McDavid vs Lindros

[sr edler]

Lindros wasn't a guy who brought tons of nuances or versatility to his game. McDavid's clearly better, though obviously would get crushed Matheson-on-Pettersson style if he played in Lindros' era, probably by Lindros himself.

 

[Son Goku]

McDavid is the most purely skilled player to ever play the game. Not to be confused with the player who has had the best career. If you're talking pure talent, there's no one that's ever had more than McDavid. His ability to play the game at the speed he plays it at and make the moves and plays that he does at that speed is something we've never seen before and will probably never see again.

With all of that said, Lindros changed the game entirely. He changed the way teams drafted players and built their teams. Everyone needed defensemen and forwards that could match up against Lindros and everyone was hoping that the next 6'4-6'5 center with talent that would come along in the draft could match Lindros in skill and physicality.

You really have to wonder how McDavid would produce with 90's style hockey. The amount of calls they got away with back then was sickening.

Pure talent wise you're wrong. Mario Lemieux's talent and physical traits>>>>>>Mcdavid's AINEC

 

[Son Goku]

Well it's certainly in Lemieux territory as I just illustrated, or are you just going to ignore that?



Grouses about "lack of context" and then can't figure out you need to compare percentage differences to make comparisons across different eras. Right.



But if he's the most talented ever, should he not have had a more resounding victory? How about in any other season, or were LaFontaine and Stevens close talent-wise to Lemieux?




Lemieux doesn't deserve credit for things he didn't do and games he didn't play. What the numbers show at the end of the day is he couldn't ever build up the kind of margin you thought he had over his competition. Again, complaining about context and then getting blinded by the big shiny numbers of the 80s and early 90s is painfully ironic.



Gretzky was the greatest, sure. So why did you try to make the case Lemieux was the most talented ever?

How is possible to be this wrong about EVERYTHING? Watch a game and quit stat watching so much. By the way, Gretzky was so great because he DIDNT have the physical traits and natural abilities that Lemieux and a few others had.

 

[LivingRentFree]

I'm really not sure where this came from and I keep hearing it more and more. Outside of McDavid's outlier North Division season, where he piled up points against awful defenses in a Covid-ravaged league, his season-to-season output is pretty much comparable to Sid and OV. And, yet, no one said that either of those two were more skilled than Gretzky or Lemieux. Just because he's the fastest player, doesn't mean he's the best.

They seem to have some weird fixation with speed. Speed does not equal skill. Mcdavid is not even close to the most skillful player of all time. He couldn’t hold a candle to even the “second tier greats” like Jagr.

 

[LivingRentFree]

Pure talent wise you're wrong. Mario Lemieux's talent and physical traits>>>>>>Mcdavid's AINEC

Besides speed, Lemieux was better than Mcdavid at every single aspect of the game and it legitimately is not close. You can tell the age of the people saying McDavid is better. Guaranteed the majority of them are under 30.

 

[Cubs2024WSChamps]

McD is closer to Grezky than Lindros is to McD

McDavid is closer to Bobby Hull then he will ever be to Gretzky.

Without all the baggage, of course.

They seem to have some weird fixation with speed. Speed does not equal skill. Mcdavid is not even close to the most skillful player of all time. He couldn’t hold a candle to even the “second tier greats” like Jagr.

To be fair, McDavid right now is a unicorn. There’s Makar also, but the 90’s had a ton of high end talent that current fans like to down grade to prop up McDavid.

 

[Rengorlex]

They seem to have some weird fixation with speed. Speed does not equal skill. Mcdavid is not even close to the most skillful player of all time. He couldn’t hold a candle to even the “second tier greats” like Jagr.

This is a poor take and shows you don't understand what makes McDavid special.

 

[Bluesguru]

At their best Lindros.

 

[avsfan9]

I hate to repeat it but it definitely depends on era. Let's assume they switched eras:

Lindros would essentially be in the Evander Kane class in todays NHL, with much more physicality and power forward net drive. The question would be "how much better would he do without having to deal with the clutch, grab and big blindside hits?"

McDavid in the 90s would have less room, he'd deal with more physicality, but his speed and quick lateral moves and gear shifts would put in an advanced Federov/Jagr class, especially against slower players. The question would be, "how would he handle the liberties other teams could take with him"?

I suspect McDavid would be the more dominant if they shifted eras as long as he kept his head up and understood the reality of the game. His speed and stick handling are off the charts, well beyond anything Lindros could do.

I stopped reading when you compared Lindros to Evander Kane

 

[avsfan9]

You’d take an 18 year old Crosby over an 18 year old McDavid? Interesting.

I’d rate McDavid ahead of Crosby. He’s behind Gretzky for me but on par with Lemieux.

I guess I’m

1. Gretzky
2. Mcdavid
2b. Mario
4. Crosby
5. We can put Bonk here.

And yes. I saw all of them play when they were in the NHL.

Crosby is far and away a more compete player than Mcdavid was or ever will be.

 

[ricky0034]

McDavid, the first and second round assassin. Stealing OV’s title is an amazing accomplishment.

you mean Crosby's title?

Crosby career Playoff PPG at McDavid's age:

1st+2nd round: 1.46
3rd+4th round: 0.85

 

[Son Goku]

you mean Crosby's title?

Crosby career Playoff PPG at McDavid's age:

1st+2nd round: 1.46
3rd+4th round: 0.85

The harder competition becomes, the lower scoring becomes imagine that at least Crosby can make it to the third and fourth round. Doubt Mcdavid wins a conn smythe let alone back to back

 

[Bouboumaster]

McDavid could end-up being a top 10 player ever, and maybe even take Crosby's spot at #5 some day.

He's one or two tiers above Lindros IMO

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

We can go with mid 90s (before the start of the clutch and grab era)

If it's to play in the mid 90s and at their best I'd go Lindros.

In 95 Lindros scored at 1.52 PPG pace while being a wrecking ball. It'd be hard to go wrong with McDavid in any era but under those specific circumstances I pick Lindros for the added physical element to play during the mid 90s.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

I dont think McDavid would be overly effective in the clutch and grab era. I think he would be really good but not sure how he would deal with the consistent abuse.

Lindros was a beast everywhere on the ice till the Stevens train took him out.
Wonder how McDavid would fare sometimes taking major crushing hits like were going on in Lindros' time

I feel like Lindros in todays NHL would be impossible to get off the puck he would kill it today.
have to take Lindros here

 

[One Winged Angel]

I'm really not sure where this came from and I keep hearing it more and more. Outside of McDavid's outlier North Division season, where he piled up points against awful defenses in a Covid-ravaged league, his season-to-season output is pretty much comparable to Sid and OV. And, yet, no one said that either of those two were more skilled than Gretzky or Lemieux. Just because he's the fastest player, doesn't mean he's the best.

You ignored the rest of the post then.

No, I don't think so.

Wasn’t asking.

Let me know when he wins the Art Ross and Richard. Lemieux is arguably the most skilled, Gretzky the greatest. McDavid won’t get close to those two.

Skillwise, he’s already there.

Career is another story, but he’s accomplished just about as much as any player on an individual level in NHL history sans Gretzky through his first 7 seasons.

 

[One Winged Angel]

On paper, Lindros is a wet dream. I think under the right circumstances and perhaps a different personality, Lindros could have been the best ever.


Mario is the most talented ever to lace them up. McDavid is the besst skater tho.

McDavid is scoring 40 a year against better goaltending on a shit team. He can score goals, he can make plays with the very best and neither Gretzky nor Lemieux could touch his speed and make the plays that he does at that speed.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

Wasn’t asking.

Well, it doesn't matter if you were asking. If you don't want a response then don't post.

 

[ESH]

Depends on the era, I guess

During which era?

Both players would be great in any era

 

[BrindamoursNose]

Both players would be great in any era

Well sure, but there is a difference.

 

[One Winged Angel]

Well, it doesn't matter if you were asking. If you don't want a response then don't post.

I don’t give a shit about what you say.

Get lost on ignore now.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

I don’t give a shit about what you say.

Get lost on ignore now.

It's really unfortunate that people are so immature nowadays.

 

[EdmFlyersfan]

Lindros was so good that he played on the men's Team Canada before playing an NHL game from what I recall and did very well...and laid out Kozlov (?).

If you are ONLY comparing them at their best then I say Lindros.

A healthy Lindros would be more dominate at his best, just watch some of his best games and he's clobbering players, creating plays, fighting, scoring and just dominating the ice.

There was one time where the Flyers were on the PK in the playoffs and Lindros lost his stick and he kept the puck in the opposition's corner with his skates and wasted almost a full minute as the players couldn't get the puck from him...it was crazy.

Players feared playing against him on the ice before all his head injuries.

 

[EdmFlyersfan]

I hate to repeat it but it definitely depends on era. Let's assume they switched eras:

Lindros would essentially be in the Evander Kane class in todays NHL, with much more physicality and power forward net drive. The question would be "how much better would he do without having to deal with the clutch, grab and big blindside hits?"

McDavid in the 90s would have less room, he'd deal with more physicality, but his speed and quick lateral moves and gear shifts would put in an advanced Federov/Jagr class, especially against slower players. The question would be, "how would he handle the liberties other teams could take with him"?

I suspect McDavid would be the more dominant if they shifted eras as long as he kept his head up and understood the reality of the game. His speed and stick handling are off the charts, well beyond anything Lindros could do.

I think McDavid would be a better version of Bure in that era.

 

[EverTheCynic]

I will take 1 prime Eric Lindros please and thank you