Prime Gretzky for one season or Jonathan Toews for his whole career?

[toothlessgoon]

Which would you rather have?

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[stevo61]

Toews helped win multiple cups and was a great player for a long time. Bowman overpaid some of those guys after the cup wins but that doesnt take away what he accomplished in his prime. Gretzky may get you 1 cup but would be devestating to lose a player like that after a year.

Hell im a Columbus fan and losing Panarin after 2 years was rough

 

[banks]

Toews for his career. Especially if that career is a "do-over" type thing, where he may not experience the exact same injuries. Missing last season was a whammy. But 10 years of a 2-way, #1 C? Yes, please.

 

[SillyRabbit]

Toews for his career.

Gretzky played 20 seasons and won 4 Stanley Cups.

That's 16 seasons where he didn't win the Cup.

And he won the Cups on a historically stacked Oilers team.

Toews can give you at least 10 years of great play, he might not be a top 5 player in the league even during his prime but he's demonstrated he can be the 1C on a Cup-winning team.

 

[ThatGuy22]

If I get Gretzkys best season, and it's this year I'm adding Gretzy to Kaprizov and Zuccerello and enjoying the shit out of it as opposed to taking Toews 10 year prime avg season.

 

[t0nedeff]

lol Gretzky all day.

 

[bobholly39]

Gretzky.

Imagine how insanely fun it would be to have Gretzky join your team and break all the records - be it 92 goals or 215 points - and hopefully smythe/cup/playoff scoring record all in one year? Would be memorable as hell.

Jonathan Toews is great. I'm sure his career is more valuable then one year of Gretzky. But having Gretzky is more fun, so I pick him

 

[82Ninety42011]

Prime of greatest player ever no chance I'm passing 99 up!! Would be hell of a year

Edit, Oilers fans of the 80's are a lucky bunch indeed I might add to have had him for that run.

 

[Sun God Nika]

If I get Gretzky best season its AINEC Gretzy.

 

[NigerianNightmare]

Gretzky. For marketing reasons. I'd be making millions for many years selling his jerseys with my team logo.

People would say , "this happened the year we had Gretzky"

 

[centipede2233]

Depends on the caphits

 

[bobholly39]

Depends on the caphits

lol. Imagine turning down peak Gretzky for cap reasons

 

[Strong Hearts]

lol. Imagine turning down peak Gretzky for cap reasons

What if he had a $30M cap hit?

 

[jetsforever]

Gretzky would be great for merchandising and to say he was on my team etc., but all of Toews would obviously help the team more overall

 

[centipede2233]

lol. Imagine turning down peak Gretzky for cap reasons

hows Elite center man like mcdavid and matthews doing in the playoffs ….
im not saying they are as good as Gretzky obviously, but caphits matter no matter the talent, or atleast caphit % to the team cap

 

[biturbo19]

Toews for his career.

Gretzky played 20 seasons and won 4 Stanley Cups.

That's 16 seasons where he didn't win the Cup.

And he won the Cups on a historically stacked Oilers team.

Toews can give you at least 10 years of great play, he might not be a top 5 player in the league even during his prime but he's demonstrated he can be the 1C on a Cup-winning team.

Yeah. This is pretty much how i look at it. Gretzky, even in his prime is far from a "guarantee" of anything. After which, you're left with nothing no matter what in this hypothetical.

Compared to a guaranteed decade of having a #1C caliber player to build around and try to make something happen. That's 10x the "chances" at making that magical run to the Cup, with a key piece permanently in place. It also doesn't preclude the notion of multiple potential Cups in that span, as the Gretzky option does.


The only way the Gretzky option makes any sense to me, is if you currently have a team that you believe is that 1 piece away from being virtually unstoppable. But even then...your single cup run aspirations could instantly be dashed if a top defenceman, or a starting goaltender goes down in the first round and you completely wash out. Winning a Cup is too fickle and unpredictable to go "all-in" on one singular run like that. I want 10 kicks at the can instead.

 

[psycat]

I would take Gretzky simply because it would be more entertaining for that one season, I can always choose to not attend/watch boring games.

 

[notDatsyuk]

I'd take five years of prime Gretzky over just about anyone's career, but one year is too short.

(Unless you're a Leafs fan, and really desperate for even a single Cup.)

 

[bobholly39]

What if he had a $30M cap hit?

1. Why not 80M$? The league max is like ~15M$ or so isn't it?

2. I'd still do 30M$ for Gretzky personally.

hows Elite center man like mcdavid and matthews doing in the playoffs ….
im not saying they are as good as Gretzky obviously, but caphits matter no matter the talent, or atleast caphit % to the team cap

McDavid/Matthews etc have sucked so far in the playoffs.
Gretzky is the greatest playoff performer of all-time.

 

[TruePowerSlave]

One season is over really damn fast. Gretzky only managed to win cups with incredibly stacked teams so no quarantees he is winning it in that one season.

 

[Miro4Norris]

Penguins all in year with prime Gretz would be lit. Toews or not, Pens wouldn't have great chance for years after Sid loses his touch but he would make tanking harder so we would be mediocre which isn't fun

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Gretzky lol

 

[Ligue]

Would depends on the team. I’m a habs fan. So if you offered me one season of prime Gretzky right now I wouldn’t even take it (unless I could trade it of course)

 

[Plante]

Would depends on the team. I’m a habs fan. So if you offered me one season of prime Gretzky right now I wouldn’t even take it (unless I could trade it of course)

Trade him to a playoff team for their future.

 

[WarriorofTime]

3 Cups > call it a 50/50 shot (generously) at one.