Players who are best in the NHL in certain skillsets?

[psycho_dad*]

Patrice Bergeron has the best anticipation and positioning in the NHL, best since Lidstrom retired.

I can get behind that.

 

[DJJones]

Brodie's backhand pass deserves a mention. Crosby and Karlsson are the only one's that come to mind that would be ahead of him.

 

[Breakers]

Jim Benning is the best at always losing trades.


does that count.

 

[teravaineSAROS]

Matthews is soooo good at making a terrible pass into his skates, turn into an amazing play.

Yea he's got an incredible motor, his precision is insane.

 

[Nickmo82]

"Toffness" - Glass.

 

[Voodoozz]

Crosby - The quickest release

 

[Patrik Barkov]

Matthews is soooo good at making a terrible pass into his skates, turn into an amazing play.

Crosby still tops that. There's not such a thing as a bad pass to Crosby. Though he hasn't had to play with the goat Hyman

 

[Patrik Barkov]

Shootouts goes to Barkov ainec.

 

[Patrik Barkov]

Seems like every team has the best wrist shot in the league haha

 

[LeProspector]

Cody Ceci has to be he very best pylon in the NHL.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Shootouts goes to Barkov ainec.

Nope.

Brayden Point.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Tobias Rieder is amazing at stealing the puck, breaking away with it, getting in all alone, and then not scoring. He does this with incredible regularity.

As do JT Brown, Trevor Lewis, Michael Grabner, etc.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Best tipper has to be Pavelski.

Best one-timer for righties Stamkos for lefties Kucherov.

 

[SPF6ty9]

Best wrist shot: jacob silfverberg
Best redirections: rickard rakell

I'll agree with that. I love that his shootout move is just skating in and shooting top corner every time. Everyone knows it's coming and yet he's still one of the best shootout guys in the league.

 

[JosephAnthony]

I'll add backhand to the list and i'll have to go with O'Reilly

 

[Kovaz]

Monahan doesn't have the best wrist shot in the league, not even close. He does, however, have one of the most deceptive releases on his wrist shot. He's got some really weird mechanics on his shot (his stick is short for someone of his height and he puts his hands awkwardly close together at the top of his stick), but he gets a really hard, accurate shot away with almost no warning which fools a lot of goalies.

When TJ Brodie was playing RD, I'd argue he had the best backhand breakout pass in the league. For whatever reason, that kind of went away this year with him playing LD.

 

[Maukkis]

What's it called when a player is shielding the puck on the boards with their back to the play and they use their back to check someone that's behind them?

Whatever that is - Forsberg is incredible at it.

That's one of those insanely impressive plays that go unappreciated. Reverse checking, maybe?

Anyway, Barkov seems to know a fair bit about that too. I wonder who did he learn that from... 68

How about the best time-wasting penalty killer?

Joel Armia can literally kill a game if he wants to. He's one of those guys who you want on the ice when you have a lead in the last five minutes - what he does is not pretty, nor does it look good on his analytics sheet, but it is insanely effective and helpful, considering the context. It's a shame he seems to have lost his scoring touch from his junior days - but if he ever does, that's one hell of a player we have in him.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Seems like every team has the best wrist shot in the league haha

Not the Oilers. We've got a bunch of guys who can thread the needle, but not much for power. You need both for the best.

The only one the Oilers have who is the best at anything is McDavid, and I think its pretty much unanimous that he is the best at puckhandling at full speed. When you hear multiple broadcasters on multiple networks say "I've never witnessed a player who can handle the puck like that at that speed", it is pretty good evidence.

 

[TBC]

Best saucer pass: Karlsson
Quickest shot: Kessel
Best wrist shot: Laine
Best one timer: Ovi
Best at takeaways: Stone
Best acrobatic saves: Quick
Best at shielding puck: Crosby
Best tipper: JVR
Fastest skater: McDavid
Best hands: P. Kane

Just a few I can think of off the top of my head. Obviously a lot of these things are debatable.

 

[Sheppy]

David Pastrnak has a hell of a one timer. It's great having a guy on the Bruins who actually knows how to do so.

 

[Baemon Severson*]

I'll just do the Devils:

Who's the best saucer passer?
Hall

Who's the best at recieving a pass in their skates and then moving that onto their stick?

Hall

Quickest release?

Henrique

Best wrist-shot? Best snap-shot?

Henrique

Best poke check?

Greene

Best at stick lifting and stealing the puck?
Severson


Best tipper?

Hmm Hall or Palmieri probably

 

[gretskidoo]

Crosby - The quickest release

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

Best tipper is easily Pavelski.

 

[Jethlan]

Pacioretty is really good at choking in the playoffs

 

[FrozenJagrt]

No. Nobody competes with Laine on shot categories. But Tarasenko probably has the second best wrister. It's amazing.

And Weber has the hardest slapper so there is one shot category Laine doesn't take.

Oh brother.

Best backhand? Crosby.
Best snapshot? Kessel

Look, I know Laine is probably your son, but you can't keep insisting he's the greatest thing to come to the NHL since skates. He's a very good player. But there are a lot that are better than him, and many who have comparable or better shot arsenals.