Quote:
Originally Posted by GioforPM
I irrationally see red when I hear "best player in the world". It's overhype - any player who's the best in the NHL is the best in the world because no league comes close. But no one was proclaiming Sid or Jarome or Jagr or Mario or even Gretzky were "best in the world" because it just sounds so stupid.
Not to mention you can make a good case against McDavid based on his poor 200 foot game.
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Agreed. It’s always struck me as a funny designation to bestow upon him, especially with no clear metric.
It’s always reminded me of friendly (often beer-fueled) debates friends and I had around Crosby and Ovechkin around 2005-10. The consensus we arrived at was Ovechkin was probably the more pure skilled guy (certainly the more skilled goal scorer). We thought if you compiled top highlights of both guys, Ovechkin’s would probably be the more entertaining and, at times, astounding with what he could do. But, if you could only pick one to build your team around to win it all, it would be Crosby every time.
I think the talk around McAvi is similar. IMO, he is the most skilled player in the game. The things he does with the puck, and the speed he does them at, are amazing. I don’t think there’s another player that quite comes close right now. But shifting to who’s the one guy you’d build your team around to win it all? The discussion gets more interesting. Certainly he’s in the mix, but so are Mackinnon, Makar, probably Barkov, and a few others I’m probably missing.