The better 2-way player: Mark Stone or Mitch Marner?

[SeanMoneyHands]

I think it's a close one.

Click to read more...

 

[jetsforever]

This is always a weird question because Stone is better defensively (or has been historically at least) but Marner is so good offensively that he's better overall so does that make him a better 2-way player?

 

[Isaac Nootin]

Offensively

Marner > Stone

Defensively

Stone > Marner

Voted even.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Marner pretty easily.

 

[PuckG]

I gave the edge to Mitch. Stone is clearly better defensively but the offence is just too much to pass up on and Marner is good enough defensively that I think he gets the overall edge.

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

Stone is clearly better defensively

Maybe 2 years ago, or maybe if he gets back to 100% health. I think a lot of the young guys have closed the gap or even surpassed him.

 

[Satoru Gojo]

Stone if he's ever healthy again

 

[CanadienShark]

Marner. Bigger offensive gap than defensive.

 

[Castle8130]

Anytime someone says the best two-way forward, I assume we rank them by their defensive qualities as a forward. For that reason, I say Mark Stone.

I'd take Marner over him any day of the week though.

 

[bossram]

Anytime someone says the best two-way forward, I assume we rank them by their defensive qualities as a forward. For that reason, I say Mark Stone.

I'd take Marner over him any day of the week though.

I mean, if we're comparing them by "two-way" impact, then you'd have to rate Marner higher because you'd have to take offensive and defensive impact into account. "Two-way" = both ways.

If OP meant, "which of these offensive forwards is better defensively", then yeah, there is a pretty good case for Stone.

 

[BruinsBtn]

Very similar players in that both are overrated defensively because they intercept and steal a lot of pucks. To the untrained eye that looks like great defensive play but real great defensive play is about great positioning.

Of the two, I take Marner especially since it's starting to look like Stone could be cooked.

 

[Craig Button]

Marner AINEC

 

[Connor McConnor]

Stone misses 20-30 games a year.. When he plays it's pretty close but I'll take Marner

 

[SpookyTsuki]

Mitch by a decent amount.

 

[Mez]

I didn't know Stone still existed.

 

[biturbo19]

Marner. But only because Stone has long been one of the most overrated "two-way wingers" in the game. I don't know how this mythos of "Stone the 2-way force" got started, but it's never seemed legit to me.


I feel like Marner weirdly does a lot of the work down low in his own zone that you'd normally expect a Center to do.

 

[NyQuil]

Marner. But only because Stone has long been one of the most overrated "two-way wingers" in the game. I don't know how this mythos of "Stone the 2-way force" got started, but it's never seemed legit to me.

It comes from the fact that he's a wizard at turnovers in the offensive zone.

As a puck thief, I haven't seen anything quite like it since maybe Datsyuk.

His ability to anticipate passes, read plays, and just outright steal the puck off the opposition's stick leading to offensive scoring chances.

However, it is rarely acknowledged that he's fairly average defensively in his own zone.

Anyway, I voted for Marner as I'm not sure how much longer Stone can keep up the pace given his ongoing health issues, and he was never what you would call a speedster anyway.

 

[HanSolo]

Very similar players in that both are overrated defensively because they intercept and steal a lot of pucks. To the untrained eye that looks like great defensive play but real great defensive play is about great positioning.

Of the two, I take Marner especially since it's starting to look like Stone could be cooked.

Bergeron can still be better without Stone being "overrated"

I didn't know Stone still existed.

 

[biturbo19]

It comes from the fact that he's a wizard at turnovers in the offensive zone.

As a puck thief, I haven't seen anything quite like it since maybe Datsyuk.

His ability to anticipate passes, read plays, and just outright steal the puck off the opposition's stick leading to offensive scoring chances.

However, it is rarely acknowledged that he's fairly average defensively in his own zone.

Anyway, I voted for Marner as I'm not sure how much longer Stone can keep up the pace given his ongoing health issues, and he was never what you would call a speedster anyway.

Yeah. That checks out. He's always up there in terms of turning pucks over. But watching him...i've never really felt like he's this stellar defensive player.

 

[HanSolo]

Marner. But only because Stone has long been one of the most overrated "two-way wingers" in the game. I don't know how this mythos of "Stone the 2-way force" got started, but it's never seemed legit to me.


I feel like Marner weirdly does a lot of the work down low in his own zone that you'd normally expect a Center to do.

Advanced metrics and actually applying the eye test would help with this. I'm not going to sit here and campaign for Stone being the best defensive forward in the league but he's absolutely in the conversation. His defensive impact is as obvious as the sky is blue when comparing how well the Knights suppress teams transitions vs. When he's out of the lineup, which has been the case for a fair bit the last two seasons.

I'll admit that when the puck is in our defensive zone, he's not as much of a specialist but I'd still expect him to be one of the more likely players to get it out of our zone not named Martinez or Pietrangelo. What has him operating at such a high level is puck recoveries while forechecking in the offensive and neutral zones. And there aren't many forwards that do it as well or better than him.

 

[loosemoose]

Both are wildly overrated defensively, though Stone was pretty good in his prime.

 

[ACC1224]

Poll results really sum up this place.

 

[AvroArrow]

Both are wildly overrated defensively, though Stone was pretty good in his prime.

They are probably the 2 best 2 way wingers of the past 5 years. Maybe Marchand has a case to beat them, but not over rated at all.

 

[centipede2233]

How the heck is mark stone winning this poll

 

[NHL Fanatik]

Anytime someone says the best two-way forward, I assume we rank them by their defensive qualities as a forward. For that reason, I say Mark Stone.

I'd take Marner over him any day of the week though.

Maybe if this was four years ago

Stone has had a ridiculous reputation on this site however; the guy was PPG a single time in his career over 55 games and has been useless for Vegas the last three years running

Marner runs laps around Stone in every category in 2023

How the heck is mark stone winning this poll

Because people seriously thought he was a ppg two way beast when he was traded to Vegas when he never was. Probably the most overhyped player in that timeframe on here; I remember some crowning him a top-10 winger at one point