What is Kane missing from being considered as the best player of his generation?

[wetcoast]

It's usually either Sid or Ovi but Kane has a good case for being the best player of the generation. 3 Cups, Smythe, AR, Hart, Lindsay, Cup Winning Goal, stellar playoff resume

Also Kane is the point leader from 2014/15 -present. What exactly is he missing? Or is he the best player of his generation (and Crosby and Ovi are not)?

Well for starters, since 14-15 till now is by far his best 5 year stretch, it's only 6 goals and points ahead of Crosby and even the most bitter detractors of Crosby's defensive game have to conclude that his defensive over Kane is worth more than 6 points and 6 goals right.

Overall since 07-08 up until now, Kane's entire career in the NHL he is 3rd in regular season points

Ovechkin 984
Crosby 955
Kane 907
Malkin 900

https://www.hockey-reference.com/pl...points&c1comp=gt&threshhold=5&order_by=points

In the playoffs he is also 3rd in points

Crosby 180
Malkin 161
Kane 123
Ovechkin 117

Clearly both Ovechkin and crosby have better counting stats combined and Malkin as well considering his 120 fewer regular season games played with only 7 less points.

Being a top 5 forward in any generation is a really good thing.

Both Toews and Bergeron might have serious claims for top and as Kane's career plays out and overlaps more with McDavid he might actually be out of the top 5 forward discussion... maybe time will tell.

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Crosby--Ovechkin--Malkin--Kane
*not including this season

Hart: 2--3--1--1
Finalist: 6--5--3--1
Top 10: 8--8--4--4
Lindsay: 3--3--1--1
Smythe: 2--1--1--1
Calder: 0--1--1--1
Ross: 2--1--2--1
Top 10 pts: 10--8--4--4
PPG leader: 5--3--1--1
Top 10 PPG: 11--8--9--4
Rocket: 2--7--0--0
Top 10 goals: 4--11--3--3
GPG leader: 2--8--0--0
Top 10 GPG: 4--11--2--5
AST (1st+2nd): 7--10--3--3
Awards: 11--16--6--5

Kane is at the very least going to add top 10 hart, pts, PPG, goals and GPG finishes this season while it doesn't look like Malkin will add anything. So Kane vs Malkin is at least a debate, don't know why some people are trying to lump Malkin in with Crosby/OV when he is clearly not close to them.

 

[Frosty415]

he IS one of the best players of the generation... just not 1/2

he's top 5

 

[stepdad gaary]

Not at all

i especially don't know what that means. sorry for not saying he was better than malkn crosby or ovechkin

 

[ricky0034]

more high end point finishes

Kane top 20 point finishes: 1,3,5,9,19,20

Crosby: 1,1,2,2,3,3,3,4,6,10

Ovechkin: 1,2,3,3,3,4,7,8,11,13,15(plus a bunch of Rockets)

Kane will most likely add another finish somewhere in the top 5 this year but it still doesn't really compare well at all(especially considering Crosby and Ovechkin aren't done yet themselves with both being in the top 20 in points at the moment and Ovechkin very likely to win another Rocket this year)

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I'm a. Hawks fan but I am OK with him not being acknowledged like 87 & 8. They are generational players so its really no shame to be the 3rd or 4th or 5th best of your time. Guys like Yzerman, Sakic, Jagr and Messier were overlooked in the 80s and 90s because of Lemieux and Gretz.

Kane is undoubtedly a top 10 player of this era and has an argument to be in the top 5.

A really good argument for top 5.

 

[Mathew Barzal]

The best players of each generation in their peak single handedly took over games.

Kane is a phenomenal offensive talent, but I don't fear him the way I fear McDavid or Crosby or Ovechkin.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Is this thread real? He's hit 100 points once, 30+ goals 4 times, his defense is butt- he's great, top 5 forwards of his era, but Crosby and Ovi are unreal in what they've done. Why wasn't Jari Kurri the best on his team? Because Gretzky existed.

 

[heysmilinstrange]

He's probably the best American player of his generation, unless I'm forgetting someone, and that's nothing to sneeze at. Of course he's not the best player of this generation. I'm sure it's exciting for Hawks fans that you've won a handful of games and he's been on a hot streak, but let's all calm down.

 

[SotasicA]

Dumb thread is dumb. Kane doesn't have a case for best player. Top 5 if we're being generous, since he is a one dimensional player.

To be the best, he would need to be a solid two-way player on top of his offensive skill.

 

[puckIuck]

he doesnt have the squeaky clean image that players like crosby, toews have

 

[ColbyChaos]

Kane isn't even the best winger of his generation, let alone the best player of his generation. Hell, I may even argue that he's not even the best RW of his generation, depending on whether you include St. Louis as in this "generation".

Saying he is in the Crosby-Ovi tier is overrating him but you are completely underrating him even suggesting St.Louis was better, that is asinine. St.Louis spent almost his entire attached to the hip of a prime Lecavalier (who is definitely one of the more underrated players from the 2000s) then Stamkos stepped in as St.Louis main linemate after injuries started seeing Vinny's play drop (thanks Matt Cooke)

Kane meanwhile is already on track to pass St.Louis career numbers despite having worse line mates through pretty much his entire career. Besides the odd shift where he and Toews would be paired together Kane was relied to carry his own line when a majority of his linemates through his career werent exactly world beaters. The best center Kane has ever consistently played with since 2010 was Anisimov, the 2nd best center he ever had was a 36 year old Brad Richards in 2015. Throw in Michal Handzeus and Dave Bolland being his centers in other years through that span and it is not hard to grasp how mediocre his centerman were the majority of his career. Chicago never had a real 2C to play with Kane. Even prior to Panarin's arrival Kane was on pace to win the 15 Ross with Versteeg and Brad Richards before his season ending injury.

TLDR Kane has done more with a lot worse linemates. Kane had more PPG seasons and has already matched St.Louis top 3 and top 10 pt total finishes. Kane can even possibly pass St.Louis' career numbers in points, goals and assists by the end of next season. Has a miles better playoff resume. Marty isnt better and there wont be any real argument to him being better by the time Kane's career is done.

 

[sr edler]

A solid defensive game.

 

[daver]

Crosby has fourteen Top 3 Art Ross finishes/Hart nominations. Only the consensus four best players of all-time have more.

Kane has three.

 

[Atas2000]

It's usually either Sid or Ovi but Kane has a good case for being the best player of the generation. 3 Cups, Smythe, AR, Hart, Lindsay, Cup Winning Goal, stellar playoff resume

Also Kane is the point leader from 2014/15 -present. What exactly is he missing? Or is he the best player of his generation (and Crosby and Ovi are not)?

Cups are a team effort. I don't care how many cups a player has won when talking player comparison.

To answer the question: nothing. I will never get the absurd obsession woth having the One Best Player. There are none. Every player has weaknesses. Elite players we are talking about also have weaknesses while they are still better than the tier below. And they are all different. I always wonder how people compare Ovechkin and Crosby. One is a scoring winger and the other a center. Why don't we compare them to goalies then? Or soccer goalies?

 

[crazyhawk]

Hawks have won 6 in a row so Hawks fans are trickling back to the main board.

Sure it's nice .. in a way .. to see the Hawks win some games but I qualify that as "in a way" cause most of us Hawk fans would prefer to see a bottom 5 finish this year to land a top six forward prospect.
But trumping that whole discussion is the fact that Kaner is having arguably his best season in his career. He is no doubt one of the top 5 I would think of his generation. No need to get into the who's Dad is bigger, smarter, stronger song and dance.

 

[playasRus]

It's true, though. If Kane were born in Brampton Ontario he'd be a god on these boards.

The three players put ahead of him, two are russian...

 

[Teufelsdreck]

Kane is a nifty player but not the only one. Some other team will tank in the future and come up with someone of equal stature. At any rate, by now Chicago has lost its dynastic status.

 

[canuck2010]

He isnt Canadian

I love these comments. The NHL is run by Americans. It is an American League.

No one and I mean no one would choose Kane over Crosby to build any kind of team around.

 

[Leonhard Euler]

Fantastic player sure. Nowhere near Sid or Ovi.

 

[Leonhard Euler]

The three players put ahead of him, two are russian...

I can't believe people who play the "not Canadian" card do not realize that and feel stupid.

 

[Varan]

Crosby has fourteen Top 3 Art Ross finishes/Hart nominations. Only the consensus four best players of all-time have more.

Kane has three.

to add on, OV has 10 combined to Kane's 3

 

[OilCanada92]

He's missing that device from Men In Black that wipes our memory of Crosby, Ovechkin and Malkin.

 

[playasRus]

I can't believe people who play the "not Canadian" card do not realize that and feel stupid.

Not to mention that no Canadian has heralded Tavares/Stamkos as "better than Crosby/Ovie/Malkin" and they're actually Canadian, one of them in the biggest hockey market now.

 

[stampedingviking]

It's usually either Sid or Ovi but Kane has a good case for being the best player of the generation. 3 Cups, Smythe, AR, Hart, Lindsay, Cup Winning Goal, stellar playoff resume

Also Kane is the point leader from 2014/15 -present. What exactly is he missing? Or is he the best player of his generation (and Crosby and Ovi are not)?

If you don't know there's no helping you.