The Top 30 Players in the NHL (2018 Edition) - #3

Who is the 3rd best player in the NHL?


  • Total voters
    170
  • Poll closed .

Regal

Registered User
Mar 12, 2010
24,545
13,840
Vancouver
Playoffs weren't 9 games. Also, Ovechkin was better in the regular season too.

Malkin's were 9 games. Which is what illpucks was talking about. And that's highly debatable when Malkin had 11 more points in 4 less games (and 5 more primary points for the goal scoring crowd).
 
Last edited:

illpucks

Registered User
May 26, 2011
20,525
4,971
Or it means you don't based your opinion on 9 games
Ovi outperformed Malkin very easily in regular season. The fact that Malkin is 4 votes back shows the length the Crosby crowd on HF is going to discredit Ovi
 

GlitchMarner

Typical malevolent, devious & vile Maple Leafs fan
Jul 21, 2017
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6,432
Brampton, ON
How exactly did he outperform him?

Without really delving into their respective regular seasons, I guess you can argue Ovechkin was more valuable to his team since he played on the top line and not behind Crosby and didn't have two teammates in the top 10 in NHL scoring.
 

illpucks

Registered User
May 26, 2011
20,525
4,971
How exactly did he outperform him?
I meant he outperformed Sid this season. And Malkin had a year where he does better than Sid. So what. Why not then vote for Malkin as #2 overall since he outperformed Sid.
 

Empoleon8771

Registered User
Aug 25, 2015
80,407
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Redmond, WA
Malkin: 42 goals and 98 points in 78 games, 28 ES goals and 60 ES points
Ovechkin: 49 goals and 87 points in 82 games, 32 goals and 56 ES points

Not exactly seeing how Ovechkin was better than Malkin last season.
 
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GlitchMarner

Typical malevolent, devious & vile Maple Leafs fan
Jul 21, 2017
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Brampton, ON
Malkin: 42 goals and 98 points in 78 games, 28 ES goals and 60 ES points
Ovechkin: 49 goals and 87 points in 82 games, 32 goals and 56 ES points

Not exactly seeing how Ovechkin was better than Malkin last season.

Ovechkin did have much better advanced relative stats and more hits. I'm not sure Malkin really has an edge on defense despite being a centre. I'm assuming Malkin's QoC was lower.
 

Empoleon8771

Registered User
Aug 25, 2015
80,407
78,003
Redmond, WA
Ovechkin did have much better advanced stats and more hits. I'm not sure Malkin really has an edge on defense despite being a centre. I'm assuming Malkin's QoC was lower.

He had much better advanced stats because the Capitals were a garbage possession team this year. Malkin's CF% was better than Ovechkin's CF%, Ovechkin just played for the team with a dramatically worse CF% overall. Hits don't make one player better than another player. I also think that for considering the kind of players we're talking about possession stats and hits don't actually matter. That's not what those guys are great for.
 

GlitchMarner

Typical malevolent, devious & vile Maple Leafs fan
Jul 21, 2017
9,712
6,432
Brampton, ON
Here are stats that favor Ovechkin.


CF% rel:

Ovechkin: 5%

Malkin: 1.4%


FF% rel:

Ovechkin: 4.9%

Malkin: 0.2%


Hits:

Ovechkin: 139

Malkin: 48
 
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GlitchMarner

Typical malevolent, devious & vile Maple Leafs fan
Jul 21, 2017
9,712
6,432
Brampton, ON
He had much better advanced stats because the Capitals were a garbage possession team this year. Malkin's CF% was better than Ovechkin's CF%, Ovechkin just played for the team with a dramatically worse CF% overall. Hits don't make one player better than another player. I also think that for considering the kind of players we're talking about possession stats and hits don't actually matter. That's not what those guys are great for.

I haven't voted, but to me it doesn't seem like Malkin was clearly the better player. His durability for next season is questionable as well, to be fair.
 

Regal

Registered User
Mar 12, 2010
24,545
13,840
Vancouver
I meant he outperformed Sid this season. And Malkin had a year where he does better than Sid. So what. Why not then vote for Malkin as #2 overall since he outperformed Sid.

So now you're arguing he had a better season or...? Malkin also had more points and the same number of goals last year while missing 20 games, then put up 28 points in a lower scoring playoffs. Malkin isn't ahead of Sid because Malkin isn't usually better than Sid so one year doesn't put him ahead. Malkin has often been better (at least per game) than Ovechkin since 2011
 

Regal

Registered User
Mar 12, 2010
24,545
13,840
Vancouver
Without really delving into their respective regular seasons, I guess you can argue Ovechkin was more valuable to his team since he played on the top line and not behind Crosby and didn't have two teammates in the top 10 in NHL scoring.

I don't think it's unreasonable to consider Ovechkin better this year. Malkin kind of sleepwalked through the first half of the year, and Ovechkin played a more rounded offensive game both in terms of production and in terms of being more involved in the play than he has since 2011, which has been the biggest criticism of him in that time frame (too stationary and reliant on others to get him the puck in the zone). I just don't see how it's some given the way those posters were talking, nor would it be by enough to really give him much of an edge considering what we've seen from these two for years.
 

Silky mitts

It’s yours boys and girls and babes let’s go!
Mar 9, 2004
4,660
3,658
Kucherov has more points in each of the last 3 years than Malkin, leading his team in scoring each time and both times they were in the playoffs. Malkin has been 1, 2, and 3 in scoring in the regular season and playoffs as Kessel and Letang have sometimes been the focal point after Crosby. Kucherov was 3rd on the Sport Express top Russian players this year ahead of Malkin. Kucherov was a beast against the Caps the 1st 5 games.
 

illpucks

Registered User
May 26, 2011
20,525
4,971
Malkin's were 9 games. Which is what illpucks was talking about. And that's highly debatable when Malkin had 11 more points in 4 less games (and 5 more primary points for the goal scoring crowd).
Dude your team had 3 players with more points than Ovi. The only thing that says is your team has a 3 headed monster while Ovi carried the team by himself. Ovi had a slump to finish the season in the last 10 games or so but he was 15 points ahead of Kuznetsov at some point close to the end of the season. It wasn't close. Kessel had more points than Sid.

Ovi beasted the entire year and playoffs. People voting Malkin are just upset that Ovi got the Smythe
 

GlitchMarner

Typical malevolent, devious & vile Maple Leafs fan
Jul 21, 2017
9,712
6,432
Brampton, ON
Dude your team had 3 players with more points than Ovi. The only thing that says is your team has a 3 headed monster while Ovi carried the team by himself. Ovi had a slump to finish the season in the last 10 games or so but he was 15 points ahead of Kuznetsov at some point close to the end of the season. It wasn't close. Kessel had more points than Sid.

Ovi beasted the entire year and playoffs. People voting Malkin are just upset that Ovi got the Smythe

I'm pretty sure Regal is a Canucks fan.
 

Howie Hodge

Zombie Woof
Sep 16, 2017
4,422
4,027
Buffalo, NY
From a large number of posts I've read you'd better add Barzal, Marner and Tanev to the list.

Not my picks; but you may choose to play to your audience....

Chris, not Brandon.
 

GlitchMarner

Typical malevolent, devious & vile Maple Leafs fan
Jul 21, 2017
9,712
6,432
Brampton, ON
Kucherov has more points in each of the last 3 years than Malkin, leading his team in scoring each time and both times they were in the playoffs. Malkin has been 1, 2, and 3 in scoring in the regular season and playoffs as Kessel and Letang have sometimes been the focal point after Crosby. Kucherov was 3rd on the Sport Express top Russian players this year ahead of Malkin. Kucherov was a beast against the Caps the 1st 5 games.

Kuch definitely deserves consideration. In fact, he may deserve to win this poll.
 

Regal

Registered User
Mar 12, 2010
24,545
13,840
Vancouver
Dude your team had 3 players with more points than Ovi. The only thing that says is your team has a 3 headed monster while Ovi carried the team by himself. Ovi had a slump to finish the season in the last 10 games or so but he was 15 points ahead of Kuznetsov at some point close to the end of the season. It wasn't close. Kessel had more points than Sid.

Ovi beasted the entire year and playoffs. People voting Malkin are just upset that Ovi got the Smythe

This argument would work if Malkin was milking secondary assists on the PP, didn't actually lead the team in points or had less primary points than Ovechkin. The Caps were coming off back to back President's Trophies this year and were still 9th in goals for this year, only 13 behind the Pens, and Ovechkin's most common linemate was only 7 points back of Malkin's and only 3 points back of Ovechkin. The idea that Malkin had far more help is asinine. And if you want to go that route, you would also have to downgrade Ovechkin's playoffs for the amount of scoring his teammates did.

Also I'm a Canucks fan. Word to the wise: assuming everyone that disagrees with you has an agenda really makes you lose all credibility
 

Leonhard Euler

Registered User
Mar 5, 2018
513
639
Karlsson.

Some adds I'd consider that should make it to top 30: Subban, Barkov, Hall, Tarasenko.. Obviously there's more
 

Ainec

Panetta was not racist
Jun 20, 2009
21,784
6,429
I would say Karlsson ainec but I don't want to be harassed
 

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