bobholly39
Registered User
- Mar 10, 2013
- 22,385
- 15,131
If given the chance to draft either Crosby or McDavid at 18, knowing how they panned out as players in reality, who do you draft, and why? Also - how close of a decision is it for you?
Age to age - McDavid is having the better career so far. I think that's almost unquestionable. But a redraft introduces a few dynamics worth considering that may make Crosby the more attractive option:
Health. In a redraft scenario, health is kind of up in the air how it turns out. Crosby has had a lot of health issues his career, but unlike players like Lindros or Lemieux who seemed destined to have health issues, a lot of Crosby's issues seem to be more related to freak/unlucky injuries - in a redraft, no way to know how health turns out for either Crosby nor McDavid.
Ageing. We know Crosby is having a hell of a back half to his career - ages 26 to 35 is among the best stretch of any player in history for that age. As good as McDavid has been through age 26, ageing well and peaking high don't always go hand in hand, so no guarantee McDavid will age as well as Crosby - maybe he does, maybe better, or maybe a lot worst. Point is - it's still an unknown.
Winning Pedigree. Crosby has an insane winning pedigree in his career, that has followed him at every level, juniors, NHL playoffs (and also, simply qualifying for playoffs) and internationally. And - as his team's best player (or one of at times), he generally deserves a lot of credit for his team's successes.
Of course - having said all of that - there's no question McDavid is an incredibly appealing choice too. No - he doesn't have the winning pedigree Crosby has, but he's shown the past two years (2022 especially) he can definitely raise his game big-time for playoffs - maybe a better team condition would give him more success. He's also been a lot more consistent in the regular season, and racked up a lot more trophies than Crosby. And McDavid's 2 best seasons are better than any of Crosby's, at the very least.
I can legitimately see an argument for both.
So who do you pick, and why? And how close of a decision is it for you?
Age to age - McDavid is having the better career so far. I think that's almost unquestionable. But a redraft introduces a few dynamics worth considering that may make Crosby the more attractive option:
Health. In a redraft scenario, health is kind of up in the air how it turns out. Crosby has had a lot of health issues his career, but unlike players like Lindros or Lemieux who seemed destined to have health issues, a lot of Crosby's issues seem to be more related to freak/unlucky injuries - in a redraft, no way to know how health turns out for either Crosby nor McDavid.
Ageing. We know Crosby is having a hell of a back half to his career - ages 26 to 35 is among the best stretch of any player in history for that age. As good as McDavid has been through age 26, ageing well and peaking high don't always go hand in hand, so no guarantee McDavid will age as well as Crosby - maybe he does, maybe better, or maybe a lot worst. Point is - it's still an unknown.
Winning Pedigree. Crosby has an insane winning pedigree in his career, that has followed him at every level, juniors, NHL playoffs (and also, simply qualifying for playoffs) and internationally. And - as his team's best player (or one of at times), he generally deserves a lot of credit for his team's successes.
Of course - having said all of that - there's no question McDavid is an incredibly appealing choice too. No - he doesn't have the winning pedigree Crosby has, but he's shown the past two years (2022 especially) he can definitely raise his game big-time for playoffs - maybe a better team condition would give him more success. He's also been a lot more consistent in the regular season, and racked up a lot more trophies than Crosby. And McDavid's 2 best seasons are better than any of Crosby's, at the very least.
I can legitimately see an argument for both.
So who do you pick, and why? And how close of a decision is it for you?
