Considerations for positional responsibility, deployment, assist/goal ratios and peer relative shooting percentages are unchallenging to resolve for anyone considering themselves not a 'lay' fan of the game. For the most part, elite goal scorers are less inclined to pass, as they prefer being the player who puts the puck in the net. It's general human nature. Unreservedly, some are inherently better goal scorers because they possess a better shot, better accuracy and are naturally inclined to discover soft spots in coverage. Often, and especially in special teams situations, the offence becomes customized to run through them to place the shot on net. It's comparatively a chicken or egg situation in that regard.
But when it comes to the elite of the elite, there are players who score less but are capable of scoring more. A prime example is exemplified in a player like Crosby. Look at his assist/goal ratios over his career and note how those ratios tighten up in his highest goal scoring seasons. That's likely where he's reaching the zenith of goal scoring ability without detriment to his full offensive potential. The elite players who provide low assist/goal ratios (especially less than one), are more purely focused on goal scoring, likely to the detriment of their full and well-rounded offensive potential.
Definitely, the goal scorers are inherently better at their craft and playmakers at theirs, but there is potential for both to swing their ratios. And that's what I'm arriving at with Gretzky. He scored 92 goals at his peak. But he was likely capable of scoring in excess of 100 in a couple of seasons, if he was inclined to play more selfishly. He just wasn't wired that way. When you look at his goals, assists and shot totals in combination, the number of offensive opportunities he was generating is absolutely mind boggling. Lemieux was similar, and also Howe to a lesser degree.
It isn't a prerequisite that the person who frequently has the most goals is the best goal scorer. It's partially because they are wired to shoot instead of a pass. Allow me to express this another way. If there's one minute left in the game, and you're down a goal, who is receiving the call to hop over the boards at their peak? Gretzky or Ovechkin? Lemieux or Richard? Howe or Hull? Which one of the those players does one trust most, to ensure the puck simply goes in the net when the game is on the line? I know that appears to be a digression, but in actuality it's quite pertinent to the topic matter. Personally, I take Howe, Gretzky, or Lemieux. The others can move down the bench, and I'll get them on the ice if we go to overtime.
