Ranking NHL Teams By Forwards

[Larry Fisher]

No way is Granlund better than Robert Thomas. Thomas was one of the Blues best forwards at times and probably the most consistent forward during the playoffs outside of ROR. Also, Perron is definitely a bigger difference maker than Turris.

Point is, Nashville doesn't even have a game breaker. The Blues do have a game breaker and better depth through 4 lines. In fact, the Blues have the best depth among forwards and defensemen in the entire league.

I would say Forsberg is a gamebreaker when he's on. And if I had to choose between Granlund or Thomas for this coming season only, I'd still take Granlund. I think he's going to rebound in a big way with a full season in Nashville. Long term, obviously I'd take Thomas.

 

[one2gamble]

I was more so just asking what San Jose fans were expecting to see. Like I said several times, those depth charts were based off Cap Friendly. But you might be surprised by Gambrell. Perhaps you don't know your own prospects well enough. That kid could be a top-six forward sooner than later.

It's more likely gambrell ends up on the cuda than a permanent fixture on the 2nd line. That's not to say he isn't/won't be a regular NHL player in his career

 

[Larry Fisher]

Yeah, we might be surprised by Gambrell alright. He might be so good that he bumps a 35 goal, 74 point center to his off-wing!

You are really hung up on that depth chart? You do realize that depth charts change from season to season with roster turnover, then from month to month, week to week, game to game, period to period, shift to shift based on several other factors, right? The names likely won't change between now and opening night. I ranked the teams according to the names, not the depth charts. I'm sure why that is so hard to understand/comprehend.

Tough crowd in general in San Jose, especially considering the Sharks were ranked No. 1 for defence the day before. Take the good with the bad and realize your team resides somewhere in the middle of the pack. Good riddance!

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

You are really hung up on that depth chart? You do realize that depth charts change from season to season with roster turnover, then from month to month, week to week, game to game, period to period, shift to shift based on several other factors, right? The names likely won't change between now and opening night. I ranked the teams according to the names, not the depth charts. I'm sure why that is so hard to understand/comprehend.

Tough crowd in general in San Jose, especially considering the Sharks were ranked No. 1 for defence the day before. Take the good with the bad and realize your team resides somewhere in the middle of the pack. Good riddance!

For the millionth time, I do not care where you ranked the team. You could have ranked them 31st in all categories, and you could have ranked them 1st in all categories, and I would not care.

The reason that the crowd in San Jose is so tough is because you clearly do not know what you are ranking, and you have shown it time and time again with remarkable ignorance. The degree of ignorance that you show towards San Jose and their players, and more specifically, a well-known center with 35 goals and 74 points in last year's regular season, and another 10 goals in last year's playoffs, shows that you don't have the degree of knowledge required to rank players like this.

 

[tiburon12]

I've been doing ALL of these predictions and rankings for several years running and taking all kinds of flack. This is nothing new to anybody who has been around HF since 2014 or going all the way back to 2002. Predictions are a big part of my work. Sometimes they prove right, sometimes they prove wrong, no different than anybody else. The rankings are my opinions and I'm entitled to those. Not everyone will agree and that's fine too. I watch enough of all 31 teams to form my own opinions and stick to them for the most part — and for better or worse.

I'm just gonna repost what i said before, because you clearly don't remember. I'll even bold the important parts for ya

I hope your preseason predictions come with a modicum of analysis and research, honestly more for your sake. No one really cares about the ranking, they care that the author put in the effort to talk about their team accurately. That's the whole problem with this series, and instead of admitting that the task of knowing in-depth facts and figures of each team is so great (which it objectively is!) that somethings may have been missed, you double and triple down on bad takes.

You are entitled to your opinions, yes, but when you base those opinions on incomplete/inaccurate information, the opinions lose credibility. Let me reiterate and speak for Sharks fans: We dont give a shit where an unknown writer for THW (an endless fountain of subpar coverage, especially for SJS) ranks the Sharks; we care that said unknown writer at the very least gets their facts straight and at comes close to showing they know something about the Sharks.

You fail to understand that, you fail to admit any fault or that you made a mistake, and you fail to admit you can improve, which is why i wish you good luck. Those latter two are key ingredients to success in everything

 

[Larry Fisher]

I'm just gonna repost what i said before, because you clearly don't remember. I'll even bold the important parts for ya



You are entitled to your opinions, yes, but when you base those opinions on incomplete/inaccurate information, the opinions lose credibility. Let me reiterate and speak for Sharks fans: We dont give a **** where an unknown writer for THW (an endless fountain of subpar coverage, especially for SJS) ranks the Sharks; we care that said unknown writer at the very least gets their facts straight and at comes close to showing they know something about the Sharks.

You fail to understand that, you fail to admit any fault or that you made a mistake, and you fail to admit you can improve, which is why i wish you good luck. Those latter two are key ingredients to success in everything

I admitted multiple times that I had the line combos wrong and updated the second line, accordingly. But since those lines are incomplete from where they left off in the playoffs due to three departures, I think it’s ignorant to suggest my analysis was incomplete or inaccurate. The depth chart may have been inaccurate based on the opinions of San Jose fans here at HF. The team hasn’t practised nor played a game since losing three forwards from their top nine. Nobody knows for sure what the lines will be going forward, but the names will remain the same and the lines for this exercise were largely irrelevant because I was ranking the groups as a whole. Thus why I went with what CapFriendly had for the most part without spending too much time researching the projected line combos — keyword projected — simply because they didn’t matter towards my rankings and are always subject to change. I included the depth charts for a visual element more than any influence on my own opinions.

As the teams take the ice for camp, I’m sure a good percentage of my line combos will be wrong for a number of teams, especially those with significant turnover like San Jose. Other teams will be tweaking their lines from where they left off last season and trying new looks even if they are returning the same 12 guys. Thus the line combos really didn’t matter for this exercise. For the last time, I was ranking the forward groups as a whole and the names don’t change regardless of the line combos.

 

[Viqsi]

For the last time, I was ranking the forward groups as a whole and the names don’t change regardless of the line combos.

The effect they have on their teams does, though. To give a silly example, the Blue Jackets with Pierre-Luc Dubois as #1C are very different from the Blue Jackets with Brandon Dubinsky as #1C. When you play a guy well out of position, or slot him below where he should be in the lineup, he can't contribute as much and the team is adversely affected as a result.

And it's also a strong indicator that you don't know as much about the guy as you should to begin with if you can't recognize obvious errors like that. If you're truly experienced and familiar with all 31 NHL teams, seeing Dylan Gambrell as #2C in San Jose should be a big fat red flag that should compel you to double-check your source (on par with seeing, say, John Tavares as Toronto's #3C), not something you accept uncritically and dump into your analysis.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

The effect they have on their teams does, though. To give a silly example, the Blue Jackets with Pierre-Luc Dubois as #1C are very different from the Blue Jackets with Brandon Dubinsky as #1C. When you play a guy well out of position, or slot him below where he should be in the lineup, he can't contribute as much and the team is adversely affected as a result.

And it's also a strong indicator that you don't know as much about the guy as you should to begin with if you can't recognize obvious errors like that. If you're truly experienced and familiar with all 31 NHL teams, seeing Dylan Gambrell as #2C in San Jose should be a big fat red flag that should compel you to double-check your source (on par with seeing, say, John Tavares as Toronto's #3C), not something you accept uncritically and dump into your analysis.

Honestly it’s more on par with John Tavares listed as the #2RW, being centered by Jeremy Bracco. Lol.

If you can make that type of error with any team...you shouldn’t be ranking any teams.

 

[jonlin]

No way is Granlund better than Robert Thomas. Thomas was one of the Blues best forwards at times and probably the most consistent forward during the playoffs outside of ROR. Also, Perron is definitely a bigger difference maker than Turris.

Point is, Nashville doesn't even have a game breaker. The Blues do have a game breaker and better depth through 4 lines. In fact, the Blues have the best depth among forwards and defensemen in the entire league.

Robert Thomas with 1 full season in NHL and 33p is suddenly better than Mikael Granlund, who had 54p. Granlund was traded mid-season and has personal issues + got a kid. The two seasons before he posted 67p and 69p. Maybe you should take off the glasses and look objectively at things?

 

[hockfan1991]

I was more so just asking what San Jose fans were expecting to see. Like I said several times, those depth charts were based off Cap Friendly. But you might be surprised by Gambrell. Perhaps you don't know your own prospects well enough. That kid could be a top-six forward sooner than later.

It's you who has no idea about the sharks prospects. Stop before you fall farther behind.

I dont even like him in our top 12, let alone top 6.

He hasnt even shown enough consistency as a bottom 6 player to justify staying in the lineup.

You are way off

 

[hockfan1991]

I admitted multiple times that I had the line combos wrong and updated the second line, accordingly. But since those lines are incomplete from where they left off in the playoffs due to three departures, I think it’s ignorant to suggest my analysis was incomplete or inaccurate. The depth chart may have been inaccurate based on the opinions of San Jose fans here at HF. The team hasn’t practised nor played a game since losing three forwards from their top nine. Nobody knows for sure what the lines will be going forward, but the names will remain the same and the lines for this exercise were largely irrelevant because I was ranking the groups as a whole. Thus why I went with what CapFriendly had for the most part without spending too much time researching the projected line combos — keyword projected — simply because they didn’t matter towards my rankings and are always subject to change. I included the depth charts for a visual element more than any influence on my own opinions.

As the teams take the ice for camp, I’m sure a good percentage of my line combos will be wrong for a number of teams, especially those with significant turnover like San Jose. Other teams will be tweaking their lines from where they left off last season and trying new looks even if they are returning the same 12 guys. Thus the line combos really didn’t matter for this exercise. For the last time, I was ranking the forward groups as a whole and the names don’t change regardless of the line combos.

Its not that hard to figure out, with just a little research.

It is for certain that

top 6
Meier Couture
Kane Hertl

With Labanc occupying the other top 6 spot.

So no way Gambrell is playing center.

 

[Larry Fisher]

Opening day of Sharks camp and the second line features Gambrell. Just saying.

 

[Larry Fisher]

It's you who has no idea about the sharks prospects. Stop before you fall farther behind.

I dont even like him in our top 12, let alone top 6.

He hasnt even shown enough consistency as a bottom 6 player to justify staying in the lineup.

You are way off

This is worth a good laugh today. Who was way off?

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

Opening day of Sharks camp and the second line features Gambrell. Just saying.

This is worth a good laugh today. Who was way off?

Playing the WING. Not bumping a 35 goal, 74 point center to his off-wing.

That top-6 is the exact top-6 that I said was our projected top-6 in a different thread.

Projected lineup:

Meier (22) - Couture (30) - Labanc (23)
Kane (28) - Hertl (25) - Gambrell (23)
Sorensen (27) - Thornton (40) - Chmelevski (20)
Radil (29) - Goodrow (26) - M. Karlsson (29)
Brodzinski (26)

Vlasic (32) - Karlsson (29)
Simek (26) - Burns (34)
Dillon (28) - Heed (28)
Prout (29)

Jones (29)
Dell (30)

2019-2020 Sharks average age: 27.94
NHL Average age in 2018-2019: 27.9

 

[Barrie22]

This is worth a good laugh today. Who was way off?

So he is centering the 2nd line? Oh right nope only a fool would say something as silly as that and then try and justify it in the 1st response to being called out on it.

And of course he is going to be tried there, doesn't mean he will stick once games start. He is the only player in camp that isn't already a regular nhl player that has a chance to be in the top 6 that has played any nhl games. His 2-3 competitors for that spot are better offensively, but barely any pro experience under tuere belts.

 

[BlueMed]

Robert Thomas with 1 full season in NHL and 33p is suddenly better than Mikael Granlund, who had 54p. Granlund was traded mid-season and has personal issues + got a kid. The two seasons before he posted 67p and 69p. Maybe you should take off the glasses and look objectively at things?

I am looking objectively. Thomas was a rookie last season who got off to a slow start, but as the season progressed, he got better and better with every shift. By the time the playoffs came around, he was consistently one of the Blues best players in rounds 1-3. When I watch the two players side by side, Thomas clearly has a large impact on the ice than Granlund. His speed, positioning, stickhandling, decision making, and vision are so good. Also, I don't care how many points a player has achieved. That's irrelevant to the question of who is a bigger difference maker.

 

[BlueMed]

I would say Forsberg is a gamebreaker when he's on. And if I had to choose between Granlund or Thomas for this coming season only, I'd still take Granlund. I think he's going to rebound in a big way with a full season in Nashville. Long term, obviously I'd take Thomas.

Forsberg is good and is a difference maker but he isn't elite like Tarasenko.

 

[Barrie22]

I am looking objectively. Thomas was a rookie last season who got off to a slow start, but as the season progressed, he got better and better with every shift. By the time the playoffs came around, he was consistently one of the Blues best players in rounds 1-3. When I watch the two players side by side, Thomas clearly has a large impact on the ice than Granlund. His speed, positioning, stickhandling, decision making, and vision are so good. Also, I don't care how many points a player has achieved. That's irrelevant to the question of who is a bigger difference maker.

How is a player that had 6 points and a -2 in 21 playoff games 1 of the blues best forwards? The same blues team that finished the playoffs with 8 players with 10+points. And 14 other players that had more points then said player. Oh and also the same blues team that won the cup?

 

[BlueMed]

How is a player that had 6 points and a -2 in 21 playoff games 1 of the blues best forwards? The same blues team that finished the playoffs with 8 players with 10+points. And 14 other players that had more points then said player. Oh and also the same blues team that won the cup?

Did you watch the playoffs or not? I'm pretty sure the Blues played the Sharks in the western conference finals. You can't just look at points. It's a lazy and often misleading way of evaluating players.

 

[hockfan1991]

This is worth a good laugh today. Who was way off?

What your lack of knowledge about the sharks overall? Or the fact that Gambrell at this point has shown to be nothing more then an ahl/nhl tweener.

 

[Larry Fisher]

So he is centering the 2nd line? Oh right nope only a fool would say something as silly as that and then try and justify it in the 1st response to being called out on it.

And of course he is going to be tried there, doesn't mean he will stick once games start. He is the only player in camp that isn't already a regular nhl player that has a chance to be in the top 6 that has played any nhl games. His 2-3 competitors for that spot are better offensively, but barely any pro experience under tuere belts.

He’s on the wing but he’s on the second line, which I was just told was “way off.” It appears the Sharks fan base doesn’t know their own team and prospects as well as they were boasting while criticizing a league-wide writer. But I won’t expect any apologies.

 

[Barrie22]

Did you watch the playoffs or not? I'm pretty sure the Blues played the Sharks in the western conference finals. You can't just look at points. It's a lazy and often misleading way of evaluating players.

I did and i had to google his name to know who he was. Considering he did absolutely nothing against san jose. Except be scored on.

 

[Barrie22]

He’s on the wing but he’s on the second line, which I was just told was “way off.” It appears the Sharks fan base doesn’t know their own team and prospects as well as they were boasting while criticizing a league-wide writer. But I won’t expect any apologies.

And could we expect an apology from the great and wonderful league wide reporter that doesn't even know that tomas hertl is the sharks 2nd line center over dylan gambrell? For if and when gambrell doesn't earn that 2nd line spot in the rest of the training camp?

By the way, it is day 1 of training camp. I will guarantee before the start of preseason. The sharks will have put chmelevski, chekhovich and a few others on that wing during practices.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

He’s on the wing but he’s on the second line, which I was just told was “way off.” It appears the Sharks fan base doesn’t know their own team and prospects as well as they were boasting while criticizing a league-wide writer. But I won’t expect any apologies.

"a league-wide writer" lol this is sad.

Gambrell on the 2nd line was a possibility although most don't like him. I don't think anybody ever said Gambrell playing the 2nd line WING, next to Hertl and Kane, was impossible. As shown above, that was literally my projection for opening night. The issue was Labanc on the 2nd line left wing, Gambrell at the 2nd line center, and Hertl at the 2nd line right wing.

If Tomas Hertl is playing the right wing, centered by Dylan Gambrell on opening night this season, I think everybody will give you an apology. The problem is I am more likely to be playing that right wing than Hertl is.

 

[Larry Fisher]

And could we expect an apology from the great and wonderful league wide reporter that doesn't even know that tomas hertl is the sharks 2nd line center over dylan gambrell? For if and when gambrell doesn't earn that 2nd line spot in the rest of the training camp?

By the way, it is day 1 of training camp. I will guarantee before the start of preseason. The sharks will have put chmelevski, chekhovich and a few others on that wing during practices.

I already updated the depth chart based on that feedback and apologized for that minor mistake multiple times in this thread. I’m sorry (again) that I accidentally listed Gambrell as the centre originally, with Hertl on the wing.