so far, and this goes back to even training camp, obviously it’s a smaller window um so far playing up in the regular season here. Um, but he’s a guy who, you know, when he’s on the ice, um, you know, like you just there there can be a lot of trust there from on the defensive side of things. He’s a guy who’s very responsible. He’s in good places. Um, you know, like when he is playing center, you know, he comes back, he defends hard, he’s got that long reach, he can close space. Um he’s a guy that for us as we were making decisions on like you know looking at we needed to fill out our roster due to injuries. He’s a guy who made a really good impression on our coaching staff as an in his ability to kill penalties. And so that was something that was a need um that we needed to have here just based on guys that were hurt. And so um I think that’s kind of that’s something that’s a good base for his game. um just that defensive responsibility and you know like you can trust him and his ability there to to kill penalties and then you know I still think he’s a guy too that there’s there could be even more there on the offensive side. Um like I said like his ability to get in and and disrupt plays on the for check and then recover pucks and create offense off of it. Um you know ability to get to the net and have that presence there and a strong stick and a um just strong presence in general at the net front. Um so that’s what I’ve seen from him. Um, you know, like I said, it’s it’s been a good impression. Um, going back to just the exhibition games, we didn’t we didn’t start the year here. Um, but, you know, even if you go back to to what he the impression he gave a new coaching staff early on, it was it was a strong one. And then when we were in a situation like this and we needed to recall somebody, um, obviously he was a guy that, you know, I felt like, and he has, he came in and he transitioned well, um, to be able to jump into our lineup.
Evgeni Malkin, Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, and Dan Muse speak to the media at the NHL’s Global Series in Sweden on Nov. 13, 2025.
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