Which of these Centreman is the best based on pure talent?

[summer tooth]

Please avoid looking at contracts or salary cap when voting.

Click to read more...

 

[BKarchitect]

Backstrom.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

All at their best? Backstrom no question

 

[BringTheReign]

Backstrom. He’s one of the players I think of when people throw around the phrase “hockey IQ.”

 

[summer tooth]

Nice to see Ryan Johansen getting some support in the voting

 

[BlueBaron]

Went Point due to Backstrom's age.

 

[summer tooth]

Went Point due to Backstrom's age.

Yes if nothing else Point can skate faster than most of the other choices

 

[Xspyrit]

Went Point due to Backstrom's age.

Doesn't say "based on pure talent"

That's how I voted

 

[libertarian]

Picked Backstrom.

After him I'd go Point and Scheifele

 

[BlueBaron]

Doesn't say "based on pure talent"

That's how I voted

Talent declines.

 

[Three On Zero]

Backstrom is in a tier or two above all the others on this list

Backstrom
Scheifele, Point
O'Reilly, Couturier, Pavelski, Johansen, Horvat, Aho

 

[Stephen]

When you say "talent," are you referring to aesthetically pleasing and precise practice skills? There's such a big gap in abilities and play styles on your list of players.

 

[Xspyrit]

Talent declines.

Yeah, anyway I rarely find that the questions for polls are explicit enough to properly answer

What is the timeline for this poll? Right at this moment? Career? Past? future?

 

[PettersonHughes]

It's unfortunate that, given how it's phrased, the question undervalues guys with reputations for being all-round centers (e.g. ROR, Schiefele, Couturier and Point) since I'd think of "pure talent" as being more known for flash and flair (e.g. Pat Kane/ Panarin/ Kucherov vs. Marchand/ Landeskog/ Stone) -- at least that's how I see it.

For pure OFFENSIVE talent (strictly based on what I've seen, because I don't see much of Aho/ Schiefele in my market), I'd say it comes down to Backstrom (known for being a silky smooth Swedish player with the puck), Point (all round but he makes plays) and Pavelski (his "clutch gene" is possible because of his talent IMO).

 

[rumrokh]

"Pure talent" is a nonsense term. Most abilities a player displays on the ice are skills, which are learned. Is there such a thing as "impure" talent? How do you differentiate talent from skill? If you're talking about some kind of natural or genetic advantage, you're basically just talking about abilities defined by their bodies. So, size and hand-eye, and then various joint and musculature features none of us know anything about in these players.

If you just mean "sick puck skillz brah," then say that.

 

[summer tooth]

When you say "talent," are you referring to aesthetically pleasing and precise practice skills? There's such a big gap in abilities and play styles on your list of players.

Unfortunately I feel it would be unfair to add new parameters to the polling, even though some people could change their answer. In this instance we just have to go on whatever you think talent means!

 

[summer tooth]

Backstrom is in a tier or two above all the others on this list

Backstrom
Scheifele, Point
O'Reilly, Couturier, Pavelski, Johansen, Horvat, Aho

Very interesting analysis

 

[alasania94]

Backstrom is in a tier or two above all the others on this list

Backstrom
Scheifele, Point
O'Reilly, Couturier, Pavelski, Johansen, Horvat, Aho

the aho disrespect oufff

 

[BruinsBtn]

Scheifele at his best can completely take over a game, like he did in Game 7 vs Nashville. Point is a close 2nd.

 

[Three On Zero]

the aho disrespect oufff

Names are in no particular order, Just how I see them broken down into tiers

 

[McFlash97]

Who voted for Bo Horvat man. Cmon guy

 

[doomscroll]

What is ‘talent’ and how can you measure it? At which point does “natural aptitude or skill” conflate among assets like physical predispositions (height/built), strength, speed, mental fortitude, “game sense”, spacial awareness, processing ability, etc, etc. Each of these players is a different combination of “aptitude’s”, which is the basis of talent. Mark Scheifele is a lot of things that Brayden Point is not, and vice-versa. Most of these players are deft and illusive in their skating to some notable extent, Joe Pavelski has never been that. Yet, he’s in the conversation, so there must be something evocative of talent which places him here.

I do not understand the question.

 

[T REX]

Point

 

[BKarchitect]

It's unfortunate that, given how it's phrased, the question undervalues guys with reputations for being all-round centers (e.g. ROR, Schiefele, Couturier and Point) since I'd think of "pure talent" as being more known for flash and flair (e.g. Pat Kane/ Panarin/ Kucherov vs. Marchand/ Landeskog/ Stone) -- at least that's how I see it.

For pure OFFENSIVE talent (strictly based on what I've seen, because I don't see much of Aho/ Schiefele in my market), I'd say it comes down to Backstrom (known for being a silky smooth Swedish player with the puck), Point (all round but he makes plays) and Pavelski (his "clutch gene" is possible because of his talent IMO).

I actually put Schiefele much more on the pure talent side than the “all around” side of the spectrum to be honest. It terms of pure physical and skill package offensively I think he’s near the top. It is his 200’ intensity that I find inconsistent. At his peak he’s more dominant than Point offensively IMO but as an overall player I would take Point’s more consistently engaged style despite his smaller frame.

 

[Rempe73]

Ryan Johansen? What?