The 2013-14 NHL season will be upon us before you know it and it’s time to start considering whom you will be taking in the first round of your fantasy hockey draft. Last year we spent four months laying out our Versus Series when we compared players at the same position that are projected to be drafted in the same round.

Unfortunately the NHL and their labor issues pushed the start of the season back to January. With a fresh new(ish) collective bargaining agreement in place, the season will start October 1st without delay and will go for the scheduled 82 games with a 19-day break for the Olympic hockey tournament. It’s eight months of an ice hockey bonanza that eDraft will cover for you like no other web site.

There is no better place to start in our head to head comparison with the top two players in the NHL rankings. They happen to be teammates on one of the NHL’s most prolific teams, using their super powers to win a Stanley Cup in 2009 while collecting more than several mantle’s worth of individual hardware. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are both in the prime of their careers and will give Penguin fans plenty to cheer about for (hopefully) many years to come.

Unfortunately for fantasy hockey owners, you will never get to be Ray Shero in real life with both  of these stars at your disposal. If you are lucky enough to be drafting in the top five of your draft then you will have to ultimately make a choice between the two.

Let’s address the elephant in the room: Crosby’s health. With the obvious history of concussions with the Penguin captain, there is a certain amount of risk if Sid is the route that you choose. Crosby played last season symptom free before eating a deflected slapshot from teammate Brooks Orpik. When he was healthy, Crosby was far and away the best player in the NHL. Statistically speaking, there was no one really close to him before he ate rubber.

Conversely, Malkin had an off year after collecting all of the important individual trophies the year before. Though he missed 17 games in the regular season, Malkin appeared to actually struggle a bit with his elite teammate back in the lineup. When he is 100% healthy and fully invested in his game, Malkin can physically dominate a hockey game at both ends like nobody else in the world. The problem or question is, will we see that Malkin in the 2013-14 season?

There is no wrong answer when you are faced with the prospect of choosing either Crosby or Malkin. There really is no statistical algorithm to examine when choosing one over the other. With 12 more games played in his young career Crosby has scored over 100 more points than Malkin. The stats don’t tell the whole story with the two players though. Over the last full season that each superstar played, they each scored 109 points with almost identical goal and assist totals. Oddly, when both are healthy, they are rarely both at their best.

The final decision can be as simple as a coin flip, a gut feeling or a personal preference. In a physical sport there is always an implied risk of injury. Both Crosby and Malkin have missed large chunks in their young careers with injury, but that shouldn’t keep you away from the talent. In the end, there is no denying Crosby’s innate ability to come back stronger each year. He seems to play with a chip on his shoulder that seems to be a combination on hunger and arrogance.

It’s hard to say that selecting Crosby is “taking a chance” because the return on your selection is guaranteed. Matt Cooke taking his talents to Minnesota could possibly increase the likelihood of injury, but consider Sidney Crosby the better choice of the two Penguins.