How skilled was Paul Kariya?

[Troubadour]

...Which is another way of saying that while Teemu was still adjusting to his new environment, Paul was running the show. Kariya clearly outscored Selänne from Feb. 6th onward. It wasn't until 1996-97 that Teemu regained his prime Winnipeg form and the two became the telepathic duo we remember. Plus Teemu too had some difficult seasons prior to that trade. His goalscoring in particular hadn't come near his rookie year until he was traded: he was pacing for less than half a goal per game for the third season in a row until he was paired with Kariya. In the long run, both players benefited from that trade.

Or -- that Kariya was the main benefactor.

At least once we base our theories on what we know rather than assume (because it actually happened):

Selanne posted good/great/phenomenal numbers before, with, and after Kariya, depending on his health, while Kariya without Selanne was Palffy on the Isles, at his actual best.

Also, they hit it off pretty much from the get-go and they already were one of the big stories in spring 96. Kariya scoring fifty was a big deal. No-one expected that (before the trade).

 

[Sampe from the 2000s]

Or -- that Kariya was the main benefactor.

At least once we base our theories on what we know rather than assume (because it actually happened):

Selanne posted good/great/phenomenal numbers before, with, and after Kariya, depending on his health, while Kariya without Selanne was Palffy on the Isles, at his actual best.

Also, they hit it off pretty much from the get-go and they already were one of the big stories in spring 96. Kariya scoring fifty was a big deal. No-one expected that (before the trade).

I do remember the hype (the claims of what happened), but the data (what actually happened) does not support it. Based on the data (the facts) it was Kariya who initially drove the play, and it was Teemu who played a facilitating role. Teemu did benefit from Paul's passes though, which is why his goalscoring at ES instantly improved. But Kariya had twice as many ES assists, more ES point, more primary assists, more primary points, and six game winners to Teemu's one. No doubt Paul was invigorated from the trade, but he also helped others score the most that spring.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Love the revisionist history on the Kariya / Selanne thing.

Like I always say in these threads, Kariya was better and still improving before the injuries started piling up. It sounds a bit crazy to say in comparison to Selanne, but Kariya was a more dynamic and rounded offensive player. As it turned out, Selanne had a better career and now people think he was better.

 

[authentic]

Love the revisionist history on the Kariya / Selanne thing.

Like I always say in these threads, Kariya was better and still improving before the injuries started piling up. It sounds a bit crazy to say in comparison to Selanne, but Kariya was a more dynamic and rounded offensive player. As it turned out, Selanne had a better career and now people think he was better.

I don’t disagree with this entirely but I just am not sure it’s a fact he was better than Selanne though. Selanne ultimately had a higher offensive peak before and during his time playing with Kariya, was better internationally, then had a better post-lockout career and peak after all their injuries despite being older.

 

[gary69]

Love the revisionist history on the Kariya / Selanne thing.

Like I always say in these threads, Kariya was better and still improving before the injuries started piling up. It sounds a bit crazy to say in comparison to Selanne, but Kariya was a more dynamic and rounded offensive player. As it turned out, Selanne had a better career and now people think he was better.

I remember reading some Selanne interviews from the Finnish press in the late 90s where he said that Kariya was a better player than him. Also remember seeing stories of him likewise admitting after Nagano that Bure was better than him as well at that time.

Of course injuries happened afterwards and Selanne finished his career much better than those two, to have a greater overall career.