Is Mikko Rantanen the best player in NHL at the moment?

[Filthy Dangles]

I think Finnish fans would tell you Rantanen > Laine now.

I mean yeah he's literally and objectively better right now. But I'd still take Laine longer term.

 

[Syckle78]

He had 84 last year. It’s not like this is totally out of nowhere.

I'm aware it's been mentioned a billion times. When i say truly elite I mean top 5ish player in the league. He needs a complete season at that level to get into that conversation.

 

[TMLeafs17]

I mean yeah he's literally and objectively better right now. But I'd still take Laine longer term.

Ya, that year and a half should be enough time for Laine to work on his first steps

 

[Makar Goes Fast]

depends on your definition of right now. he absolutely has shown in a few individual games that he is the best player in the league however he has not done that enough to be considered the best

 

[cgf]

People are just having a hard time accepting that Rantanen is as good as he is.

FWIW Seguin's two-way game improved massively last season...although MacK & Mikko did blow past him offensively...

 

[glovesave_35]

Not even close, I'd take 20-30 other players before him.

Feeling generous. What 20 players would you take over him?

 

[Capt Nico Poo]

I think Finnish fans would tell you Rantanen > Laine now.

Dunno rly, Laine has a scoring touch you cannot teach. Easier to find play making line mates for a Laine than someone with Laine's goal touch.

 

[TMLeafs17]

Feeling generous. What 20 players would you take over him?

He posted it on the first page. There is probably ten names on there that aren’t better than Rants though he didn’t list Dmen.

 

[cgf]

Feeling generous. What 20 players would you take over him?

Toronto Maple Leafs Roster | ESPN

 

[Liver King]

no., hes the hottest player in the NHL but 20 some games you dont get the title of best

 

[TMLeafs17]

Toronto Maple Leafs Roster | ESPN

I’d probably look at trading either Leivo or Ennis for him, everyone else is clearly more valuable than Rants

 

[DieselBoy]

Toronto Maple Leafs Roster | ESPN

Matthews injuries are piling up already so he scares me but definitely 19 others on there.

 

[FinnJet]

McDavid
Crosby
Kucherov
Malkin
MacKinnon
Ovechkin
Giroux
Point
Bergeron
Laine
Pastrnak
Scheifele
Aho
Eichel
Kane
Hall
Panarin
Marchand
Kuznetsov
Seguin
Benn
Barkov

~20 just from the top of my head, not including dmen, Stamkos had just as hot of a start last year and finished with less than 90 points, 20 games mean nothing.

You missed Mikko Rantanen. He surely has to be in top 20.
You also missed McKinnon. He actually is at the same level as Rantanen and should be on that list also.
Edit: Oh, you didn't miss McKinnon, you are just clueless.

 

[cgf]

You missed Mikko Rantanen. He surely has to be in top 20.
You also missed McKinnon. He actually is at the same level as Rantanen and should be on that list also.
Edit: Oh, you didn't miss McKinnon, you are just clueless.

This might be the best thing ever.

 

[chet1926]

McDavid
Crosby
Kucherov
Malkin
MacKinnon
Ovechkin
Giroux
Point
Bergeron
Laine
Pastrnak
Scheifele
Aho
Eichel
Kane
Hall
Panarin
Marchand
Kuznetsov
Seguin
Benn
Barkov

~20 just from the top of my head, not including dmen, Stamkos had just as hot of a start last year and finished with less than 90 points, 20 games mean nothing.

This list is just sad, shows just how little you know about Rantanen, and proves you're living in the past.

Point, Marchand, Kane, Seguin, Benn aren't even close to Rantanen.

And he is every but as good as Laine, Aho, Pastranak, Scheifele, Eichel, Hall etc.

I'll give you the big names but this list is a joke. Rantanen is easily a top 15 forward at this point in time. Not sure what else he has to do to prove it.

 

[tucker3434]

I'm aware it's been mentioned a billion times. When i say truly elite I mean top 5ish player in the league. He needs a complete season at that level to get into that conversation.

Well, I’d call that a franchise player. To me, elite anyone roughly ppg or higher, but I suppose that’s just semantics.

 

[East Coast Icestyle]

120 points in the last 103 games. But slumps happen.

130 in the last 96 for MacK. To be fair, I think you're asking both of them to be slumping for their paces to fall off. Any given game one of them can do the heavy lifting.

If it happened to Stamkos and Kucherov, why can't it happen to anyone else?
Legitimate question, you guys seem so insanely sure that they'll keep up a pace that nobody has kept in a decade.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I think it's funny that it seems to me that the majority of Avs fans on this board have claimed that Rantanen has been better than MacKinnon this season, yet fans of other teams make claims that he "hasn't even been the best player on his line". Avs fans should know better, right?

Not saying that Rantanen is the better player tho. Awesome player regardless.

Can this argument really be made anymore? Any fan can watch watch any game rather easily. Also, just because a team's says "x" is so doesn't meant it's a 100% airtight argument

 

[LAINEC]

Dunno rly, Laine has a scoring touch you cannot teach. Easier to find play making line mates for a Laine than someone with Laine's goal touch.

Rantanen also has very good shot of course not Laine s level. Laine look so raw and theres so much thing he can improve alot.

 

[maacoshark]

Not even the best player on his line, regardless of what point totals say.

Rantanen might be better than MacKinnon. He is a better 2 way player.

 

[maacoshark]

Not even close, I'd take 20-30 other players before him.

Then you havent seen him play enough. He is a very good 2 way player.

 

[42]

No, he isn't. McDavid is, as should really be obvious. He is in the conversation of top 10 the way he's playing now but I see a regression in his numbers (90-ish points for the season) as his production is very unsustainable.

Last season has very good parallels. Stamkos was on pace for 130 points at this time of the year. Schwartz had 30 points in 22 games. Let's wait until at least this season is done before we start talking about Rantanen being the best.

 

[42]

If it happened to Stamkos and Kucherov, why can't it happen to anyone else?
Legitimate question, you guys seem so insanely sure that they'll keep up a pace that nobody has kept in a decade.

What is true today will be true forever. Forget analysing production using stats. Just watch the players! That's all you need to know they'll be this good forever.

 

[42]

This list is just sad, shows just how little you know about Rantanen, and proves you're living in the past.

Point, Marchand, Kane, Seguin, Benn aren't even close to Rantanen.

And he is every but as good as Laine, Aho, Pastranak, Scheifele, Eichel, Hall etc.

I'll give you the big names but this list is a joke. Rantanen is easily a top 15 forward at this point in time. Not sure what else he has to do to prove it.

You can't be serious. This is the most ridiculous statement I've read in a long time.

 

[Blowfish]

With Bergeron injured he's one of the better players.