Best hands among active players

[Tkachuky]

Kane and Gaudreau are very swift with their puckhandling.

McDavid does magic with the puck at a slower speed than Kane and Gaudreau.

Those 3 are the best in my eyes.

 

[ManofSteel55]

1. McDavid (for the "I can do what you can do at twice the speed" factor)
2. Kane
3. Gaudreau

 

[Getzmonster]

Toss up between Kane and Gaudreau for me. Homer vote for Rakell as well.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

1. McDavid (for the "I can do what you can do at twice the speed" factor)
2. Kane
3. Gaudreau

I've never fully understood this line of thinking. Is it impressive to have handles at speeds that most guys simply can't reach because they're not that fast? Sure, but what exactly does that have to do with hands? I have a hard time imagining that a guy like Kane would suddenly become Kris Draper if he could skate that fast.

Meanwhile, guys that can stickhandle in phone booth (beat guys without hardly moving) shows off hands more so.

 

[ijuka]

McDavid has better hands than Kane does.

 

[ManofSteel55]

I've never fully understood this line of thinking. Is it impressive to have handles at speeds that most guys simply can't reach because they're not that fast? Sure, but what exactly does that have to do with hands? I have a hard time imagining that a guy like Kane would suddenly become Kris Draper if he could skate that fast.

Meanwhile, guys that can stickhandle in phone booth (beat guys without hardly moving) shows off hands more so.

For most of us there is a certain speed at which your hands can no longer keep up. Even star NHL caliber players experience that. It isn't that McDavid is faster than everyone, it's that he does at top speed what nearly nobody else can do at half speed while fully focusing on puck handling.

Stickhandling while hardly moving is hardly even a necessary skill in games, you're gonna lose the puck 99/100 if you try to do that, even if you are a way better stick handler.

 

[ESH]

Kane and Gaudreau are very swift with their puckhandling.

McDavid does magic with the puck at a slower speed than Kane and Gaudreau.

Those 3 are the best in my eyes.

The reason that McDavid is so good is that he can stickhandle at a faster speed than anybody else

 

[Tkachuky]

The reason that McDavid is so good is that he can stickhandle at a faster speed than anybody else

I think he moves faster than Kane and Gaudreau but his hands are not faster with the puck compared to Johnny and Kane. If that makes any sense.

 

[ManofSteel55]

I think he moves faster than Kane and Gaudreau but his hands are not faster with the puck compared to Johnny and Kane. If that makes any sense.

The difference is that to make their sweet, amazing dangles, Gaudreau and Kane have to slow down a little bit. McDavid still does it while going top speed. Gaudreau has pulled his share of sick moves against the Oilers, but he's never going top speed while doing it.

 

[Tkachuky]

The difference is that to make their sweet, amazing dangles, Gaudreau and Kane have to slow down a little bit. McDavid still does it while going top speed. Gaudreau has pulled his share of sick moves against the Oilers, but he's never going top speed while doing it.

He does it entering the zone fairly often but nowhere near to what McDavid does when he picks up the puck in his own zone and skates it.

Either way to me, all 3 are brilliant with the puck.

 

[ManofSteel55]

He does it entering the zone fairly often but nowhere near to what McDavid does when he picks up the puck in his own zone and skates it.

Either way to me, all 3 are brilliant with the puck.

Agreed. It's a pretty clear top three for me.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

For most of us there is a certain speed at which your hands can no longer keep up. Even star NHL caliber players experience that. It isn't that McDavid is faster than everyone, it's that he does at top speed what nearly nobody else can do at half speed while fully focusing on puck handling.

Stickhandling while hardly moving is hardly even a necessary skill in games, you're gonna lose the puck 99/100 if you try to do that, even if you are a way better stick handler.

For most of us... we're talking about the elite players in the world.

It is absolutely because McDavid is faster. He's one of the most explosive skaters the league has ever seen. Are you going to argue against that? Most skilled players can't show off stickhandling at that speed because most players flat out can't skate the way he can.

Players that can beat guys with stickhandling more so than speed are showing off their hands more so.

 

[The Moose is Loose]

Either McDavid or Kane. It's impressive what McDavid can do at high speed, but pure hands is probs Kane

 

[Scorcho]

Kane by a landslide

 

[Scorcho]

 

[Laineux]

For most of us... we're talking about the elite players in the world.

It is absolutely because McDavid is faster. He's one of the most explosive skaters the league has ever seen. Are you going to argue against that? Most skilled players can't show off stickhandling at that speed because most players flat out can't skate the way he can.

Players that can beat guys with stickhandling more so than speed are showing off their hands more so.

Difficulty increases exponentially with speed. It doesn't make sense to hold it against McDavid that he's faster than others. All we know that none of the players with comparable speed to McDavid can touch his stickhandling ability going at full speed.

 

[goblin3]

No Barkov? He has better hands than most of the guys on the list.

 

[Harhis]

Matthews

OK so am I getting this right? Matthews is generational goal scorer, is almost as good defensively as Bergeron, has the best hands in the league, is amazing offensively, creates chances like no other and yet he still can't put up a point per game?

 

[McDavidCrushedLarkin]

McDavid quite easily. Nobody works at his speed like he does.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Difficulty increases exponentially with speed. It doesn't make sense to hold it against McDavid that he's faster than others. All we know that none of the players with comparable speed to McDavid can touch his stickhandling ability going at full speed.

Likewise, it doesn't make sense to hold it against guys like Kane who can't skate that fast.

Who has a better resume right now in terms of stickhandling: Kane or McDavid? There's your answer. McDavid doesn't suddenly get bonus pts because of his speed.

 

[Hugh Mungus]

Matthews

lol

 

[Cats2TheCup]

Every shootout Barkov proves he’s got the silkiest hands in the league.

 

[PatrikOverAuston]

OK so am I getting this right? Matthews is generational goal scorer, is almost as good defensively as Bergeron, has the best hands in the league, is amazing offensively, creates chances like no other and yet he still can't put up a point per game?

We call that the Leafs Nation Paradox (TM).

Who has a better resume right now in terms of stickhandling: Kane or McDavid? There's your answer. McDavid doesn't suddenly get bonus pts because of his speed.

How does one get a better "resume" stickhandling?

 

[ijuka]

I think he moves faster than Kane and Gaudreau but his hands are not faster with the puck compared to Johnny and Kane. If that makes any sense.

I disagree, McDavid's hands are faster than anything I've seen Gaudreau or Kane ever do.

 

[authentic]

I disagree, McDavid's hands are faster than anything I've seen Gaudreau or Kane ever do.

Honestly you may be right, I voted Kane but I don't think it would be wrong to say McDavid. Gaudreau is the only other player worth comparing to them IMO.