Quote:
Originally Posted by Monahammer
This list is strange. I would not compare backlund to either of Larionov or Stempniak, but for opposite reasons.
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I think the point though is that comparables are (for the most part) third line centers (Larionov probably being the best one in my history - don't know about how he compares to pre-80s #3Cs). Some of them less awesome than others, but most of them are/were #3Cs for the majority of their career in the NHL.
(Caveat #1: I say most of them, because I haven't bothered trying to find depth charts for these guys from when they played and from the myriad of teams that would involve. I just recognize a lot of third lines centers in that list.)
(Caveat#2: Larionov was the #3C in Detwah behind Yzerman and Federov - when Bowman wasn't stacking the top line. But it's kind of like saying Draisaitl is a #2C because he plays 50% of the time on the second line behind McDavid, and 50% of the time on the first line with McDavid. I would argue though that Larionov does not equal Draisaitl in both a good and bad way. Good in that Igor was a defensive MONSTER, bad in that he was nowhere near as good at putting up points. This is why I said above that he's probably the single best "#3C" in my lifetime.)