Stamkos vs Tavares (ignoring salary)

Ignoring cap hit, you have the choice to sign either of these two centers for the next 7 years. Who do you choose and why?

Steven Stamkos Stats | Hockey-Reference.com
John Tavares Stats | Hockey-Reference.com

Last season's stat line

Tavares 28 years old (1990) L
82 GP - 37G - 47A - 84PTS

Stamkos 28 years old (1990) R
78GP - 27G - 59A - 86PTS

 

Stamkos

better scorer, more physical player

 

Ill say Stamkos. But honestly the are dead even talent-wise.

But saving 2.5 million with Stammer is huge.

 

If ignoring cap hit and figuring the next 8 years, I'd go Tavares just because of Stamkos injury history (although most of Stamkos injuries have been one and done freak things that shouldn't effect him long term).

That said, if Stamkos can get his shot back to what it once was he has the potential to be very lethal later in his career than most.

 

Has anyone seen Stammer play the last decade? He was and is the better player.

 

This is pretty much my line of thought as well. Although his injuries were of the freak variety, I just think of him as a risky player to take for injuries.

 

Because "Points"? He was definitely a better goal scorer, although isn't bad himself. Why do you consider him the better player? Are you talking in both ends, at controlling the game, scoring, all round?

 

Contract aside, I go Tavares because he does a better job of making those around him better, which I prefer in my #1C despite Stamkos being the better pure goal scorer.

 

Stamkos, IMO. Could change after this season, but he still wasn't back to his old self last season and hit 86 pts. He's talked about how good he feels this year vs last year when he was talking about never feeling the same. I don't think it's outrageous to say he could hit 100 this season. He's an elite level goal scorer and for a time was arguably the best in the entire league.

 

This poll, if Stamkos wins will be quite funny. When Stamkos was an FA not too long ago, similiar poll was created and Tavares blew Stamkos out of the water. Now that the poll is being redone with Tavares as a Leaf, we'll see what kinda results show up

 

Again?

 

I think Tavares is a little better these days so I'd go with him if I wasn't considering contracts.

 

Don't hang out here all that often, was curious about the results.

 

Honestly good poll. Tavares is the smarter player and elevates his linemates more. He drives play. Stamkos is better as the 2nd best player on his line but ill be damned if he isn’t one of the best “complementary” players a winger could ask for. I hope @Post Karl Malone is correct and if he is Stamkos can easily take the lead here. If not it’s just about dead even.

 

Without the Leafs, there would be no NHL

Edited OP to say 7 not 8 years, as if it mattered.

 

https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/tavares-vs-stamkos.2424545/

Dec 17 Tavares 55%

https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/tavares-vs-stamkos.2465465/

March 2018 Stamkos 55%

Today Tavares 56%

 

Peak Stamkos is the better player, so him.

Edit: don’t get me wrong, they are close and you can’t go wrong with either.

 

I mean considering one of the players is a Leaf, I'd imagine it does? You're kidding yourself if you don't think Leafs bias doesn't exist lol

 

Tavares hasn't peaked though.

 

Balanced out nicely by the pro Leafs bias in every poll. It negates itself.

 

I mean it really doesn't... if anything it balances it out. If Tavares is the better player, there's never any clear distinction. Regardless, lets not talk about this topic more than it needs to be.

 

Don't worry, the professional victims of the site will create their own narrative.

 

Tavares is the better all round player. Any non-biased knowledgable hockey fan knows this.

Leaf haters will say Stamkos AINEC. Lol

I am a fan of both elite players. Good Toronto boys.

 

Stamkos if I'm choosing for one game, Tavares if I'm choosing for a long term contract just for the sake of durability. Stamkos being the obvious choice if contracts are considered. I'm elated that we got one of them

 

still in the minority, but I don't think much of Stamkos. At this point I guess I'm seeing something others clearly aren't. I think he's become much more of a perimeter player, which is just so unimpressive to me relative to what Tavares is, even though he himself seems to have declined somewhat from his 14-15 form.

Tampa fans used to echo this, but recently they've been telling me Stamkos and Kucherov feed off of each other moreso than Stamkos being elevated by Kucherov. That's simply not what I see whenever I watch Tampa games.

I think what happened in round 3 against the Caps pretty much exemplifies this whole thing for me - Stamkos scored a bunch of goals, but it was almost always the exact same goal, on the PP, one-timing a pass into the net. Other than that, he just wasn't that impressive. I mean, I was much more impressed with the way Lars Eller played in that series. So people will see Stamkos with a lot of goals and it gives the image of him performing like an elite center, when really I didn't find that he was.

I'll have to give the majority benefit of the doubt and try to watch him more closely this year.