I still think Kucherov is the best winger in the game and Rantanen ain't far behind. Tkachuk is great, but he hasn't won yet and I still see him get overwrought sometimes. BUT he will mature even more, so maybe he's more of a build around guy now.
Ignoring goalies, starting a team, you’d want Makar and McDavid. IMO you also want a Hedman type though, and a Barkov/Bergeron/Datsyuk type. Two way hockey is winning hockey.
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to GioforPM For This Useful Post:
RNH really? Does anyone care about or pay attention to 5 on 5 stats anymore? This guy on another team with a regular powerplay is a 50 point player at best.
Fox was a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL finalist for the second time in three seasons by finishing eighth among defensemen with 72 points (12 goals, 60 assists) in 82 games last season. He was seventh in power-play points (29), tied for fourth in game-winning goals (five) and tied for 11th in plus/minus (plus-28), and got his 200th NHL point in his 241st game Jan. 1 to become the second-fastest Rangers defenseman to reach the milestone (Brian Leetch, 211). New York was 15-0-0 when Fox had at least two points and he was the only defenseman with at least 70 points and a plus/minus rating of at least plus-25. The 25-year-old, who won the Norris in 2020-21, began the 2023 playoffs with six points (all assists) in his first two games, passing Brad Park for most at the position in the first two games of a postseason in Rangers history.
"He's like a chess player where he's working 18 moves ahead and he's moving all the other chess pieces around the board while he has the puck," Johnson said. "…He is so much fun to watch. He would be a pleasure as a forward to play with because he is giving you good service all game."
Here's an interesting blurb heading into the top-10 reveal...
Quote:
Tkachuk doesn't even think he's entering his prime yet, which is a delightful sentiment for Florida and probably a frightening one for every other club. Including the playoffs, he finished his first Florida season with 133 points and 197 penalty minutes — only the second player in NHL history to post such numbers in a season (Kevin Stevens, 1991-92).
OP updated with the top 10. Makar makes the top 5 (as he should). I think Pasta gets a little too much credit from playing with Bergeron and Marchand, but we'll see how this season plays out. I mean, regardless, it's still pretty hard to argue him not being in the top 5.
In his first season with the Panthers, Tkachuk tied for sixth in the NHL with 109 points (40 goals, 69 assists) in 79 games and was third in voting for the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player. He was even better in the playoffs, setting Panthers records for goals (11), assists (13) and points (24) in 20 games to help Florida reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1996. The 25-year-old left wing scored four game-winning goals in the postseason, including the series-clinching goal in the final seconds of the third period of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes.
"Kind of forced a trade (from the Calgary Flames), got the big contract (with Florida)," Johnson said. "A lot of players would have a hard time dealing with that kind of pressure. And he goes in there and starts playing fantastic. … And then you think, what is he going to do in the playoffs. … Then he goes in the playoffs and puts on a show for the ages … just sort of willing his team, the underdog Florida Panthers, all the way to the Stanley Cup Final."
RNH really? Does anyone care about or pay attention to 5 on 5 stats anymore? This guy on another team with a regular powerplay is a 50 point player at best.
