Will Draisaitl surpass Jari Kurri?

Will Draisaitl surpass Jari Kurri?


  • Total voters
    168

Eisen

Registered User
Sep 30, 2009
16,737
3,101
Duesseldorf
Kurri was perhaps the best finish player ever along with teemu

Leon might end up being a top 3 European player of all time when it's all said and done.
I like him a lot but that's too high. Top5 maybe. For top 3 he'll need an alltime career and I don't feel comfortable predicting that.
 

BigBadBruins7708

Registered User
Dec 11, 2017
13,578
18,344
Las Vegas
Jari Kurri won five Stanley Cups.
He also holds the record for most goals in a single playoff-season.
One of eight players to ever score 70+ goals in a single season.
Top-5 in playoff points.
One time NHL top goal-scorer.

IMO Drai needs to show something more. He's not passed Kurri yet

All while stapled to Gretzky's hip
 

North Cole

♧ Lem
Jan 22, 2017
11,347
12,583
I'm guessing lots of young ones posting here...
Draisaitl is awesome but lets be real here.

Jari Kurri is one of the better hockey players ever,
in the history of hockey, lots needs to happen
before Draisaitl passes Kurri, goals, points, success,
number of games played, what ever the category.

It would be nice to see one of Kurri's NHL records to be broken thou,
19 play-offs goals in a single post season, 1 shy of 20, no one has ever scored 20
play-offs goals in a single season, that would be cool the see one day.

Well the thread is "will he surpass", so people are aware things need to happen still. Goals, points, and games are just a compilation of stats. If he ends up with a better peak/prime, it will be hard to argue for Kurri despite slightly better totals. Even excluding the Hart/Art/Pearson, you could make the argument Draisaitls best season is comparable to Kurri's best season, Kurri had a 1.84PPG in 1984.

I don't think Draisaitl needs to retire with a higher PPG once you take into account Kurri's totals from the 80's.
 

wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
22,246
10,125
I love Draisaitl but Kurri was no slouch. People saying Drai has already passed him are out to lunch. Can he do it sure but Drai has a ways to go to pass Kurri. I saw the Oilers in their 80's glory they were unbelievable and Kurri was a big part of that.

Sure maybe for career but peak it's Draisaitl who deserved the Hart with full marks last year.
 

wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
22,246
10,125
1986/87 79 54+54=108
1987/88 80 43+53=96
- Gretzky traded to LA -
1988/89
76 44+58=102
1989/90 78 33+60=93

Obviously playing with someone as good as Gretzky is a great privilege, but without him Kurri's numbers dropped only marginally if at all.

Except that Kurri's prime was before that with Gretzky from 84-87 were he had seasons adjusted to

90
108
102
92

In 88 it was 84 but Gretzky only played in 64 games as well.
 

Regal

Registered User
Mar 12, 2010
24,539
13,832
Vancouver
Except that Kurri's prime was before that with Gretzky from 84-87 were he had seasons adjusted to

90
108
102
92

In 88 it was 84 but Gretzky only played in 64 games as well.

Which are poorly adjusted compared to today's numbers since a 2nd place finish in '87 suddenly gets pushed out of the top 10 in '20
 
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wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
22,246
10,125
Which are poorly adjusted compared to today's numbers since a 2nd place finish in '87 suddenly gets pushed out of the top 10 in '20

My main point was that the OP was using Kurri outside of his peak and also the with Gretzky part was limited in games due to Gretzky being injured.

Kurri's peak was earlier in the 80s from 84-87.

Kurri was also only a 2nd place finisher due to playing with Gretzky and 87 being a weird year.

If he scores 108 the year before it would have been 9th place and in 88 it would have been 8th.
 

Albatros

Registered User
Aug 19, 2017
12,274
7,723
Ostsee
Gretzky missed one game in 1986/87 and sixteen in 1987/88. Quite normal seasons for any player.
 

82Ninety42011

Registered User
Jul 2, 2011
7,526
5,456
Abbotsford BC
Sure maybe for career but peak it's Draisaitl who deserved the Hart with full marks last year.
You sure about that? 84-85 Kurri 73 games, 71 goals, 64 assists, 135 points and 4th place Selke voting. Love Drai but does his Hart season beat that? Then add in career it's still Kurri for me however Drai is far from done and might pass him yes.

Edit, also Kurri only had 28 points on the PP which is kind of strange to believe myself.
 
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wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
22,246
10,125
You sure about that? 84-85 Kurri 73 games, 71 goals, 64 assists, 135 points and 4th place Selke voting. Love Drai but does his Hart season beat that? Then add in career it's still Kurri for me however Drai is far from done and might pass him yes.

Edit, also Kurri only had 28 points on the PP which is kind of strange to believe myself.


Last season and this season by Leon were both better than that season, the 80s scoring was inflated and Edmonton often ran up the score, I watched them a lot.
 

Plural

Registered User
Mar 10, 2011
33,703
4,852
I feel that Draisaitl will always be somewhat overlooked b/c he's playing with McDavid (ie how much is he really driving vs benefiting). As a result, many fans may underrate him. On the other side of the coin, it seem as though some Draisaitl fans are desperate to make the case he would be the same/similar player without McDavid.

Not saying you're wrong about Drai playong with McDavid. But are you aware of who's shadow Kurri played in?
 

Fourier

Registered User
Dec 29, 2006
25,438
19,571
Waterloo Ontario
I love Draisaitl but Kurri was no slouch. People saying Drai has already passed him are out to lunch. Can he do it sure but Drai has a ways to go to pass Kurri. I saw the Oilers in their 80's glory they were unbelievable and Kurri was a big part of that.
I was an Oiler season ticket holder in the late 70's and up to 89 and a big fan of Kurri's. Probably missed less than 6 Oiler home games that whole time. I think Draisaitl is already the better player. He is incredibly talented.

You sure about that? 84-85 Kurri 73 games, 71 goals, 64 assists, 135 points and 4th place Selke voting. Love Drai but does his Hart season beat that? Then add in career it's still Kurri for me however Drai is far from done and might pass him yes.

Edit, also Kurri only had 28 points on the PP which is kind of strange to believe myself.

It beats it because of the impact Gretzky had on those numbers. Draisaitl plays off McDavid in very much the same way Kurri played off Gretzky. Both pairs seem to be able to read the others mind. But the relationship between Kurri and Gretzky was more one sided than between McDavid and Draisaitl. In his Hart year Draisaitl was probably the better play in the pair as often as not with McDavid coming off such a major injury. There is no significant stretch of time where Gretzky would have been second banana to Kurri when they played together.

It's not at all surprising that Kurri only had 28 pp points. The Oilers pp ran through Gretzky with Coffey getting the second most touches. Then you had Anderson, Krushelnyski, Messier and Kurri to share the remainder of the opportunities.

Kurri was better defensively than Draisaitl is now of course. But Draisaitl is the better passer by a long shot and now has the better shot. He is more physically imposing but Kurri was the better skater. It is not at all unreasonable to pick Kurri. But it is certainly not out to lunch to pick Leon either.
 
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82Ninety42011

Registered User
Jul 2, 2011
7,526
5,456
Abbotsford BC
Last season and this season by Leon were both better than that season, the 80s scoring was inflated and Edmonton often ran up the score, I watched them a lot.

I was an Oiler season ticket holder in the late 70's and up to 89 and a big fan of Kurri's. Probably missed less than 6 Oiler home games that whole time. I think Draisaitl is already the better player. He is incredibly talented.



It beats it because of the impact Gretzky had on those numbers. Draisaitl plays off McDavid in very much the same way Kurri played off Gretzky. Both pairs seem to be able to read the others mind. But the relationaship between Kurri and Gretzky was more one sided than between McDavid and Draisaitl. In his Hart year Draisaitl was probably the better play in the pair as often as not with McDavid oming off such a major injury. There is no significant stretch of time where Gretzky would have been second banana to Kurri when they palyed together.

It's not at all surprising that Kurri only had 28 pp points. Teh Oilers pp ran through Gretzky with Coffey getting the second most touches. Then you had Anderson, Krushelnyski, Messier and Kurri to share the remainder of the opportunities.

Kurri was better defensively than Draisaitl is now of course. But Draisaitl is the better passer by a long shot and now has the better shots. He is more physically imposing but Kurri was the better skater. It is not at all unreasonable to pick Kurri. But it is certainly not out tp lunch to pick Leon either.

I watched the 80's Oilers a lot as well but definitely not as much as Fourier so I respect his and Wetcoast's opinion. Maybe I am biased to the stars I grew up with but I also think people give too much credit to whose currently playing vs the past. Regardless it's just opinions and Draisaitl can certainly pass Kurri but in my opinion right or wrong, I still have Kurri ahead. Now if Drai keeps going at the same rate for another two seasons I'd be happy to say yes he has passed Kurri. I'm just glad I've been able to watch both.
 

SotasicA

Registered User
Aug 25, 2014
8,489
6,402
Draisaitl has a Hart. I reckon one Cup and he is ahead already.

So I vote no.
 

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