Did Gaborik have HOF talent?

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

One of my favourite players growing up. Speed was insane and was a great goal scorer. Played on some really defensive teams in his early prime. Too bad for all the injuries. But if healthy 40 goals or close was a shoe in and in a lower scoring era.

Click to read more...

 

[Soundgarden]

Did he have the talent? Yes, I'd say so, but his career was probably not HHOF worthy.

 

[the valiant effort]

Yes.

 

[Shlep]

100%.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

Pretty easily, yes.

 

[Coffees]

One of my favourite players growing up. Speed was insane and was a great goal scorer. Played on some really defensive teams in his early prime. Too bad for all the injuries. But if healthy 40 goals or close was a shoe in and in a lower scoring era.

Is the sky blue ?

 

[the valiant effort]

Has HF ever tried to put together a definitive team of HOF talents without HOF resumes?

 

[Hivemind]

Has HF ever tried to put together a definitive team of HOF talents without HOF resumes?

There's too many to name.

 

[stymie]

Ogie Ogilthorpe is a HF'er before this guy.

 

[TomBlizzy12]

Yes. He had crackhead speed and a sniper's shot

 

[Matty Sundin]

His talent and style wasn’t a fit for his body.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Did he have the talent? Yes, I'd say so, but his career was probably not HHOF worthy.

You can remove ‘probably’

 

[Jumptheshark]

no.

Here is some of my criteria

1) 50 goal seasons? No
2) 100 pts seasons? Non
3) 500 goals/1000pts? No
4) Any hardware? No

While he won the cup with LA--he was brought in at the 11th hour to join the team.

For me he is the hall of very good.

 

[SenzZen]

Yes, but his body simply couldn’t hold up to his own power. The most violent skating stride I have ever seen.

 

[Kane One]

Absolutely. I don’t see how that would be up for debate. He was made of glass though.

no.

Here is some of my criteria

1) 50 goal seasons? No
2) 100 pts seasons? Non
3) 500 goals/1000pts? No
4) Any hardware? No

While he won the cup with LA--he was brought in at the 11th hour to join the team.

For me he is the hall of very good.

OP was not asking if he should be in the HHOF. The question is about his talent, not his career.

 

[sr edler]

He did have a pretty limited skill-set overall IMO. Yes, speedy as hell and could snipe with the best, but I feel he was what a lot of people who never saw Bure play would caricature him as.

 

[Felidae]

In his best season, he peaked at 10th in points and 5th in goals as a 27 year old.

He only has a single top 10 point finish and 3 top goal finishes (3, 5, 7)

He was never really a true contender for any major awards. Even his 3rd place goalscoring finish, he is 9 goals behind Malkin and 19 behind Stamkos.

You could argue a healthy Gaborik has more top 10 goal finishes, and maybe point finishes. But at best that makes him a very borderline case. I think realistically he would just be in a higher tier of "hall of very good" players.

Players like Theo Fleury, Zigmund Palffy, Markus Naslund, John Leclair all have better top 10 stat finishes, and none of them are in the HHOF.

 

[tarheelhockey]

^ Palffy was the comparable that came to mind when I read the thread title. HHOF talent, no doubt. But only a handful of seasons where he managed to play 75+ games.

 

[North Man]

maybe, wont get in tho

 

[K Fleur]

Gaborik’s pre lockout seasons are going to be under appreciated at first glance.

He was stuck on an offensively inept team with a defensive oriented coach in the heart of the DPE. The Wild never scored 200 goals in a season from 2000-2004. Still Gaborik was a dynamic offensive player even if the production looks underwhelming. I mean his best running mates were Andrew Brunnette and Alex Daigle…

 

[xVolchenkov]

One of the GOAT for the Sens

 

[TGWL]

He did have a pretty limited skill-set overall IMO. Yes, speedy as hell and could snipe with the best, but I feel he was what a lot of people who never saw Bure play would caricature him as.

You mean the Hockey Hall of Fame player, Bure?

Anyway, the talent was definitely there. The injuries took a bit hit on his point totals.

 

[NVious]

If you play more than 5 years on Midesota you should automatically be inducted for enduring what basically no one can.

 

[GeeoffBrown]

I do think he would have more impressive career accomplishments if he stayed healthy and played on a team that did not focus on the trap

 

[GRob83]

Palffy and Bondra were better, and that's only comparing other Slovakians.