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Datsyuk is unique in the sense that he's a lot of flash, but also substance. But the flash was so flashy that it created an unrealistic - in my opinion - expectation (or whatever) about what he was actually doing and did. This by no means meant to say that I think Datsyuk was like the fifth best player on the 2008 Red Wings or anything like that...but just that he's a lot closer to the underappreciated, less flashy, Henrik Zetterberg.
Datsyuk was a stick magician, he had some world-class moves...so he's a highlight machine...which is fine, but it didn't translate into a highlight-able amount of points necessarily either...much like Kenta or like Rick Middleton...Datsyuk never finished top-3 in points, finished top-10 three times (4, 4, 10)...Zetterberg, just as game, has two top-10 finishes (6, 8). They did it in very different ways, but the results were more similar than I think most fans would guess...
My sense is that people feel there is gap between Datsyuk and Zetterberg of some degree...but I'm not so sure. Zetterberg was just about as good offensively, though with less panache...and Zetterberg was a more versatile and well-rounded defensive player, again with less panache...Datsyuk is a noted NZ puckjacker, we have all seen the stick lifts...Zetterberg was a more straightforward defensive player and his ability to play both LW and C adeptly made him more versatile. This was especially true in the playoffs where Zetterberg had a little better level to give than Datsyuk did...
I don't want to go so far as to say that Datsyuk can sucker some less astute fans in with his flash, because that undercuts him too far for my liking...he really was a terrific player, really terrific...but I don't think he ever really distanced himself in any way from Zetterberg to the point where you can go, "oh yeah, Datsyuk was a top 5 player in the league for some noteworthy length of time...but Zetterberg wasn't, or wasn't top 10 or whatever"
The dumb-dumbs, yeah, I expect that...but when you really take apart what each guy is doing, you really don't end up with a gap like this...
Buccigross: The Top 100 current players
The list above (not advisable to click on) is ESPN's top 100 players in the NHL as of 2011-12...Datsyuk is 4th (Crosby, Toews [lol], Malkin)...while Hank is down at 33rd...
You want to say that Datsyuk is a tiny bit better, I'll buy that with no argument...I get that case. But Datsyuk being a top-5 player in the league and Zetterberg not being top 30 is not kosher...it doesn't make sense...
Again here, another absolute clown:
Eye On Hockey top 50 players: 30-26
Zetterberg is not top 25...Datsyuk safely in the top 10.
I didn't tolerate listening to the awful, senile old Mickey Redmond (please go away) to watch these guys play and then come away with the notion that 13 is so much better than 40...more dazzling, perhaps...but if you want function over form, it's a lot closer than most fans and most media give it credit for...it's easy to see why, it's just not agreeable from an on-ice perspective...