Quote:
Originally Posted by dammage79
Bottom line for me is. Draisaitl scored 105 points on an eighth place team who was a couple OT losses away from completely missing the playoffs. Not bad for a slow skater. Reinhardt scored the same amount of points in the regular season on a better team but yet is heralded as a better player. I feel there's a little legacy and Canadianism going on here.
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I don't mind Draisaitl at all.
Though they may have similar skating speeds, there is a big difference in how they use it.
Draisaitl prefers to slow down the game. When he is making plays, he is often stationary or in a way 'gliding' a lot, and protects the puck quite well until a play opens up (and he can thread the pass at an elite level, which makes him dangerous).
Conversely, Reinhart is constantly moving his feet and making plays at higher speeds. He is much better at playing in tight with speed on the rush, and distributing the puck in those types of situations. He also has apparently a real knack for using his feet to control the puck and make plays with it - something apparently the old superstars used to do, but that you rarely see these days (an article I read called it a 'lost art'). Tough to explain, but Reinhart plays at a faster 'pace' than Draisaitl, even though their speeds may not be so different.
I am not necessarily saying that Reinhart's playstyle is superior or is better able to translate to the NHL (though I personally much prefer it, and make no secret of it), but that is the large difference between the respective prospects' playing styles. They both have elite vision and playmaking ability out there, but they use it very differently.
Edit: With regards to how they both finished points-wise and the respective talent of their teams, you also have to figure into your equation the fact that Reinhart plays a very high-level defensive game. This probably has brought down his total points by playing a two-way game rather than a more offensive one. I find it difficult to compare points between players on separate teams - you can make a very sound argument both ways according to your preference I think.