Jamie Benn vs Vincent Lecavalier

[Neutrinos]

I don't think peak can be just one season. Otherwise, why not just call it "best season"? You have to show that you can maintain it beyond one year, or it's just a trivial outlier (see: Jacques Richard).

I personally would break it down something like this:
- Season (self-explanatory)
- Peak (two to four seasons in a row, more or less)
- Prime (five to ten seasons)
- Career (entirety of games played, but with considerably less emphasis on player's post-prime years)

Arbitrary time frames are arbitrary

 

[Big Phil]

It's obviously too early to predict Benn's final status but I would go with Lecavalier here. Certainly in terms of peak play, anyway. From 2004 to 2006, he was in the conversation as best player in the world. I know Benn has his Art Ross and three seasons in a row of 1st/2nd-team All Star, but that speaks (to me) more of the weakness of competition than his personal greatness. (Not wanting to diss Benn, whom I like, but his 2015 Art Ross is perhaps the 'weakest' such in recent memory.)

We're saying Lecavalier had two peak seasons, and that's right, but he also was MVP of the World Cup and had another (probable) peak season, 2004-05, wiped out. Also, he did put up five straight 30+ goal seasons (effectively six, as he missed five games and scored 29 after that). And that doesn't include the wiped out season, or we'd be looking at seven straight. Vinnie was also very strong in the 2004, 2007, and 2011 (post-peak) playoffs, though it's too early to judge Benn on that.

All due respect Panther, I don't remember anyone talking about Lecavalier as among the best in the world between 2004 to 2006. He got on Team Canada in 2004 only because Yzerman backed out with an injury (he should have been named originally though). He was World Cup MVP although it was sort of a toss up. He played well, but it was hard to see who really was going to get it. Just off topic for a second, I have never seen someone look so..........gloomy when accepting such an award. Maybe Lecavalier himself thought someone like Mario or Brodeur or whoever else deserved it? I don't know.

Anyway, he had another year in 2006 where you figure he puts up the numbers but didn't. Only in 2007 did we finally start to see the Vinny we thought and by then everyone pegged Crosby as the best in the NHL. He had another elite year in 2008 and then sort of fell off the map before he hit 30.

Benn is still mapping out his legacy. He isn't even 30 yet. He robbed Tavares of an Art Ross in 2015 with a last second assist in the final game. Good on him for it though. Outside of Ovi he is probably the best LW in the past 5 years. We'll see how the rest of his legacy is carved out but right now it is hard to see him having a worse career than Lecavalier unless he really falls off the map.

 

[Sentinel]

It's obviously too early to predict Benn's final status but I would go with Lecavalier here. Certainly in terms of peak play, anyway. From 2004 to 2006, he was in the conversation as best player in the world. I know Benn has his Art Ross and three seasons in a row of 1st/2nd-team All Star, but that speaks (to me) more of the weakness of competition than his personal greatness. (Not wanting to diss Benn, whom I like, but his 2015 Art Ross is perhaps the 'weakest' such in recent memory.)

We're saying Lecavalier had two peak seasons, and that's right, but he also was MVP of the World Cup and had another (probable) peak season, 2004-05, wiped out. Also, he did put up five straight 30+ goal seasons (effectively six, as he missed five games and scored 29 after that). And that doesn't include the wiped out season, or we'd be looking at seven straight. Vinnie was also very strong in the 2004, 2007, and 2011 (post-peak) playoffs, though it's too early to judge Benn on that.

Lecavalier's "wiped out" 2004-05 season in Ak Bars was laughably bad.

On the subject: Lecavalier had a higher peak, but Benn is more consistent.

 

[SCampo98]

Lecavalier, at least until Benn wins a Cup