They were such freaks to be that big and that fast and smooth. They were both listed at around 205-210 pounds, but watching them...they both looked a good ten pounds heavier, and they weren't soft pounds.
I have a hard time finding a real 1-for-1 comparison for Larkin. While I agree he doesn't have Modano's natural gifts, how he uses his legs to drive the play, and is able to pull everything with him to create space and open up ice with it, it seems like a Modano thing to me. There's just something about the Kesler comparison that I don't like. I see it, and I like it a lot more than "Helm with hands," but I don't see the same nastiness in Larkin that I see in Kesler, and I don't see Kesler being able to dictate play with his physical gifts in the way Larkin can.
There's something to larkin's game that I don't think we saw as much of in the 80s and 90s, but has popped up more in the mid 00's to now. This almost like 1B level superstar. A guy like Joe Nieuwendyk was a really good center, but I don't think anyone ever looked at him and saw him as a guy who would lead you to a Cup as your #1 center. He was #2 in Calgary behind Gilmour. He was behind Modano in Dallas. He was your #2 and he was great at it.
It's something that I think Toews would have been in the 80s and 90s. Good guy, great second line center, not your #1 if you want to win a cup. I think both centers in Boston are like that. I think any of the centers in Nashville are like that. I would almost be tempted to put Z and D into this category where 20-30 years ago, you ask me if they could be on Western Conference Team X and have to go up against Sakic/Forsberg, Yzerman/Fedorov, and Modano/Nieuwendyk to get to a cup...I don't think they'd be in that class.
Or maybe it's just the gap between the talent floor and talent ceiling continuing to shrink. I don't know. But there seems to be a level of guys you can look at and think could take you to the dance who wouldn't have in the past.
I think you underrate Kesler.
He's spent the last 10 years scoring 50-70 points while playing Selke caliber hockey against other teams' top lines.
If you look at the last 10-15 years of hockey - about the only centers I'd take ahead of Kesler are the game's true superstars - the Hall of Famers. Datsyuk. Crosby. Zetterberg. Malkin.
He's a clear cut behind those guys.
I'd say he's a 1/2 cut behind the next group - Bergeron, Getzlaf, etc.
But still - he's near the top.
And I think that's a fair and even optimistic projection for Larkin.
I think Kesler is more defensive, mostly, and Larkin more offensive. But I wonder, if Detroit had a superstar 1C if Larkin's role wouldn't be more like that Kesler role, playing behind Sedin and Getzlaf.
Larkin is ahead of him, at the same age, but i'll be pretty happy with Larkin's career if he peaks like Kesler did. He's also a career 55.6# at the dot.
490 takeaways to 276 giveaways.
He's been remarkably consident throughout his career, minus his open 2 seasons and this last year.
Yr - GA/60 P/60
08 .67. 1.34
09 .81 1.79
10 .61 2.15
11 1.09 1.90
12 .58 1.22
13 .54 2.17
14 .73 1.25
15 .55 1.32
16 .56 1.39
17 .61 1.57
His Ozone starts .. despite playing for teams that have great puck possession (usuallly) are Glendening like, Ranging between 21 to 32.
I hated the Vancouver Canucks, give me the above 10 years for a second line center any day.
And before your eyes glaze over at p/60,
He's scored as many as 41 goals in the NHL and put up 75 points - playing second fiddle to the Sedins.
Like Larkin, he can be undisciplined. Larkin isn't as physical as Kesler, but he is combative.
Both guys take a lot of minor penalties and draw a lot of minor penalties.
Red Wings fans resist the Kesler comparison. I'm not sure if they think Kesler isn't enough of a superstar, or what.
To me, they're of very similar molds.
A Michigan mold, perhaps.
Hot rod speed.
Industrious work ethic.