No, just no. Barkov is atm effectively the nr. 1 center in Florida, and it is because of his complete game already as a 18-year old, he wouldn't be given those minutes if his defensive game was unreliable, as MacKinnons is atm.
MacKinnon will be great player too, but don't kid yourself thinking that he would be just given free reigns in Florida by default at this point. Barkov just has proven that he can be relied on both ends of the ice, and atm(!) is more complete player than MacKinnon is.
They are both completely different, but both going to be great. I've been lucky to see both play in the NHL level this year and even though I come from FL, I come in peace.
Mackinnon is a guy that I would have LOVED to have in Florida. He's exciting to watch, incredibly fast, he's hungry to score goals, and has a tremendous desire to will his team to win. The guy's a winner and he's probably gonna be the leading goal scorer in the NHL in a few years. But he needs to work on his defense.
Barkov is big, poised, and positionally sound already. He's almost always in the right place at the right time, and the puck seems to want to make him happy. He's great with his stick, especially against the boards and in tight spaces. There's been a few nights where he's been the best player on our team. Everyone knows how good he is defensively too, but he needs to work on shooting the puck more. He relies too heavily on his beautiful passes.
I know that the AVS took a very serious look at Barkov, but I think they recognized that they needed a high scoring forward like MacKinnon that could put the puck in the net and push the offense more than they needed a big defensive playmaking center, and I think both teams won.
Either way, I can't
wait to see the new thread of how Mackinnon looks at the 25 game mark, because i'm sure he's going to start racking up the points very soon.
I dont know about you guys, but I'm really excited to see the number 1 and number 2 picks overall play on the same ice this year to help us get a real evaluation of what each organization missed out on, and what they gained.
PS You guys look great this year. Glad to see you guys are back!!