Poll: Best player in the league right now?

[mjd1001]

Who is the best player in hockey right now?

 

-Austin Matthews. 52 goals, 24 assists, 76 points right now. On pace for over 70 goals.  Led the league 2 years ago in goals, last year 'only' reached 40 playing through a wrist injury. Scoring goals is said to be the hardest thing to do in hockey, and he is the best at it over the last few years. On pace for 77 goals and 113 points this year.

-Connor McDavid. 21 goals, 66 assists, 87 points, after a very slow start. 5 time Art Ross Trophy winner, 3 time MVP, currently reigning champion in both. 27 years old and 6 times 100+ points.

-Nathan MacKinnon. 34 goals, 59 assists, 93 points.  Only he and Kucherov on this list is a cup winner.  2nd in league in points, 5 out of leading. 7 years in a row being a double digit + in the plus-minus column. 2nd only to Kucherov in playoff points over the past 5 years, but 1st in playoff goals scored (33 goals in 52 playoff games, scoring goals at a 52 goal per 82 game pace in the playoffs vs playoff competition)  Probably the closest we have to a modern day Mark Messier...intense, fast, clutch performer who will 'will' his way to success once he pushed his talent to the limit.

-David Pastrnak. 36 goals, 46 asissts, 82 points. Best player on the best team (overall wins) over the last couple of years. 3rd in the league in goals and 5th in points over the last 5 years. 61 goals last year. In the past decade only McDavid had a single season with more goals (64.)  When I personally watch the Bruins, he rarely makes a mistake in any zone on the ice.

-Nikita Kucherov. 37 goals, 61 assists, 98 points this year through 58 games to lead the league (on pace for 52g, 86a, 138 points). Multiple time 100+ point guy...multiple time Cup winner. Leads league in playoff points over the past 5 seasons...28 more than 2nd place.

 

Just curious to see what everyone thinks as of right now....

 

 

Edited February 25 by mjd1001

[Thorner]

Matthews or McDavid

Went with Matthews cause he’s just goal scoring at an insane clip right now. He could theoretically hit 500 career goals *2 years* from now. McDavid is probably the most talented ever but I’ll give Matthews his due for this stretch. Shame he never registers any assists 

[mjd1001]

21 hours ago, Thorny said:

Matthews or McDavid

Went with Matthews cause he’s just goal scoring at an insane clip right now. He could theoretically hit 500 career goals *2 years* from now. McDavid is probably the most talented ever but I’ll give Matthews his due for this stretch. Shame he never registers any assists 

I can't totally disagree on McDavid as having the most talent ever....but as someone in my late 40's, I watched a lot of hockey as a Kid...Gretzky, Messier, Lemieux, Hasek, Brett Hull are some I saw.....I really, really have a hard time not thinking Mario Lemieux wasn't the most talented player ever.  Sure, goalies were awful back then.....but more than anyone (Gretzky included), there were plays were Lemiuex simply could not be stopped. 1 on 3 and he would walk through the other team and just score.  Too bad his career was cut short by his illness at such a young age.

If someone says McDavid in terms of talent though over Lemiuex...its tough to compare players a few decades apart, so I could go either way.

Edited February 25 by mjd1001

[Thorner]

17 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I can't totally disagree on McDavid as having the most talent ever....but as someone in my late 40's, I watched a lot of hockey as a Kid...Gretzky, Messier, Lemieux, Hasek, Brett Hull are some I saw.....I really, really have a hard time not thinking Mario Lemieux wasn't the most talented player ever.  Sure, goalies were awful back then.....but more than anyone (Gretzky included), there were plays were Lemiuex simply could nto be stopped. 1 on 3 and he would walk through the other team and just score.  Too bad his career was cut short by his illness at such a young age.

If someone says McDavid in terms of talent though over Lemiuex...its tough to compare players a few decades apart, so I could go either way.

I should have just said “best”. No one has ever played the game as well as him due to advancements in physical stature and training. Berth Gretzky and Mario into today’s world and I’m sure it’s a different story. But if you time travelled McDavid as-is back to that era he’d skate circles around the entire league

just pull up highlights from even the earlier 2000s

Greatest is a different question: that’s relative. McDavid isn’t the greatest. Not even in his era. Sid has had the greater career 

Edited February 25 by Thorny

[pastajoe]

While McDavid and Matthews may be the best offensive players, McKinnon is the best all-around skilled leader like Crosby or Messier who rises to the occasion to lead his team in the playoffs.

[French Collection]

MacKinnon can do it all. His ratio of goals and assists is about right since they hand out two per goal. When he gallops towards the other end, people come out of their seats and hold their breath. Electric.

Kucherov is leading the league in points, 20+ ahead of Matthews.

Matthews can score goals like no one else but having one assist for every two goals is not indicative of a centreman in a team game.

McDavid is the most talented player in the league and is never a bad choice for this award even in a down year.

Pastrnak is last int this group imo, but a great player.

Edited February 25 by French Collection

[Scottysabres]

McKinnon or Kuch, I chose Kuch. Really all on that list are fantastic though.

[mjd1001]

I thought about D-men or goalies, but no one really comes to mind to even come close to the to forwards right now.

[French Collection]

57 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I thought about D-men or goalies, but no one really comes to mind to even come close to the to forwards right now.

Quinn Hughes was in the conversation until about 20 games ago.

[Pimlach]

12 hours ago, Thorny said:

I should have just said “best”. No one has ever played the game as well as him due to advancements in physical stature and training. Berth Gretzky and Mario into today’s world and I’m sure it’s a different story. But if you time travelled McDavid as-is back to that era he’d skate circles around the entire league

just pull up highlights from even the earlier 2000s

Greatest is a different question: that’s relative. McDavid isn’t the greatest. Not even in his era. Sid has had the greater career 

Bobby Orr was better than everyone else for a time.  They couldn’t fix knees back then like now. 

47 minutes ago, French Collection said:

Quinn Hughes was in the conversation until about 20 games ago.

I don’t see it. 

Edited February 25 by Pimlach

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Crosby has started the inevitable decline, but if my team just makes the playoff I would want him leading it still.

Nathan MacKinnon is the best player in the NHL right now.

I humbly suggest you edit his name in the poll ... he is a Mac not a Mc.  Thems fighing words for some, eh.

EDIT:

The poll should be public so we know who to shame for picking that prima-donna Auston - you might as well adjust his name in the poll while you are at it (insert winkie thingie here) ... we all know that @Thorny has a man-crush on dear ol' Auston.

Edited February 25 by Sabres Fan in NS

[Weave]

NM is to me the best player in the league right now.  He is elite in all facets of the game, and can take things over like noone right now.  Off the charts intensity and focus.  Absolute beast.

[Buffalonill]

 matthews is legit the lamar jackson of the NHL

Sure lots here would want him on this team but I wouldn't  he's Selfish and horrible in the playoffs .

So what's the point of having him just to look at his cool goal stats?

My vote Nathan McKinnon

Edited February 25 by Buffalonill

[French Collection]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

I don’t see it. 

Me either, but the media up here was.

[mjd1001]

Interesting a lot of the poll results currently have McDavid as #1, but yet a lot of the comments are for MacKinnon.  For those who vote McDavid, what are the reasons to choose him over MacKinnon?  Right now he has double the votes.

[mjd1001]

15 hours ago, Thorny said:

I should have just said “best”. No one has ever played the game as well as him due to advancements in physical stature and training. Berth Gretzky and Mario into today’s world and I’m sure it’s a different story.

One thing I never really thought too much about with Gretzky/Lemieux and many others from that era.  Might they have been ever BETTER if the nature of the NHL was closer to what it is now than it was back then....meaning Gretzky had to have someone like Dave Semenko on his line...often small star playes would have their own 'bodyguard'.  I think in a lot of Gretzky's high stat seasons, he was on the ice a lot (not all the time but a lot) with Semenko or McSorely.  Even strenght it was Gretzky, Kurri, and one of them. What if you moved Glenn Anderson up to Gretkzy's line in place of them...or maybe Tikkanen on a more regular basis.  Would his numbers have been ever better?

[Rasmus_]

McDavid, then MacKinnon for me.

[Thorner]

5 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

Crosby has started the inevitable decline, but if my team just makes the playoff I would want him leading it still.

Nathan MacKinnon is the best player in the NHL right now.

I humbly suggest you edit his name in the poll ... he is a Mac not a Mc.  Thems fighing words for some, eh.

EDIT:

The poll should be public so we know who to shame for picking that prima-donna Auston - you might as well adjust his name in the poll while you are at it (insert winkie thingie here) ... we all know that @Thorny has a man-crush on dear ol' Auston.

I try to associate as much as possible with Matthews so as to invite comparisons between our hairlines: the one aspect I definitively destroy him in 

[msw2112]

I admit that I don't watch enough hockey to make an accurate vote.  I went with McDavid based on what I have seen over the last few years.  He's the most skilled player and the fastest, and seems to play with jam.

An argument can be made for MacKinnon, based in his stats, his fairly recent Cup win, and the tremendous amount of jam he plays with.

Matthews is a one-trick pony.  He's a hell of a goal scorer, no doubt, but he doesn't do much else and has not elevated his team in the playoffs.

I hope I don't regret saying this, as I don't want to turn this into a Jack Eichel thread, but remember when Eichel was supposed to be one of those guys?  To his credit, he has fit in nicely with his new team and played a major role into winning a Cup himself, but he's not at the level of these other guys.  And I still don't miss him in Buffalo. 

[HOUSE]

They all suck

[SwampD]

Kucherov.

He's got the extra bit of nasty that gives him the edge over the others.

His ridiculous amount of playoff points proves it for me.

[French Collection]

45 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Kucherov.

He's got the extra bit of nasty that gives him the edge over the others.

His ridiculous amount of playoff points proves it for me.

Kucherov has 160 points in 142 playoff games.

MacKinnon has 100 points in 77 playoff games, better ppg average.

[mjd1001]

I think they pedegree and the hype might influence some of our voting.  I'm not saying McDavid ISN'T the best player, but sometimes I think he gets the benefit of the doubt over everyone else because we all heard he was generational. McKinnon, while VERY highly respected coming into the draft, I remember was the 'semi-generational guy' while we really wall waited a couple years for McDavid.

 

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, French Collection said:

Kucherov has 160 points in 142 playoff games.

MacKinnon has 100 points in 77 playoff games, better ppg average.

To me, MacKinnon is second.