Quote:
Originally Posted by albertGQ
Nieuwendyk is one of the best rookies in NHL history. Johnny doesn't hold a candle to Joe's first 4 NHL seasons.
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I'd argue against that. If you are looking at raw points than absolutely Joe wins, but if you look at relative points I think it is a different story.
Joe's first year he placed 17th overall in scoring and was 55% (92 vs 168)of the top scorer. Johnny placed 29th and was 74% (64 vs 87).
Second year Joe placed 31st at 41% (82 vs 199) and Johnny as of today is 8th and 78% (73 vs 94)
Joe's numbers get better when you take out guys named Mario and Wayne (70% of the third place guy and 53%) but overall vs the league I think Johnny has done a better job of keeping pace with the competition, making him a more impactful rookie (at least point production wise). Monahan's second and third year production compared to the league's best is more on par with Nieuwendyk (Monahan has 71% and 63%)
Nieuwendyk had a 51 goal rookie year, that is awesome, he was 5th overall in goal scoring, and he was a year younger than Johnny when he started so I am not taking anything away from him. But I think it is a closer competition and Johnny definitely holds a candle to him.