Tavares or RNH?

[Original Rob]

John Tavares

 

[zeus3007*]

Why is this even a question? Oiler fan saying Tavares, and I'm probably one of the bigger RNH supporters out there. RNH could turn out to be something very special, but its a longer shot than Tavares (who looks like he is developing on pace). I think RNH could end up better as an all around player (his defensive game is already amazing), but in points, and especially goals, I'm expecting Tavares to have better career totals.

 

[nobuddy]

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

 

[alternity]

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

I think that breaks the streak of four straight pages saying Tavares.

Tavares then, Tavares now, Tavares later.

Tavares.

 

[JackHughes86]

tavares for sure but nugent hopkins could be a superstar though

 

[malkovsby]

IMO it depends on how hopkins is developed by the oil, if they keep him in the pros its possible he could settle into a niche small man playmaker role ala ribeiro when the ceiling is much greater..a year in junior would do him good to develop a dominant physical scoring attitude (net drive, shooting etc) to his game (not to mention a few more pounds), to go with his already pro level mental game.

when comparing tavares and hopkins its evident that tavares has been groomed for the professional game from a very early age which translated well in his first seasons and he does have a scoring mentality that hopkins may never have..however i feel that its a wash in the mental aspect between these two (minus a few years maturity for RNH) and hopkins obviously has a skating gear tavares doesnt to go with an uncanny ability to read defensive breakdowns (akin to datsyuk in both regards)

id still take tavares though because hes as close to a sure thing as you can get

 

[Future]

Tavares.................... not even close

 

[dm1371]

Tavares AINEC.

 

[periferal]

I wouldn't expect RNH to be better than Tavares at anything.

Skating. That's about it.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

Skating. That's about it.

Stick-checking on defense

 

[Wheatking]

Stick-checking on defense

His defense in general is better than Tavares'. He's also more physical. I know people are probably rolling their eyes but despite his size, RNH has a fire to him and he regularily finishes his checks.

 

[Canovin]

Tavares, better scorer. RNH, better career total points and possiblly future Selke player if he keeps picking pockets.

 

[Soundwave]

They're not really similar players.

RNH plays a bit like Datsyuk.

Tavares is more like Mike Bossy.

Not saying either one of those kids are as good as those guys yet, but just in terms of their style, you're not going to confuse the two.

Spider-Man is a different kind of superhero from say Iron Man.

Just depends on what kind of "super powers" suit your team I guess.

 

[bishop12]

JT all day long.

 

[Danish Pastry]

tavares ainec for me...

 

[Moonlapse Vertigo]

This is a pretty unfair comparison. Let's wait and see what Nugent-Hopkins looks like after a year, year and a half of NHL experience on his resume. I hope that he can crack the Oilers' roster this year because he certainly looked great tonight.

I doubted Tavares' ability to make an immediate impact based on his skating ability coming out of junior but he's really superseded that weakness in his game.

 

[Frolov 6'3]

He's also more physical. I know people are probably rolling their eyes but despite his size, RNH has a fire to him and he regularily finishes his checks.

Must feel like you get bitten by a mosquito.

It will itch.

 

[YEGJuniorFan]

The obvious answer right now is Tavares but RNH was a first overall pick for a reason. I really dont understand the underrating of Hopkins before the draft and throughout the summer. He has ELITE vision and sublime passing abilities. plays great defensively, is a good skater (not amazing but very good), has a decent shot and plays bigger than he is. 3 years from now this will not be such a lopsided arguement (all the Tavares AINEC!!!! stuff). I say this while being a big fan of JT, I personally think he will manage 80points this year with minimal support.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

Must feel like you get bitten by a mosquito.

It will itch.

If you've ever played hockey away from the Xbox, you'll quickly realize that little guys can play way bigger than their size (and vice versa).

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

The obvious answer right now is Tavares but RNH was a first overall pick for a reason. I really dont understand the underrating of Hopkins before the draft and throughout the summer. He has ELITE vision and sublime passing abilities. plays great defensively, is a good skater (not amazing but very good), has a decent shot and plays bigger than he is. 3 years from now this will not be such a lopsided arguement (all the Tavares AINEC!!!! stuff). I say this while being a big fan of JT, I personally think he will manage 80points this year with minimal support.

I figured it out.

Larsson should have been 1st overall, Couturier should have been 2nd, and Saad should have been a top 10 pick.

Anyone that got in the way of that is apparently terrible and overrated by scouts.

The reason it didn't happen for Tavares or Stamkos is because they were the #1 from the start, so HF posters became attached to them instead of RNH vs Larsson/Couturier/Saad.

 

[beowulf]

We never seen RNH play Pro and Tavares is one of the best in the leage......

While I agree it is no comparison, Tavares for sure, he is not one of the best in the league yet. Soon enough likely will be but not yet.

 

[IslesBeBack*]

Ummmmmmm Tavares. K.

 

[malkovsby]

If you've ever played hockey away from the Xbox, you'll quickly realize that little guys can play way bigger than their size (and vice versa).

yes but were talking about the NHL, which is full of grown men who are superb athletes..datsyuk for example seems slight on the ice but is immensely strong, same goes for st louis who has freakish leg strength. hopkins size is not an issue but to succeed at this level he is going to have to have conditioning that matches his skill level.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

yes but were talking about the NHL, which is full of grown men who are superb athletes..datsyuk for example seems slight on the ice but is immensely strong, same goes for st louis who has freakish leg strength. hopkins size is not an issue but to succeed at this level he is going to have to have conditioning that matches his skill level.

I agree, but what's to say that he won't be able to develop similar strength to the smaller guys in the league? It's not like he's peaked already or is so physically limited that he won't be able to become strong enough to survive.

 

[malkovsby]

I agree, but what's to say that he won't be able to develop similar strength to the smaller guys in the league? It's not like he's peaked already or is so physically limited that he won't be able to become strong enough to survive.

agreed, but ill say he shouldnt be in the NHL this season based on his strength alone, if the oilers are smart theyll bring him into the lineup when hes physically mature enough to fight and hold his ice against bigger opponents as opposed to relying 100% on his agility to find space.

in the case of tavares vs hopkins there is a video of tavares training prior to his first NHL season and the weight he is pushing on all the major lifts (squat, deadlift, power clean, bench) was very impressive. he was no doubt NHL ready. hopkins on the other hand could definitely use another year in junior and time with the oilers strength and conditioning staff.