Is Connor McDavid the Best Player in the NHL

[Draiskull]

i will vote 'yes' just to be that guy! Create some discussion n all.

 

[hamzarocks]

What has Kucherov done as an individual to be viewed above Draisaitl? After missing the season you absolutely can't put him above the reigning Hart/Ross winner/top 5 in goals and points since 17-18. If he had played the season and produced in the top 5 their would be an argument based on his playoffs+season, but its not like Draisaitl poor in the playoffs either.

Edit: with all that said, I do think due to their individual achievements they have separated themselves from others.

He was comfortably better than Draisaitl in 2017, 2018, 2019.

2020 Draisaitl was clearly better (though not as big as the gaps in 2017, 2018, 2019). This year obvisouly Draisaitl is better but Kucherov has a sample size of being better, and is the best playoff performer since 2018.

I don't think Draisaitl is a better offensive player than Kucherov nor a better line driver. Draisaitl to me is the 3rd best offensive player in the world and 4th best player overall but I have Kucherov 2nd and think he would have been challenging for 1st this year had he been healthy.

 

[North Cole]

Me after this gets closed for being lopsided

 

[Mighty Makar]

Yes!

 

[McFlyingV]

He was comfortably better than Draisaitl in 2017, 2018, 2019.

2020 Draisaitl was clearly better (though not as big as the gaps in 2017, 2018, 2019). This year obvisouly Draisaitl is better but Kucherov has a sample size of being better, and is the best playoff performer since 2018.

I don't think Draisaitl is a better offensive player than Kucherov nor a better line driver. Draisaitl to me is the 3rd best offensive player in the world and 4th best player overall but I have Kucherov 2nd and think he would have been challenging for 1st this year had he been healthy.

It's hard when comparing 2017/18 because Draisaitl was no where near the player then as he has been since 2019 and on. It would be like looking at Kucherov's season in 2015/16 and thinking it reflects anything about him as a current player. The gap between Draisaitl and Kucherov last year was pretty much identical to the gap between them in 2018 (Kucherov +0.28PPG vs. Draisaitl +0.30PPG), so they have pretty much flip flopped the 2 seasons prior to this. They both took off at 23 years old offensively and have been dominant forces since. If anything I think they are extremely comparable in both current ability and career trajectory, with the difference being that Kucherov has been doing it longer because he's 2 years older.

 

[daver]

Just to be a contrarian, MacKinnon makes a case if he has the best playoff performance in the past 30 years while McDavid is average in the playoffs.

 

[Connor McConnor]

He was comfortably better than Draisaitl in 2017, 2018, 2019.

2020 Draisaitl was clearly better (though not as big as the gaps in 2017, 2018, 2019). This year obvisouly Draisaitl is better but Kucherov has a sample size of being better, and is the best playoff performer since 2018.

I don't think Draisaitl is a better offensive player than Kucherov nor a better line driver. Draisaitl to me is the 3rd best offensive player in the world and 4th best player overall but I have Kucherov 2nd and think he would have been challenging for 1st this year had he been healthy.

Their career trajectories are almost identical whereas one guy plays centre and the other is a wing on the most stacked team in the league. Kucherov cant even hold McDavid's jock so the fact you think Kucherov could have challenged for first goes to show how little you really know.

 

[hamzarocks]

Their career trajectories are almost identical whereas one guy plays centre and the other is a wing on the most stacked team in the league. Kucherov cant even hold McDavid's jock so the fact you think Kucherov could have challenged for first goes to show how little you really know.

The best regular season between Kucherov and McDavid is 2019 Kucherov, the best playoffs is Kucehrov.

The fact that your downplaying him just shows your a Homer riding your guy.

McDavid is the best but he never separated himself by much from kucherov before this year (when kucherov isn't playing)

Look at how much Stamkos and Points productions have declined without Kucherov. He was the clear cut best player and offensive line driver on his team.

 

[Video Nasty]

What has Kucherov done as an individual to be viewed above Draisaitl?

While I agree that by virtue of Kucherov missing the season, combined with Drai playing phenomenal again, they can temporarily swap spots for #2 behind McDavid, he has done plenty to be viewed as above Drai.

He scored the most points in a season of any player since the 1995-1996 season and would rank 4th since the start of the 1993-1994 season.

Only Mario, Jagr, and Gretzky each had a season apiece in that time frame where they scored more points (161, 149, and 130 respectively). He did this beating the best player in the game, McDavid, by a dozen points and swept the major awards.

Another fact that hasn’t gained much traction yet is that his 27 assists in last year’s postseason is only topped by Gretzky and Mario. For the detractors who will say that it was only because of the extra play in games, it’s simply not true. He only had 1 assist in those 3 play in games. His remaining 26 assists came during a standard playoff run and would still be the most by someone other than Gretzky and Lemieux.

When you’re doing things where the answer comes attached with “besides Gretzky and Mario (and sometimes Jagr)”, you deserve recognition.

I’m constantly on here beating the drum for McDavid and Drai, but a healthy Kucherov would probably still rank 2nd to me and he has legit individual reasons why.

The lack of respect he gets is frustrating. He very clearly elevates the Lightning from an excellent team to a team that ties all time win totals and becomes a champion after such a devastating collapse.

 

[Deadly Dogma]

wow talk about the Edmonton Insecoilers

 

[Dache]

That's for the legions of Canadian fans who believe it is Nathan MacKinnon.

Legions? I’m not sure I’ve seen more than a handful ever say that.

 

[Former Referee 68]

How does this affect the Leafs?

 

[SimpleJack]

Really? Again?

 

[SimpleJack]

how reassured do you need to be?

Seriously lol...

 

[McFlyingV]

The best regular season between Kucherov and McDavid is 2019 Kucherov, the best playoffs is Kucehrov.

The fact that your downplaying him just shows your a Homer riding your guy.

McDavid is the best but he never separated himself by much from kucherov before this year (when kucherov isn't playing)

Look at how much Stamkos and Points productions have declined without Kucherov. He was the clear cut best player and offensive line driver on his team.

Keep in mind Kucherov wasn't even a ppg player until he was McDavid's age right now. It's entirely reasonable to argue that McDavid is just now entering into those prime years and that his production this season might be a regular thing for him, in which case he is certainly ahead of Kucherov by a comfortable margin.

Kucherov has had one season at anywhere near a 120+P pace over 82 games, and he couldn't repeat it the following year. McDavid now has 3 straight seasons at or above a 120+P/82 game pace.

 

[psycat]

Best offensive player yes, albeit it's closer than people like to have you believe. Hard to compare to the best of dmen(Hedman I suppose) and generally I am of the belief that a great dman is more impactful than a great forward so answer would be maybe. There is a larger difference in impact for me between Hedman and the 10th best dman than between McDavid and the 10th best forward so there's that.

 

[spiny norman]

Lopsided result.