Lemieux tops TSN’s ranking of No. 1 picks from modern era of the draft

[LeafsNation75]

Rick Nash over Auston Matthews?

If there was anyone who should not be ahead of Matthews I say it's MacKinnon. I know that this past season MacKinnon played at an elite level and is a finalist for the Hart Trophy. However I say Matthews rookie season where he scored 40 goals and won the Calder was better than any of MacKinnon's first 4 NHL seasons prior to this year.

 

[DDRhockey]

Wendel clark with 500p over sundin with 1300p. This is a joke

 

[nowhereman]

Alex Ovechkin should not have finished ahead of Potvin or Lafleur and and argument can be made using cups why Kane is better

OV is a top 20 player of all time... there is not argument for Patrick Kane over Ovechkin. None whatsoever.

Flip Crosby and Ovechkin...

Come on folks, you knew someone was going to have to say it!!!

No. OV will never be held in higher regard than Crosby and there's nothing wrong with that.

Potvin should be #2

Potvin better than Sid? Huh?

 

[boredmale]

OV is a top 20 player of all time... there is not argument for Patrick Kane over Ovechkin. None whatsoever.

If you read the rules on the first page, it counts importance to teams success and in my opinion 3 cups > 1 cup

Posting the official criteria here, since most aren't probably opening that link.

Here’s the criteria TSN applied:
1. The player’s impact on the team that drafted them.
2. The player’s performance over the totality of his NHL career
3. The player’s achievements relative to those who were drafted No. 2 and 3

Now fair argument that OA is just that much better then Kane nevertheless(I was just saying their is a case to be made for Kane due to cups), but Potvin and Lafleur were both top of their game during their careers and won way more cups

 

[Alwalys]

Yeah these criteria are horseshit and the creator should feel bad.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

Lol @ Kovalchuk, Stamkos, and Tavares being rated higher than Thornton.

 

[nowhereman]

If you read the rules on the first page, it counts importance to teams success and in my opinion 3 cups > 1 cup

The Cups argument is much more valid when you're comparing two really close players. Ovechkin is a top 3 goalscorer of all time, while Kane is PPG player who had one incredible season.

On an individual level, this is OV by a country mile. Kane has had some great Cup runs but so did all the other HHOFers on those Hawks teams. I'm not sure he was even the best player on Chicago, over those three years, as Keith and Toews were arguably just as good or better.

 

[Whaleafs]

Lafleur should be #2. Lafleur's scoring records were what Lemieux surpassed in Junior.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Potvin sucks!

 

[BeastoftheEast85]

Posting the official criteria here, since most aren't probably opening that link.

Here’s the criteria TSN applied:
1. The player’s impact on the team that drafted them.
2. The player’s performance over the totality of his NHL career
3. The player’s achievements relative to those who were drafted No. 2 and 3

I don’t like criteria 1 and 3. Should have just based this on criteria 2 and ranked them from best to worst.

 

[ScaredStreit]

I realize I'm a homer, but how is Potvin not even higher, considering the criteria they used:
1. The player’s impact on the team that drafted them.

The Islanders built around him and went from an expansion team to arguably the greatest team of all time

2. The player’s performance over the totality of his NHL career

Potvin had one of the highest peaks among any defenseman of all time and is a top 5/6 D of all time and kept that play up almost his entire career

3. The player’s achievements relative to those who were drafted No. 2 and 3

Drafted after him at 2 was Tom Lysiakand 3 was Dennis Ververgaert.

Awful list...mainly due to awful criteria used. Looking at the criteria above there's no way Ovechkin should rank higher (1 cup, and Malkin drafted at 2

 

[arrbez]

Lafleur should be #2. Lafleur's scoring records were what Lemieux surpassed in Junior.

At this point, I'd lean towards Crosby.

That may sound crazy based on where Guy Lafleur sits in the pantheon of hockey greatness, but their best 5 seasons are nearly identical, and Crosby has already had quite a few more elite seasons than Lafleur did.

 

[bobholly39]

Ovechkin should barely even be top 10 imo.

They're saying a criteria is distance over #2 and 3 - and while Ovi is ahead of Malkin, Malkin might be the best 2nd pick of all time so the gap is minimal.

 

[Realgud]

Potvin should be 2nd

 

[rfournier103]

Lafleur and Potvin should be 2 and 3. Then Crosby. Then Ovechkin.

I have no beef with the rest of the list if the TSN criteria is used.

 

[Hatter of the Beach]

argument can be made using cups why Kane is better

We are looking at the player's individually (hence the draft pick), in which there isn't much of an argument that Kane is better than Ovechkin. One is probably the greatest goal scorer in history. The other is a guy with barely ppg.

Ovechkin has better totals.
Ovechkin is the better goal scorer.
Ovechkin has a better PPG
Ovechkin has more hardware.

Cups are a team award, and if Chicacgo had Ovechkin instead of Kane, they'd likely win all that they won, and possibly more.

 

[Fataldogg]

Thornton at 17? Makes no sense. Best playmaker of his generation, by a fair margin.

 

[DannyGallivan]

https://www.tsn.ca/lemieux-tops-tsn-s-ranking-of-no-1-picks-from-modern-era-of-the-draft-1.1117349

The order of where these players selected 1st overall were ranked if you don't want to click the link.

1) Mario Lemieux
2) Sidney Crosby
3) Alex Ovechkin
4) Guy Lafleur
5) Dennis Potvin
6) Patrick Kane
7) Connor McDavid
8) Gilbert Perrault
9) Mike Modano
10) Dale Hawerchuk
11) Eric Lindros
12) Marc-Andre Fleury
13) Vincent Lecavlier
14) Steven Stamkos
15) Ilya Kovalchuk
16) John Tavares
17) Joe Thornton
18) Wendel Clark
19) Mats Sundin
20) Nathan MacKinnon
21) Rick Nash
22) Taylor Hall
23) Auston Matthews
24) Bobby Smith
25) Chris Philips
26) Rejean Houle
27) Billy Harris
28) Pierre Turgeon
29) Roman Hamrilk
30) Aaron Ekblad
31) Mel Bridgman
32) Owen Nolan
33) Rob Ramage
34) Ed Jovanovski
35) Rick Green
36) Dale McCourt
37) Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
38) Gord Kluzak
39) Rick DiPietro
40) Bryan Berard
41) Nico Hischier
42) Erik Johnson
43) Joe Murphy
44) Patrik Stefan
45) Nail Yakupov
46) Brian Lawton
47) Greg Joly
48) Doug Wickenhesier
49) Alexandre Daigle

I'd put Lafleur at number two for now, Crosby at three, Potvin four and Ovechkin five.

I'd put Stefan last.

 

[CokenoPepsi]

Tsn is pretty terrible

 

[tarheelhockey]

Thornton at 17? Makes no sense. Best playmaker of his generation, by a fair margin.

I was up in arms about this until I realized that one of the criteria is “impact for the team that drafted him”.

Thornton had some good seasons as a Bruin but not like what Modano did for the Stars or Lecavalier for the Lightning.

 

[psycat]

Flip Crosby and Ovechkin...

Come on folks, you knew someone was going to have to say it!!!

It's true though.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Thought this was another one of Scott Cullen's brutal rankings, but I guess not.

 

[stokes84]

Pierre Turgeon, he of 1300+ points, is ranked three spots below Chris Philips, who is one of the most ordinary players ever. Dumb.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Tavares was drafted 1st overall in 2009 and Headman was 2nd overall that year.

Stamkos went 1st overall in 2008 and Drew Doughty was 2nd overall that year.

Oh yeah I mixed up what year Hedman and Doughty were drafted in. You can apply that standard to Tavares then, too. It's just a weird criteria to have.

 

[PittsburghPens8771]

It's true though.

Again, I'll say it for the millionth time. Crosby will always be remembered as the superior player from this era.

Only HF'ers truly believe the 2 are comparable.