Do you think McDavid is having the best season of the 2000s or the new divisions are the reason?

The Panther

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Mar 25, 2014
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We're 4 pages in and not one poster has yet given a single substantial reason for why it's easier to score points in the North division than other divisions.

What we have here is a handful of people encountering the inconvenient truth that Connor McDavid is the best player in the world. (Now, why that is difficult for some to admit is confusing to me. McDavid seems like a perfectly likeable guy who's very clean on the ice. What's not to like?)
 

42

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Sep 8, 2013
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The guy is visibly getting better and better each year... its friggin scary how good he is.

It's terrifying to think he is most likely going to get even better
Why? He is already 24. When you look at the stats of other superstars, you don't notice a pattern of them getting better after 24. I know McDavid has improved every year, PPG wise, but this year his stats are padded because of a weak division.
 

Ms Maggie

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Apr 11, 2017
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We're 4 pages in and not one poster has yet given a single substantial reason for why it's easier to score points in the North division than other divisions.

What we have here is a handful of people encountering the inconvenient truth that Connor McDavid is the best player in the world. (Now, why that is difficult for some to admit is confusing to me. McDavid seems like a perfectly likeable guy who's very clean on the ice. What's not to like?)

The North has some bad teams.

And McD is easily the best player in the world.

Both of these things can be true.

Not just McDavid stats and season that are not "normal", it's true throughout the league.
 

wgknestrick

Registered User
Aug 14, 2012
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With forwards peaking right around age 25, you mean to say that generational player at his peak is incredible?

While no one think the CAN division is the best, it still has NHL teams in it and Connor can only score on what is put in front of him. Stop arguing if he's better than X,Y, or Z and just enjoy his play (unless he's playing against your team). Then you can hate him.
 

IWantSakicAsMyGM

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Oct 13, 2011
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It's not obvious to me after watching the NHL for 35 years. In fact, my opinion is opposite yours.

Can you explain, with any available evidence, why one particular scorer is "benefitting" from more regular competition and an unpredictable, interrupted schedule?

There are zero teams in the North that finished in the top 10 in the standings last year.

There is only 1 goalie from the North in the top 15 in SV% this year, and that's Smith from Edmonton (20 game minimum).

And, it's not just one scorer who is benefiting. McDavid, Matthews, Marner, Schiefele, etc. are all putting up career best PPG rates this year. With that many players from a single division scoring at career best rates, there must be something going on in the division.
 

Skinnyjimmy08

WorldTraveler
Mar 30, 2012
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Why? He is already 24. When you look at the stats of other superstars, you don't notice a pattern of them getting better after 24. I know McDavid has improved every year, PPG wise, but this year his stats are padded because of a weak division.

I'm sorry you think he's hit his peak already??..at the age 24?
 

Skinnyjimmy08

WorldTraveler
Mar 30, 2012
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We're 4 pages in and not one poster has yet given a single substantial reason for why it's easier to score points in the North division than other divisions.

What we have here is a handful of people encountering the inconvenient truth that Connor McDavid is the best player in the world. (Now, why that is difficult for some to admit is confusing to me. McDavid seems like a perfectly likeable guy who's very clean on the ice. What's not to like?)

It's cause it's impossible for many people to admit other teams star players are unbelievable... especially when these players are on teams like the Oilers or Leafs
 

PumpkinBomb

Registered User
Jul 22, 2020
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Its division a bit, but nothing to do with the quality of competition. The West would've been terrible with Vegas and Edmonton having crazy high numbers.

The better rest in hotels with series play, and the lack of seasonal colds (you can always tell at least twice a season he's fighting a bad cold)
 

loosemoose

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May 31, 2020
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Difficult to assess this season. He would certainly have ~20 fewer points if he played in the East.
 

Goulet17

Registered User
May 22, 2003
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I don't even think of it as an issue of a "bad" division, but rather that he is only playing six teams this year. He isn't playing the other 24 NHL teams. He doesn't have to travel out of his country or travel to the extent that NHL teams would normally travel. The NHL has been playing without any fans, or limited fans.

We just have numerous reasons to look at the situation and attach an asterisk. He has produced gaudy numbers previously, so it does provide some support that his numbers are not somewhat inflated. But the situation is just so abnormal that you have to take that into account on some level. I don't see how people are taking his stats from this season and comparing it to the the stats of players in prior seasons, it does not make any sense based on the unusual circumstances surrounding the season.

Personally, I don't believe that any NHL awards should be handed out this season given the strange circumstances. You are basically giving awards to NHL players based on their play against 20% of the teams in the league. It seems a bit ridiculous.
 

The Blueprint

Registered User
Dec 4, 2018
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Hilarious the extents people go to on this forum to discredit players because of the division they're in this year... as if McDavid wouldn't be putting up these points regardless.

The fact is the divisions are all pretty damn close, and McDavid is having an unbelievable year.
 

The Blueprint

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Dec 4, 2018
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There are zero teams in the North that finished in the top 10 in the standings last year.

There is only 1 goalie from the North in the top 15 in SV% this year, and that's Smith from Edmonton (20 game minimum).

And, it's not just one scorer who is benefiting. McDavid, Matthews, Marner, Schiefele, etc. are all putting up career best PPG rates this year. With that many players from a single division scoring at career best rates, there must be something going on in the division.
Yea, the majority are players coming into their primes, what a crazy concept.
 
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Deep Blue Metallic

Bo knows hockey.
Mar 5, 2021
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We're 4 pages in and not one poster has yet given a single substantial reason for why it's easier to score points in the North division than other divisions.

What we have here is a handful of people encountering the inconvenient truth that Connor McDavid is the best player in the world. (Now, why that is difficult for some to admit is confusing to me. McDavid seems like a perfectly likeable guy who's very clean on the ice. What's not to like?)
Impossible to compare really, since all games are intra-division, but I'll play along.

Bottom 10 for GA this season, from least to most allowed ... ARI, DET, ANA, CHI, COL, SJ, OTT, NJ, BUF, PHI. Only 1 North team.

And McDavid would be absolutely feasting on the likes of ARI, ANA, SJ in a normal season.

Really don't get why people want to stick an asterisk on what McDavid is doing simply because he's in the North.
 

Slapshot Sultan

Registered User
Oct 5, 2017
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Here we go again.

Rantanen being unable to maintain his scoring pace does not imply that McDavid couldn't maintain his.

Of course not, there are no guarantee that McDavid could or couldn't hold that pace. It's an example how much the pace can drop with more games and there have been a lot of impressive paces for half a season and usually they don't stay that way. Ovi/Sid have had some incredible half season paces. Ovi notably dropped from his pace pretty big in 2010 with the last stretch.

So we will never know and that's the problem. And we can't hand pick a pace for him for the last stretch.
 
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Mrb1p

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Dec 10, 2011
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We're 4 pages in and not one poster has yet given a single substantial reason for why it's easier to score points in the North division than other divisions.

What we have here is a handful of people encountering the inconvenient truth that Connor McDavid is the best player in the world. (Now, why that is difficult for some to admit is confusing to me. McDavid seems like a perfectly likeable guy who's very clean on the ice. What's not to like?)
Who can deny that McDavid is the best player in the world, and by a wide margin at that ? No one.

Producing 43 points in 18 games against Winnipeg and Ottawa should open up some eyes though, there's one top quality team in this division, if it were a normal year, he would play against top teams much more often.
 

IWantSakicAsMyGM

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Oct 13, 2011
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He scored more against the Jets than he did against Ottawa this year. Can only play the games against the teams in front of you.

Just imagine if he was in the Pacific he would beating up and globe trottering on the California teams.

LA allowed fewer GA/GP last year than every team in the North except Winnipeg. I imagine that would reduce his PPG slightly.

Anaheim and SJ both allowed fewer GA/GP last year than Ottawa. He also plays fewer combined games against Anaheim and SJ in a normal year (4 each) than he has played against Ottawa (9 total). I imagine that would reduce his PPG slightly.

He'd also be playing 4 games against Arizona, who was tied for the 3rd lowest GA/GP last year. The best defensive North team was 10th.. I imagine that would reduce his PPG slightly.
 

Skinnyjimmy08

WorldTraveler
Mar 30, 2012
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I didn't realize downplaying McDavids success and domination and coming up with excuses why he's so good was still a thing.

I just assumed everyone knew he was head and shoulders by far the best player in the world

HF just doing its thing again I guess
 
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Nemesis Prime

Registered User
Jun 29, 2010
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London, ON
We're 4 pages in and not one poster has yet given a single substantial reason for why it's easier to score points in the North division than other divisions.

What we have here is a handful of people encountering the inconvenient truth that Connor McDavid is the best player in the world. (Now, why that is difficult for some to admit is confusing to me. McDavid seems like a perfectly likeable guy who's very clean on the ice. What's not to like?)
They've parroted the "north is bad" so much they've convinced themselves it's true. Meanwhile in the west..
 

The Panther

Registered User
Mar 25, 2014
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Tokyo, Japan
There are zero teams in the North that finished in the top 10 in the standings last year.
That's irrelevant to this year. Surely you realize that numerous teams go up and down the standings each season, sometimes unpredictably. Also, being "top 10 in the standings" doesn't necessarily mean it's harder to score against you.

Even if that argument were relevant, which it isn't, you have to also factor in which teams were weakest, and which teams were easiest to score against last year. (That is, if your point about last year was relevant to this year, which it isn't.)

Finally, here's how McDavid did last season against the top-10 teams: 28 points /16 games = 1.75 points per game (i.e., higher than he scored vs. the bottom 20 teams).
There is only 1 goalie from the North in the top 15 in SV% this year, and that's Smith from Edmonton (20 game minimum).
This is also (mostly) irrelevant, as players don't face individual goalies, they face teams. As of a day ago, the NHL's total save percentage was .904, and the North division's was .903. So, yeah, what a huge difference from League average!!

Of the 8 lowest save percentage teams, one is in the North division.
And, it's not just one scorer who is benefiting. McDavid, Matthews, Marner, Schiefele, etc. are all putting up career best PPG rates this year. With that many players from a single division scoring at career best rates, there must be something going on in the division.
Oh yes, SOMETHING MUST BE GOING ON if 4 already-elite players among seven clubs are each having great seasons!! Why, I bet that's never happened in League history when all the teams played one another!!

And yet...
Johnny Gaudreau is having his worst season.
McDavid's teammates (and sometimes linemates) like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto are having worse seasons than last year.
Elias Pettersson is having his worst season.
Kyle Connor and Blake Wheeler are having worse seasons than last year.
(Mitch Marner, btw, is only scoring 0.10 PPG better than two seasons ago, which is exactly what you'd expect when his team is doing better than then.)

I mean, really, people. This line of thinking needs to end.
 

King K Rool

Big Bad
Mar 5, 2020
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Edmonton
Really don't get why people want to stick an asterisk on what McDavid is doing simply because he's in the North.

We know the reasons.

1. He doesn't play for their team (jealousy)
2. They don't like the Oilers and putting their bias aside and just admitting what McDavid is doing right now is historic, is just too difficult for them
3. They want their player to be recognized as the best and are pissed McDavid exists (guess what fans do this the most, hint: it's not TOR)

Or all 3 of course

I feel sorry for all of them, because greatness is happening right now in front of their own eyes but they are too blind with hatred and/or jealousy to appreciate it.
 

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