Zetterberg vs Kovalchuk vs Stamkos

[82Ninety42011]

I'll take the 2 way playoff beast everytime over the one dimensional goal scorer.

 

[Salsa Shark]

Kovalchuk underrated here wow

 

[Midnight Judges]

I don’t know if it’s a hot take or not, but ‘08 Zetterberg was a better player than 60 goal Stamkos. Career is tough because they all have their caveats. Zetterberg’s peak was short and while a good player after he wasn’t quite among the elite after he lost his goal scoring. Stamkos has the best resume due to production, but I’m not sure it’s reflective of his actual on-ice value. Kovalchuk was probably the most talented, but left the league early and suffered through bad teams. Stamkos will go down as the best player in an all time sense, but I think I’d prefer Zetterberg on my team if I was building on from scratch, unless I already had some core play drivers and needed a goal scorer. I just can’t see Stamkos being the best player on a cup winner. If I was picking one from their draft, I might go Kovalchuk though. With better coaching early he might have really been great.

That's definitely not a hot take but I think it is questionable if it matches up with the historical record. It's easy to watch Stamkos these past few seasons and view him as a cog in an excellent machine. But back then he truly was an excellent skater and a legit elite franchise cornerstone piece.

Stamkos's 60 goal season had him as a clear 2nd best player that season, and this is validated by the journalists voting for the Hart and the players voting for the Lindsay.

Stamkos's season also stands out among other seasons post-lockout in that it is the second highest goal total in a long span of time.

Zetterberg received very little Hart consideration - with 9 other players receiving more, including two of his own teammates. Nor was he a Lindsay finalist. Nor does his season stand out in any way post lockout.

Maybe 2012 had fewer elite players putting up elite seasons but I don't think it accounts for that much of a difference.

Zetterberg's playoff games were excellent and are worth a significant amount. But does it really overcome a gap this large?

 

[amnesiac]

The quality of lines 2-4 probably don't have a ton of impact on the top line's production. If anything it helps it because you get more icetime.

When Stamkos scored 60 Tampa missed the playoffs. Same with his other Rocket - happened in a year where they finished bottom 10. Playing on a good team doesn't make your offensive production suddenly increase.

This poll isn't asking who the greatest offensive player was, or else Zetts would be last by a wide margin.

And if you think not winning the Cup and not making the playoffs for many seasons because of the crappy team that drafted you doesn't have any weight in a poll like this, then you are just kidding yourself.


Marcel Dionne is a perfect example. If he was a Hab he would've been considered a top 15 player of all time, hands down.

If California keeps their pick and drafts Lafleur, you think he would be considered a top 20 player?

Makes ALL the difference in the world.

 

[Kaapo Takko]

In the playoffs I'd take prime Zetterberg.

 

[newfy]

Give me Zetterberg for a playoff run, I wont argue too hard with people taking Stammer though

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Stamkos has the best peak and best career. Zetterberg was never close to being the best player in the league at any point in his career. Actually, he was never even close to being a top 5 player at any point. Stamkos 09/10-12/13 had turned the "big 3" into a "big 4", something Zetterberg never sniffed. Typical "2 way" guy getting overrated on HF. Kovy was also better than Zetterberg but he's behind Stamkos so it doesn't matter.

 

[sr edler]

Zetterberg, not even close. He was the real match up center on those Red Wings team, but Datsyuk got all the love because of his bow-leggedness, cone-formed head and dipsy dangles.

Z won a Conn Smythe with an era defining run, beasting it both defensively and offensively. Stamkos won a Cup in Tampa while playing 3 minutes of playoff hockey. Take Stamkos off Tampa, team wins a Cup anyways if Kuch is healthy. Take Z off those Red Wings team, team gets bounced in the 1st round.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Big Stamkos fan, voting Zetterberg though. Trying to keep my bias out of my vote.

 

[LarKing]

Zetterberg might actually be the best matchup C I’ve ever gotten the privilege of watching through his prime. What a treat having both him and Datsyuk on the same team.