Will we ever see another Pavel Bure?

[luby3131]

really? someone who hasnt even played in their final year of junior hockey is the closest thing youve seen to one of the most dynamic scorers in nhl history? I havent seen yakupov play other than in some videos, but ive heard he has a lot of physical edge to his play too?

Skillset wise, yeah. We are talking about style of play right? I'm not claiming Yakipov is going to score 60 goals a season dude....

 

[Forgot About Drai]

I remember hearing at the beggining of last years draft that Hall was the "candian" Bure

But I think Grabner fits the bell more than Hall.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Skillset wise, yeah. We are talking about style of play right? I'm not claiming Yakipov is going to score 60 goals a season dude....

The way the OP put it i think he was wondering if a player would dominate the nhl in similar fashion as bure. He asked if we would see a player who would electrify and dazzle everytime he was on the ice, and could blow past any defender in the league almost at will. It is still far to early IMO to say yakupov will do that.

On another note, yes, a lot of players may have traits that resemble bure, but come on, guys like grabner and seguin shouldnt even be talked about in the same breath as bure. Personally I think datsyuk comes closest to what the OP was asking for. Not that the style of game play between the two players is similar, but the guy is a human highlight reel just like bure was, and can bring fans out of their seats on a nightly basis.

 

[theIceWookie]

I came here to say this. Yes, Ovechkin can make some Pavel Bure like plays, but he isn't as fast. Other than Ovie, I don't know anybody close to Bure in playing style.

To a much lesser extent, Kessel plays a similar game. He has the speed, he has the hands and he has the shot. He just doesn't have it at a level that Bure did. Bure was a special player.

Although I do agree that the NHL is different now. I fully believe 5 or 6 players now would dominate to Bure like levels back then.

 

[theIceWookie]

Bure is not just one-of-a-kind player. Bure is a one-of-a-kind personality!

In order to have someone even remotely close, you need to have an Athlete with genes of an olympic swimmer(father), uncompromising drive, steel character for 100% of his conscious life and the great guidance that was Red Army.

Bure was the pinnacle product of the Soviet Hockey, having mixed the best of it with the best kind of candidate. Sort of- the elite of the elite.

I just don't think that kids nowadays are pushed that hard to become stars, when a lot of the development happens.

Ovechkin is close in some ways, but his technique is not nearly as polished. His skating, although amazing- is just not as developed technically wise as Bure's, hence he is not as explosive.

PS. In order for another Bure to come by, he would probably have to be from switzerland, as it's not a Russian name.

Ovechkin is more power forward who can shoot than sniper like Bure. I agree, he is not as polished.

 

[cjdv16]

Nope. Bure's combination was one of a kind. Mogilny was close in his prime, but he lacked the shiftiness that Bure had.

I don't think anyone in the league compares to Bure.

 

[theIceWookie]

Nope. Bure's combination was one of a kind. Mogilny was close in his prime, but he lacked the shiftiness that Bure had.

I don't think anyone in the league compares to Bure.

I think its a mix of no one really having the same level of talent, but also it being a different NHL.

 

[Future]

Ehhhhhhh. Bure in Vancouver benched more than anyone else on the team. Kessel probably benches less than the trainer. He may have SOME of the scoring touch but he is so far away from Bure that it's not worth mentioning.

I never said he was an exact replica. I said he has Bure like qualities. He uses his speed and hands to get passed defenders very well, also has a fantastic shot.

 

[Future]

To a much lesser extent, Kessel plays a similar game. He has the speed, he has the hands and he has the shot. He just doesn't have it at a level that Bure did. Bure was a special player.

Although I do agree that the NHL is different now. I fully believe 5 or 6 players now would dominate to Bure like levels back then.

This.

 

[nanzenkills]

I don't really agree with the Hall comparison. I made it before myself but I take it back. He's fast but he's not that fast and certainly not that skilled. Taylor Hall is Taylor Hall, he's a unique player.

Seguin on the other hand reminds me of Bure a bit. He'll never score 60 goals or anything like that but he's going to score a lot of his goals on the breakaway. That kid has some wheels and a good scoring touch.

I think in today's NHL even Pavel Bure wouldn't be able to play like Bure. You're just not allowed to play like that anymore, everyone has to be a 2-way player.

edit: Andrew Knoll, I have to agree with the Gaborik comparison. I can't believe I missed that, I guess I forgot about him because he's out with injuries so often. Personally I think if he wasn't drafted by such a defensive team in Minnesota he would have at least a couple 60 goal seasons under his belt.

As much as I like him, Ovechkin is not a two-way player. His play in his own end is actually very similar to the way Bure played there, except that he's not as fast as Bure was.

To a much lesser extent, Kessel plays a similar game. He has the speed, he has the hands and he has the shot. He just doesn't have it at a level that Bure did. Bure was a special player.

Although I do agree that the NHL is different now. I fully believe 5 or 6 players now would dominate to Bure like levels back then.

I think its a mix of no one really having the same level of talent, but also it being a different NHL.

I don't agree. Bure was able to be a dominant goal scorer and showcase a unique level of skill at top speed in the free-flying NHL (1992-93) as well as the NHL that was one giant defensive system (1997-2001). Today's NHL is somewhere in between those extremes from a defensive standpoint. If Bure was able to be a unique, singular talent during both of those extremes in style of play in the league's history, there's no reason to think that he wouldn't be able to be the same thing today in his prime.

I still don't believe that anyone in today's NHL has Bure's combination of pure speed, acceleration, agility at top speed, hands, shot, and nose for the net. I definitely think that someone could someday come along and match or even surpass his particular style of skillset, but nobody has it now.

 

[Future]

I think Yakupov could be as close as your going to get to Bure.

 

[nanzenkills]

I think Yakupov could be as close as your going to get to Bure.

Out of all of the players that we know about now, that could be true (I'm not familiar enough with Yakupov himself to say that it is or isn't). But you never know when someone comes up in future years or even decades from now.

 

[Future]

Out of all of the players that we know about now, that could be true (I'm not familiar enough with Yakupov himself to say that it is or isn't). But you never know when someone comes up in future years or even decades from now.

Yakupov would probably be almost a replica of him if he was faster. I have seen Yakupov a lot. Unless Grigorenko pulls off some magic show over there in Russia, Yakupov is the 1st overall pick next year.

 

[nanzenkills]

Yakupov would probably be almost a replica of him if he was faster. I have seen Yakupov a lot. Unless Grigorenko pulls off some magic show over there in Russia, Yakupov is the 1st overall pick next year.

From what I've read, there seems to be more than just a few people who hold Grigorenko in higher regard than Yakupov. Grigorenko has a significant size advantage over Yakupov, a similar level of skill (or so I've been told), and incredible vision. What he did at the U-18s would probably fit your definition of a "magic show", and if he can keep raising the level of his game, he looks like the likely frontrunner for 2012.

 

[helicecopter]

Yakupov would probably be almost a replica of him if he was faster. I have seen Yakupov a lot.

maybe you have not seen enough of Bure when he was 100% though..

 

[Future]

maybe you have not seen enough of Bure when he was 100% though..

Yakupov is probably the closest you're going to get though is what I am saying. He is one of the most exciting players to play in the OHL since... I don't even know. He is more exciting to watch than Tavares was.

 

[GCM]

Minus the dekes around the goalie, and sometimes you can see his hands freeze up at top speed- almost never happened to Bure.

I didn't say he was a carbon copy. Just the closest thing.

And he doesn't freeze up at top speed, that happened in like one shootout.



If I didn't know better I would've thought that was Bure.

 

[Confound]

Never.

 

[PlayMakers]

Grabner's the next Bure.

 

[Future]

Grabner's the next Bure.

He's not even close to his level. I don't even see grabner getting 40 goals

 

[YNWA14]

He's not even close to his level. I don't even see grabner getting 40 goals

Funny. He's a lot more comparable than someone of Kessel's level.

Anyway, that Kovalchuk video didn't make me draw comparisons to Bure at all. Bure had a very unique skillset and athletic ability. Nobody in the league right now is comparable, really, which is why I asked the question in the first place. From what I've seen of Yakupov he is also not comparable.

 

[Mike Mike Caron]

Some players will be compared to him if they skate realy realy fast, dangle and shoot precicly, but nobody is going to control the play, à la Bure, with this style.

 

[Future]

Can we all just agree that Bure had a unique skill set and no one most likely will ever be "another Bure"

 

[Andrew Knoll]

I don't really agree with the Hall comparison. I made it before myself but I take it back. He's fast but he's not that fast and certainly not that skilled. Taylor Hall is Taylor Hall, he's a unique player.

Seguin on the other hand reminds me of Bure a bit. He'll never score 60 goals or anything like that but he's going to score a lot of his goals on the breakaway. That kid has some wheels and a good scoring touch.

I think in today's NHL even Pavel Bure wouldn't be able to play like Bure. You're just not allowed to play like that anymore, everyone has to be a 2-way player.

edit: Andrew Knoll, I have to agree with the Gaborik comparison. I can't believe I missed that, I guess I forgot about him because he's out with injuries so often. Personally I think if he wasn't drafted by such a defensive team in Minnesota he would have at least a couple 60 goal seasons under his belt.

Hall, to me, is very different. He's got wheels and hands but I don't think he'll be near the goal-scorer Bure was. He also is a riskier player in terms of the physical side of things, he really sticks his nose into dangerous areas. Very gifted receiving checks, too, the same way you see some guards in basketball square their shoulders on shots regardless of their awkward position, he always seems braced for a hit even if he is off-balance or in a precarious spot.

And yeah, Gabs has had many Bure-esque moments, lightning-quick release, can shoot goofy-footed if he has to, incredible acceleration, etc.

You guys should watch Ilya Kovalchuk more often. Closest thing to Pavel Bure in a long, long time.

I've heard that comparison a lot, he's similar in many ways. To me he's more Ovechkin-lite though, similar quick release, great accuracy whether lifting the puck or shooting along the ice, throws his body around a bit (less than Ovie though), and so on.

 

[Vikingstad]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDMoStcfS5w


This shows some glimpses of how Taylor Hall can be a Bure type.