Top Forwards by WAR 2007-2020

[NHL WAR]

The numbers for every available season have been crunched... here are the top 25 most valuable forwards by WAR since the start of the 07-08 season:

(DGS= defensive goals saved, FO=faceoffs, PD= penalty differential, rep= accounts for difference between average and replacement level)

player	GP	TOI		SHOOTING	PASSING	DGS	FO	PD	REP		WAR	PER 82
SIDNEY.CROSBY	824	17247.9		137	236.1	-7.6	8.9	18.6	148		72.1	7.2
ALEX.OVECHKIN	988	20612.2		312.7	6.4	-25.9	-0.5	10	176.9		63.9	5.3
EVGENI.MALKIN	829	16616.3		124.2	196	-5	-14.6	4.5	142.6		59.7	5.9
PATRICK.KANE	971	19524.4		101.4	169.3	-9.8	-2.5	17.9	167.5		59.2	5
ANZE.KOPITAR	1001	21090.5		14.3	142.2	23.1	11.8	25.7	181		53.1	4.3
JONATHAN.TOEWS	942	18730.9		76.9	107.9	10.2	31.4	7.2	160.6		52.6	4.6
STEVEN.STAMKOS	803	15559.1		175.3	68.6	-10.7	-2	6.9	133.3		49.5	5.1
JOE.THORNTON	963	18042.3		-79.5	243	28.9	11.8	8.3	154.9		49	4.2
PATRICE.BERGERON	859	16057.2		70.5	81	43.7	38.4	-6.4	137.6		48.6	4.6
JOE.PAVELSKI	982	18598.8		98.9	47.1	23.3	14.7	18.8	159.5		48.3	4
NICKLAS.BACKSTROM	955	18780		-34.2	224.2	11	-0.1	-8.2	161.2		47.2	4.1
CLAUDE.GIROUX	889	17530.4		8.6	152.7	-7.3	19.1	20.2	150.1		45.8	4.2
JOHN.TAVARES	814	16190.7		121.5	85.5	-24.6	5.1	14.6	138.7		45.4	4.6
BRAD.MARCHAND	751	13256.4		101.6	102.2	16.9	-1.4	-3.5	113.4		43.9	4.8
PAVEL.DATSYUK	589	11726.6		36.8	114.5	43.8	10	23.4	101		43.9	6.1
RYAN.GETZLAF	914	18729.4		-39.7	209	20.4	-4.5	-20.9	160.7		43.3	3.9
DANIEL.SEDIN	827	15313.3		61	107.4	23	-0.8	0.3	131.6		43	4.3
ZACH.PARISE	852	16234.1		112.6	24.1	9.6	-0.9	23.2	139.4		41.1	4
HENRIK.ZETTERBERG	801	15989.2		16.1	122.8	14.5	1.8	11.7	137.4		40.6	4.2
ERIC.STAAL	995	19679.8		77	75.2	-21.4	-5.7	5.3	168.9		39.9	3.3
BLAKE.WHEELER	930	17202.7		32.9	134	-4.8	-2.1	-8.8	147.3		39.8	3.5
HENRIK.SEDIN	847	16012.7		-77.5	227.1	18.8	-6.5	-3.5	137.6		39.5	3.8
JAMIE.BENN	814	15044.9		96.6	68.3	-0.3	-1.3	2.2	128.8		39.2	3.9
PHIL.KESSEL	995	18370.5		111.6	68.6	-45	-1.5	1.2	157.6		39	3.2
COREY.PERRY	907	17004.9		113.4	28.8	5.8	-1.4	-6.2	146		38.2	3.5

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

I don't know about you, but that seems pretty spot on to me.

Here's the top 15 on a per 82 game basis ( minimum of 82 GP):

player	GP	TOI		SHOOTING	PASSING	DGS	FO	PD	REP		WAR	PER 82
CONNOR.MCDAVID	351	7525.6		57.7	112.1	-12.4	-6	18.9	64.1		31.3	7.3
SIDNEY.CROSBY	824	17247.9		137	236.1	-7.6	8.9	18.6	148		72.1	7.2
AUSTON.MATTHEWS	282	5299.1		91.7	14.8	-2.5	1.3	6.5	45.1		20.9	6.1
PAVEL.DATSYUK	589	11726.6		36.8	114.5	43.8	10	23.4	101		43.9	6.1
EVGENI.MALKIN	829	16616.3		124.2	196	-5	-14.6	4.5	142.6		59.7	5.9
NIKITA.KUCHEROV	515	9242.7		87.4	102.4	2.9	-0.1	2.7	78.9		36.6	5.8
DAVID.PASTRNAK	390	6739.6		79.1	47.2	3.4	-0.4	11.1	57.5		26.4	5.6
ARTEMI.PANARIN	391	7697.8		31.6	95.3	2.8	-0.2	6.3	65.6		26.9	5.6
ALEX.OVECHKIN	988	20612.2		312.7	6.4	-25.9	-0.5	10	176.9		63.9	5.3
STEVEN.STAMKOS	803	15559.1		175.3	68.6	-10.7	-2	6.9	133.3		49.5	5.1
PATRICK.KANE	971	19524.4		101.4	169.3	-9.8	-2.5	17.9	167.5		59.2	5
LEON.DRAISAITL	422	8256.1		39.7	79.2	-8.6	0.4	7.1	70.4		25.1	4.9
ELIAS.PETTERSSON	139	2541.9		10.7	19.4	2.4	-1.8	8.4	21.6		8.1	4.8
JOHNNY.GAUDREAU	464	8846.5		23.7	85.8	-6.3	-0.1	22.8	75.5		26.9	4.8
BRAD.MARCHAND	751	13256.4		101.6	102.2	16.9	-1.4	-3.5	113.4		43.9	4.8

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

I'll continue to update tomorrow. Message with any questions or data requests.

Click to read more...

 

[tgo0]

Nice job. Not sure how accessible these things are but would be interested in seeing the top 5/10 in individual seasons. See how this years Drai stacks up against prime Crosby in these numbers.

 

[Stamkos4life]

Surprised to see matthews so high in on the list

 

[Dominance]

Given the order of players seems to stand pretty well to what logic and the eye test would tell me - not perfectly, of course, but much better than almost any other stat - this is a perfect example of why WAR is legitimately valuable in my eyes.

 

[Regal]

List stands up fairly well. Though there's a few head scratching things, such as Bergeron's faceoff ability having almost as much value as his defense. Would be interesting to see things broken down into say best season, best 3 seasons combined, best 5 seasons combined, etc

 

[Amazinmets73]

Mcdavid will have to stay healthy and play extremely well through his late 20s/early 30s to be as valuable as Crosby. He's currently at parity over an 82 game basis. This is despite having the advantage of having played the entirety of his career at peak output age for a forward. Furthermore, I don't expect him to age as well as Crosby due to his game being more speed-based.
The WAR charts solidly display that Sid the Kid is the greatest player of the modern era. Mcdavid still has an outside chance to best him!
NHL WAR, thanks very much for your hard work and wisdom! I for one can't wait to see defenseman.

 

[Black Kevin]

Joe Thornton, my man.

 

[Dion TheFluff]

Surprised to see matthews so high in on the list

he's pretty underrated

 

[Dion TheFluff]

you should do defenceman as well

 

[CanadienShark]

So weird to see a list like this actually match the eye test. Good job!

 

[Dekes For Days]

Surprised to see matthews so high in on the list

You shouldn't be.

 

[NHL WAR]

Nice job. Not sure how accessible these things are but would be interested in seeing the top 5/10 in individual seasons. See how this years Drai stacks up against prime Crosby in these numbers.

These are all the 7+ WAR seasons:

PLAYER	SEASON	GP	TOI		Shooting	Passing	DGS	Total FO Goals	PD Goals	Replacement Goals		WAR
ALEX.OVECHKIN	07/08	82	1894.2		39.8	4.5	0.6	-0.1	5.8	16.5		9
EVGENI.MALKIN	11/12	75	1575.1		26.9	23.9	0.6	-0.9	2.4	13.5		8.8
ALEX.OVECHKIN	09/10	72	1569.4		30.1	18.7	2.1	0	-0.4	13.6		8.5
NIKITA.KUCHEROV	18/19	82	1628.2		15.5	37	-2.3	0	-0.8	13.8		8.4
HENRIK.SEDIN	09/10	82	1614.6		5.2	42.3	0.5	-0.2	-0.2	14		8.2
PAVEL.DATSYUK	07/08	82	1751.8		6.8	24.9	6.5	0.9	5.9	15.3		8
SIDNEY.CROSBY	09/10	81	1778.3		24.3	18.4	-1.1	2.1	-0.5	15.4		7.8
CONNOR.MCDAVID	16/17	82	1728.4		8.8	28.2	0.2	-1.4	7	14.8		7.7
HENRIK.ZETTERBERG	07/08	75	1653.2		21.6	11.7	4.4	1.5	3.6	14.4		7.6
CONNOR.MCDAVID	17/18	82	1767.2		18.6	23.9	-3.5	-2	4.6	15		7.6
SIDNEY.CROSBY	18/19	79	1658.4		10.3	26.2	1.9	2.4	1.7	14.1		7.5
CONNOR.MCDAVID	18/19	78	1780.6		12.5	27.6	-3.5	-0.8	4.3	15.1		7.4
ZACH.PARISE	08/09	82	1538.1		23.1	10.8	4.8	-0.2	2.9	13.2		7.3
PAVEL.DATSYUK	08/09	81	1537.1		9.6	22.8	4.1	1.6	2.9	13.2		7.2
DANIEL.SEDIN	10/11	82	1521.4		17.3	22.1	2.1	-0.1	-0.3	13		7.2
LEON.DRAISAITL	19/20	71	1605.4		16.8	24.5	-3.1	0.3	1.7	13.7		7.2
PATRICK.KANE	15/16	82	1672.9		19.8	20.7	-1.8	-0.4	1.1	14.3		7.2
NICKLAS.BACKSTROM	09/10	82	1676.6		8.4	29.1	2.8	-0.3	-1.1	14.5		7.1
SIDNEY.CROSBY	13/14	80	1757.8		10.7	23.9	0.4	0.9	1.6	15.1		7
JAROME.IGINLA	07/08	82	1732.7		24.4	7.9	1.7	0.4	2.9	15.1		7
ALEX.OVECHKIN	08/09	79	1817.4		31.6	6.7	-1.6	-0.2	0.4	15.6		7

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Draisaitl stacks up pretty well, especially considering GP differences.
Crosby's injuries held him back. From 2010-13 he was on a 10+ WAR over 82 games pace.

 

[NHL WAR]

you should do defenceman as well

Yeah, I plan on giving it a go. Goalies too

 

[NHL WAR]

Top 10 this season:

	GP	TOI		Shooting	Passing	DGS	Total FO Goals	PD Goals	Replacement Goals		WAR
LEON.DRAISAITL (EDM)	71	1605.4		16.8	24.5	-3.1	0.3	1.7	13.7		7.2
ARTEMI.PANARIN (NYR)	69	1421.7		10.5	26	0.6	0	1.7	12.1		6.8
DAVID.PASTRNAK (BOS)	70	1327.3		25.9	11.9	0.3	-0.1	1	11.3		6.7
NATHAN.MACKINNON (COL)	69	1464.4		13	20.8	0.6	-1.4	2.7	12.5		6.4
BRAD.MARCHAND (BOS)	70	1361.7		8.2	23.4	3.6	-0.1	0.9	11.6		6.4
AUSTON.MATTHEWS (TOR)	70	1467.9		25.9	2.3	1.9	1.1	1.1	12.5		6
NIKITA.KUCHEROV (T.B)	68	1282.7		15	17.7	0.4	0	0	10.9		5.9
CONNOR.MCDAVID (EDM)	64	1399.4		12.6	21.5	-4.5	-0.3	1.6	11.9		5.7
MAX.PACIORETTY (VGK)	71	1271		16	8.1	3.7	0.1	-0.5	10.8		5.1
EVGENI.MALKIN (PIT)	55	1073.7		8.3	21.7	0.4	0	-1.5	9.1		5.1

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Pacioretty surprised me, but the rest are pretty much as you'd expect. What a signing Panarin was

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Surprised to see matthews so high in on the list

Never underestimate the disdain HF has for Matthews.

 

[Deam78]

Man, this is absolutely awesome! Thanks for putting this together!

 

[The90]

He definitely doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves that’s for sure. Leaf fans are lucky to have him

 

[DeeVeeUss]

Stammer is SO damn good, it's a shame injuries have robbed him out of so many games. Converted his game from sniper to 200ft playmaker

 

[wetcoast]

Top 10 this season:

	GP	TOI		Shooting	Passing	DGS	Total FO Goals	PD Goals	Replacement Goals		WAR
LEON.DRAISAITL (EDM)	71	1605.4		16.8	24.5	-3.1	0.3	1.7	13.7		7.2
ARTEMI.PANARIN (NYR)	69	1421.7		10.5	26	0.6	0	1.7	12.1		6.8
DAVID.PASTRNAK (BOS)	70	1327.3		25.9	11.9	0.3	-0.1	1	11.3		6.7
NATHAN.MACKINNON (COL)	69	1464.4		13	20.8	0.6	-1.4	2.7	12.5		6.4
BRAD.MARCHAND (BOS)	70	1361.7		8.2	23.4	3.6	-0.1	0.9	11.6		6.4
AUSTON.MATTHEWS (TOR)	70	1467.9		25.9	2.3	1.9	1.1	1.1	12.5		6
NIKITA.KUCHEROV (T.B)	68	1282.7		15	17.7	0.4	0	0	10.9		5.9
CONNOR.MCDAVID (EDM)	64	1399.4		12.6	21.5	-4.5	-0.3	1.6	11.9		5.7
MAX.PACIORETTY (VGK)	71	1271		16	8.1	3.7	0.1	-0.5	10.8		5.1
EVGENI.MALKIN (PIT)	55	1073.7		8.3	21.7	0.4	0	-1.5	9.1		5.1

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Pacioretty surprised me, but the rest are pretty much as you'd expect. What a signing Panarin was

On first blush I'm surprised to not see Eichel on this list but I haven't looked at the data very closely either.

Pac is also very surprising as I wouldn't have him in my list of top 10 forwards in overall value this year but it is 9th.

 

[Legion34]

Surprised to see matthews so high in on the list

Of course you are. He was “clearly surpassed by eichel” if I recall correctly.

 

[The90]

He definitely doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves that’s for sure. Leaf fans are lucky to have him

 

[Legion34]

Never underestimate the disdain HF has for Matthews.

the funny thing is. If you post on the leafs board. You are automatically assumed to be a fan. And like that poster can just troll leafs players beyond belief. It’s very odd

 

[Stamkos4life]

Of course you are. He was “clearly surpassed by eichel” if I recall correctly.

I'm not sure you do recall correctly.

Either way, it's not like matthews is that much better than eichel, if at all. If eichel got to play with marner and had JT to play against other teams top lines, jack would have more points.

 

[Stamkos4life]

he's pretty underrated

Debatable.

 

[Dion TheFluff]

Debatable.

not at all