How skilled was Paul Kariya?

[BraveCanadian]

Kariya was very skilled. One of the top in the NHL at his best.

Slightly better than Selanne at their peaks and I think Kariya was still improving.

Great speed, great shot, great passer, great vision. Plus Kariya had "it".

Too bad Suter gooned him..

 

[gretzkyoilers]

According to Wayne, if it was 1982, records would be broken:

 

[BraveCanadian]

According to Wayne, if it was 1982, records would be broken:

Yeah, but according to Wayne 100 people have been poised to break his records.

Pretty sure he once told me that I was the best hockey player he had ever seen too. (no he didn't - I am terrible - but it is almost to that point witht he number of people he has said that about)

 

[The Panther]

I'd certainly say Kariya had the better skill-set than Selanne, overall. From 1995 -- 2000, I'd say Kariya was the better player. (Of course, when considering career as a whole, Selanne has the edge.)

Kariya was almost a uniquely skilled player because he was all-world (like, top-3) in skating, passing, shooting, and stickhandling from 1995 -- 2000. Selanne was not as good a passer or stickhandler. Lindros was not as explosive a skater, and not as good a stickhandler. Sakic was closest to Kariya in style, maybe, but even then I think Kariya was a better passer/playmaker.

Really, Kariya was the heir-apparent to Gretzky/Lemieux in the mid-/late-90s. He ended up being more of a Sakic (with a shorter prime) than a Gretzky/Lemieux, obviously, but that's nothing to apologize for. Still, there is a lingering sense of his having underachieved a bit after that 5-year prime.

 

[gretzkyoilers]

Yeah, but according to Wayne 100 people have been poised to break his records.

Pretty sure he once told me that I was the best hockey player he had ever seen too. (no he didn't - I am terrible - but it is almost to that point witht he number of people he has said that about)

I know...I just wanted to see if anyone caught Wayne once again saying play X is the Next One....

 

[HalifaxforNhl100]

Perhaps he had capacity to dominate Nhl long after Suters assault like hit in 98, at least two 60 goal seasons and at least one two or three seasons over 120 points i would have hoped for

 

[MadLuke]

hit in 98, at least two 60 goal seasons

For the 10 years (9 seasons) in the nhl from 97-98 to 06-07 included there was no 60 goals seasons.

Bure giving it all on the panthers got close 59-58, excluding Bure the highest in the dpe were:
Sakic: 54
Bondra: 52
Jagr: 52
Selanne: 52
....

there was only ten 50 goals season from 98 to 04 and Kariya would have been 31 when hockey restarted.

For season over 120 pts, from 1998 to 2004 there was only 2 of them, and one of those was Jagr playing with Lemieux in 2001.

Not saying impossible, but those are really high mark for that era, having 2x60 goals season 2-3x120 points season in the dpe, that could have put him as the leader of the best non Orr-Lemieux-Gretzky offense generator of all time at the minimum near the top of it (if you are clearly > Jagr there is not much room to go).