Your greatest players in franchise history

[Alexander the Gr8]

Norris, Vezina, Richard, not quite legit would be Masterson, Jennings, Calder, or Selke

Those are regular season awards. Backstrom has no chance to win any of the awards you mentioned except for the Masterton or Selke, but that doesn't make him worse than the players who won individual awards.

I feel like Backstrom will continue to be underrated by everyone including Caps fan even when he retires.

 

[kicksavedave]

Didn't Backs win a "Most underrated" award that was voted on by current NHL players a few years back?

Actually it was this year... March even,

Player poll reveals what Caps fans already knew about Nicklas Backstrom

NHLPA Player Poll 2017-18

 

[Midnight Judges]

Isn't winning a "most underrated" award an oxymoron?

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Yes I am a true Hunter hater. He was an embarrassment to this organization.
I'm not saying we would have drafted Joe Sakic but we would have had the opportunity. I'm sure the Caps knew they made a mistake. Maybe that's why they drafted Brian Sakic in a later draft. Hoping to make up for it. Too bad Brian Sakic had the legal issues in junior. I'm sure that hurt his hockey career.

Dislike.

 

[sycamore]

Holtby is far too low on everyones lists. IMO he should be #2 after Ovechkin.

 

[maacoshark]

Those are regular season awards. Backstrom has no chance to win any of the awards you mentioned except for the Masterton or Selke, but that doesn't make him worse than the players who won individual awards.

I feel like Backstrom will continue to be underrated by everyone including Caps fan even when he retires.

I won't underrate him. I think he is our best all round player.

 

[maacoshark]

Dislike.

Sounds like you condone his actions.

 

[Calicaps]

Sounds like you condone his actions.

No it doesn’t.

 

[txpd]

If you think Dale Hunter was an embarrassment to the franchise, you are in the minority. His teammates certainly would never agree with that. Yea, he lost control one time and paid a price for it. There is just no dispute that he is a highly admired man in the hockey community. If you hate him, fine. Just remember. Your embarrassment was Hunter hitting Turgeoun. Brendan Witt later signed with the Islanders as a free agent and chose to wear Hunter's #32 as an Islander. That is respect to the point of love.

 

[Silky mitts]

Those are regular season awards. Backstrom has no chance to win any of the awards you mentioned except for the Masterton or Selke, but that doesn't make him worse than the players who won individual awards.

I feel like Backstrom will continue to be underrated by everyone including Caps fan even when he retires.

<Moved Backstrom ahead of Holtby>

Holtby is far too low on everyones lists. IMO he should be #2 after Ovechkin.

<Moves Holtby alongside Backstrom>

 

[Hatfield]

He was tame here. I should probably rank him above Kordic though, who didn't have many GP

Simon was the one who had his gloves glued on. Not sure whether it was the coaching, or maybe he started thinking he was a skill guy after putting up points on Oates's wing, but he had very few memorable fights here. He was a big disappointment coming from Colorado, at least for me.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

I may get shunned by RH and BR for this, but Hunter doesn't make my overall top 10 or 20-man roster. He was basically a Brandon Dubinsky-level player in an era with snarl. He's in the rafters due to tenure.

1. Ovechkin
2. Bondra
3. Holtby
4. Langway
5. Kolzig
6. Backstrom
7. Gartner
8. Johansson
9. Stevens
10. Kuznetsov (predictive + playoff run)

Hatcher and Gonchar are likely the first two out.

Roster (true to position as much as possible)

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Bondra
Semin-Kuznetsov-Gartner
Pivonka-Ridley-Gustaffson
Miller-Maruk-Christian

Langway-Stevens
Johansson-Hatcher
Gonchar-Carlson

Holtby
Kolzig

Kind of a crazy dearth of quality wing depth.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Scott Stevens played more games for NJ....that demoted him in my eyes. I’d also take Hunter and stash him at LW instead of soft ass Pivonka.

 

[Silky mitts]

I may get shunned by RH and BR for this, but Hunter doesn't make my overall top 10 or 20-man roster. He was basically a Brandon Dubinsky-level player in an era with snarl. He's in the rafters due to tenure.

1. Ovechkin
2. Bondra
3. Holtby
4. Langway
5. Kolzig
6. Backstrom
7. Gartner
8. Johansson
9. Stevens
10. Kuznetsov (predictive + playoff run)

Hatcher and Gonchar are likely the first two out.

Roster (true to position as much as possible)

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Bondra
Semin-Kuznetsov-Gartner
Pivonka-Ridley-Gustaffson
Miller-Maruk-Christian

Langway-Stevens
Johansson-Hatcher
Gonchar-Carlson

Holtby
Kolzig

Kind of a crazy dearth of quality wing depth.

My team would be same except 4th line would be Miller-Oates-Oshie

 

[sycamore]

I may get shunned by RH and BR for this, but Hunter doesn't make my overall top 10 or 20-man roster. He was basically a Brandon Dubinsky-level player in an era with snarl. He's in the rafters due to tenure.

Totally agree with this. Hunter I think has a devoted following because of his tough, gritty personality, as opposed to his gameplay, which wasn't anything special, to be honest.

 

[sycamore]

Scott Stevens played more games for NJ....that demoted him in my eyes. I’d also take Hunter and stash him at LW instead of soft ass Pivonka.

But Steven's best years were with us. I saw him play live -- so impressed with him, he punched WAY above his weight.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

But Steven's best years were with us. I saw him play live -- so impressed with him, he punched WAY above his weight.

No.....disagree...and I saw him live here too.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Totally agree with this. Hunter I think has a devoted following because of his tough, gritty personality, as opposed to his gameplay, which wasn't anything special, to be honest.

Guess it depends on if you’re trying to build a list of the most talented or the Greats. He’s not the most talented, but he produced and was the heart of the franchise when it sorely needed one. That’s a great in my book.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

Scott Stevens played more games for NJ....that demoted him in my eyes. I’d also take Hunter and stash him at LW instead of soft ass Pivonka.

Stevens was with the Caps for just as long as Carlson has been. I think his 600 games as a Capital were as good as anyone's. Pivo over Hunter because I think Pivo actually played some games at LW. AFAIK, Hunter played nothing but center.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Stevens was with the Caps for just as long as Carlson has been. I think his 600 games as a Capital were as good as anyone's. Pivo over Hunter because I think Pivo actually played some games at LW. AFAIK, Hunter played nothing but center.

Again....it’s a Greats list.....why does position matter among forwards? Any C I’ve played with can play wing in a pinch.

And I dont think Carlson should be high on a Greats list either if he left tomorrow.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

My team would be same except 4th line would be Miller-Oates-Oshie

I went with Maruk over Oates because they both played a similar number of games (Maruk about half a season difference), and Maruk's peak during that time was much higher - More point shares, second in franchise history in both goals per game and assists per game, tops in points per game and still holds the franchise records for points in a season.

Christian was a bit more productive than Oshie, for longer.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

Again....it’s a Greats list.....why does position matter among forwards? Any C I’ve played with can play wing in a pinch.

It's the way I've chosen to do it. I don't think you can take it for granted that a player will be of the same quality at a position he never played.

 

[Silky mitts]

I went with Maruk over Oates because they both played a similar number of games (Maruk about half a season difference), and Maruk's peak during that time was much higher - More point shares, second in franchise history in both goals per game and assists per game, tops in points per game and still holds the franchise records for points in a season.

Christian was a bit more productive than Oshie, for longer.

It's all subjective with regard to peak vs longevity but Christian's 41 goals were 19th in the NHL in 85-86 and Oshie's 33 the season before last was 14th.

 

[Langway]

FWIW this would be an all-time lineup based on franchise GVT (as of 2016):

Ovechkin - Backstrom - Bondra
Gartner - Pivonka - Semin
Miller - Gustafsson - Ridley
Konowalchuk - Hunter - Christian
Laich

Johansson - Gonchar
Hatcher - Stevens
Langway - Green
Cote

Kolzig
Holtby

Carlson has passed Cote since then. Kuznetsov is likely very close to joining--if he hasn't already--a fairly weak forward group after just five seasons. Even Eric Fehr was only behind eight forwards to get onto that group. It would only take about five or six strong seasons.

GVT has Stevens with his best season in '93-94 with the Devils when he posted career-highs in points and +/- (a Schultzian +53). Kind of wild to think that he never won a Norris thanks to Bourque.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

It's the way I've chosen to do it. I don't think you can take it for granted that a player will be of the same quality at a position he never played.

Different strokes....