Hart Trophy Tournament (Post 2000's) Round 2: 2001 Sakic vs 2003 Forsberg

[blundluntman]

MATCHUP #1 (Round 2): Joe Sakic 2001 vs Peter Forsberg 2003

Joe Sakic (2000-01):
82 GP 54 G 64 A 118 Points | 2nd in scoring, 2nd in goals, 5th in Assists, 2nd in Selke voting

Peter Forsberg (2002-03):
75 GP 29 G 77 A 106 Points | 1st In Scoring, 1st in Assists, 4th in Selke Voting

Round 2 Matchups:
Sakic 01 vs Forsberg 03
Thornton 06 vs Kucherov 19
Crosby 07 vs Ovechkin 08
Malkin 12 vs Price 15
Draisaitl 20 vs McDavid 23
McDavid 21 (Awarded Bye Week)

Round 1 Results

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[Johnny Tomala]

Sakic

 

[DitchMarner]

Joe wins comfortably in point production and point production relative to peers. If you project Forsberg's totals over 82 games, they're close in terms of overall production. In that case, I think Sakic's immense goal scoring advantage gives him the win, if nothing else. I don't know what would overcome that gap. Physicality isn't enough.

 

[Regal]

Joe wins comfortably in point production and point production relative to peers. If you project Forsberg's totals over 82 games, they're close in terms of overall production. In that case, I think Sakic's immense goal scoring advantage gives him the win, if nothing else. I don't know what would overcome that gap. Physicality isn't enough.

Yea, I think the missed games hurt as well, and Forsberg would have to be clearly better to make up for it. One thing with Forsberg is that his ES scoring efficiency was pretty incredible and was a huge standout among the league. When combined with his possession game and defense, you could argue he was a better ES player. But Sakic was also dominating at ES, and was much better on the PP while also being one of the main PKers on the team. I like that Sakic was such a huge minute-eater that year in all situations. I feel like Forsberg was used a little more offensively focused at that point and still wasn’t a better scorer.

 

[bobholly39]

This is Sakic.

If you want to ask who had the better overall peak, taking into account the 2 players at their best over a ~2-3 year of their best samples - it's a lot closer, and maybe even edge Forsberg. But best single season peak is definifely Sakic, and it's not super close.

 

[JackSlater]

Sakic pretty easily. Forsberg had a really good season but no one in the NHL had a great season that year. Sakic had a great season in 2001.

 

[Evergreen]

Joe wins comfortably in point production and point production relative to peers.

How can you say that when Sakic wasn't even first in the league in scoring in 2000-01 (Jagr beat him by 3 pts), whereas Forsberg was first in 2002-03 (and he played only 75 games)?

 

[jigglysquishy]

How can you say that when Sakic wasn't even first in the league in scoring in 2000-01 (Jagr beat him by 3 pts), whereas Forsberg was first in 2002-03 (and he played only 75 games)?

Peer group is more than one player.

 

[wetcoast]

Peer group is more than one player.

Sure but it's only close because Foppa missed 7 games and still led the league in scoring by 2 points.

These types of comparisons are extremely difficult in part because season dynamics are different.

Foppa played in 73 games in support of Sakics' year while in Foppa's year Sakic only played in 58 of the 82 games.

Sakic also went on a scoring tear at the end of the season, aided in part by the avs bringining in a 31 year old Rob Blake and they still ahd Bourque.

Foppa in his Hart year had a 33 year old Blake and Derek Morris.

I'm not sure of any of my votes in these polls because we are comparing things that are extremely hard to measure but I took foppa in part because he really titled the ice at ES for the avs in his hart year with an ESGF/ESGA of 94-42 while Sakic with a better supporting team (at least at first blush but these things are really hard to equate) had a ratio of 93-47.

Of course Skic was used on the PK but I think that's more a function of usage by the coach than any real defensive advantage or Sakic over Foppa.

I'm taking Foppa here but it's certainly not a lock by any means and really there is an argument for either guy.