He's definitely the best skater on the team. IMO he's also been the Flames best player in the playoffs, despite his mistakes. He is doing more than anyone else on the ice to help us win.
The only part of his game where I would like to see improvement are his decisions with the puck in the attacking zone. Sometimes he's too hesitant with the puck when he should be shooting, and when he does shoot, the shot isn't there and it usually gets blocked. He scored 11 goals this season (pretty good), but he could put up way more if he develops that killer instinct.
What's wrong with starting a discussion on where Brodie ranks among the league's best skaters? If you want to quantify things, given your dedication to advanced stats, then why don't you go there instead of posting a video of Matt Duchesne?
"Best skater" can't be quantified anyway. It's a subjective test that includes acceleration, top-end speed, agility and edgework, plus style and ease of stride. It seems like people are willing to give their opinions on the topic. I don't see that yours is more valuable than the opinion of anyone else.
Are we ignoring when he skated into Getzlaf to cough up the puck and let Anaheim score last night, instead of banking the puck off the boards and out of the zone?
There was more to that play though.
He picked up the puck, eyed his target for a break out pass, took two strides then watched in horror as said target left the ice on a line change leaving him without options.
His recovery wasn't ideal for sure, but you could see it unfold when his outlet pass target disappeared.
Brodie is a great skater, more so for his agility and edge work IMO. Effortless is how I'd describe him. He's not a speedster like MacKinnon, Grabner, Hagelin, etc.
Probably top ten in the league overall, but definitely not best in the league, never mind best ever....
He is an excellent all round skater, and his agility is his best skating attribute IMO. The way he can change direction on a dime in order to create space for himself is unreal.
His acceleration, top speed and conditioning are all well above NHL average too IMO.
I won't go as far as to say he's the best skater in the league.
I will say he has the most effortless stride in the NHL and I'm almost willing to bet he's skated more miles than anyone in the NHL this season. Try to find a clip of Brodie gassed or out of breath. It doesn't even make sense.
Brodie is a wonderful skater, he makes it look completely effortless. However, I think MacKinnon is the most fluid skater with the most terrifying acceleration I have ever seen since Pavel Bure.
