Is it safe to say that Nathan MacKinnon is a better hockey player than Connor McDavid

[viper0220]

After watching these playoffs and after watching both MacKinnon and McDavid, I have come to the conclusion that Nathan MacKinnon is a better all round player than Connor McDavid(this can all change of course.)

MacKinnon can do it all, hit, score, take over games, MacKinnon is a freak of nature, kind of like a young Sidney Crosby.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Yeah let's see MacK do what he's doing on a shitty Edmonton team.

 

[viper0220]

Yeah let's see MacK do what he's doing on a shitty Edmonton team.

I think MacKinnon could do the same.

 

[Former Referee 68]

Nope

 

[Luongoisthegoat]

No, look at the supporting cast for mcdavid.

 

[Eggtimer]

McD has more pure skill but a MacK is built to strive moreso in playoff hockey.Give me McD during the regular season and MacK in the playoffs

 

[KrisLetAngry]

21 million got Dria and McDavid

15.5 million for McKinnon and Rantanen

Yea the Avalanche have an extra 5.5 million right now to play with so they will be able to have another top 6 forward.

Makin centered a line with 3rd liners and won a cup.

Why does Edmonton need there 2 top 5 talent playing beside each other when you have in my opinion some good wingers.

Idk depth can only be complained about so much.

 

[Avs44]

No. McDavid is still on his own level.

 

[Hockeym]

Ovechkin vs Crosby 2.0 , Mcdavid will shine one day in playoffs when his time is due but right now it's Mackinnon

 

[summer tooth]

Can't say that safely

 

[majormajor]

Maybe better playoff performer. McDavid is a clear cut above in the regular season.

As for why Mackinnon has been the better playoff performer, I'm not sure. Maybe it's just the raw power, the hooks and holds don't do as much to him. But the team effect could be big here. You can mob McDavid and get away with it. You mob Mackinnon and he can just flip the puck to [checks notes] any teammate and an awesome play is going to result.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

No, not safe at all. McDavid is the best player in the game. He just happens to play on a team that’s terrible with no support outside of Leon. Can you imagine McDavid playing regularly on MacKinnon’s line with Makar back there?

 

[Volica]

Better performer when it matters so far in their careers.

McDavid has like 13 points in 17 playoff games. That’s no bad, but also not great considering the guy is scoring 20 points more than anyone else in the league.

 

[Aashir]

When/if Edmonton supports Mcdavid with a proper supporting cast, we will be able to properly compare them. They need their GM to be logical and make good moves and they can be scary.
mack is great in his own way no doubt. Top 3-5 in the league, but he has a very strong supporting cast. If he wins a cup with a run like he has going rn tho, I’d say it’d bridge the gap by a nice amount.

 

[Ryan Michaels]

Yeah let's see MacK do what he's doing on a shitty Edmonton team.

Meh, I knew this would be the reply but honestly the way MacKinnon elevates his game in the playoffs is incredible and McDavid hasn't matched that. We can bring up whatever excuse we want but MacKinnon deserves credit for what he actually does more than what McDavid should get for what he hypothetically could. I'm definitely not ready to say MacKinnon is better but he certainly seems to be stepping up his game at the most important time of the year yet again and making this a discussion worth having.

I think a good lesson is not to reach a definitive conclusion one way or another as many wanted to declare McDavid way above MacKinnon again on the back of regular season production, not really buying that either.

We don't need to always be so inflexible and final in these kinds of talks, they're very young and the situation is fluid.

 

[Future GOAT]

It's safe to say he is on a vastly deeper team surrounded by much better talent at every position than McDavid is.

 

[Hisch13r]

lol

 

[Llamamoto]

I think MacKinnon could do the same.

His play a few years back contradicts that.

I get that he's improved since then but playing with Landeskog and Rantanen in front of a top-3 Defense definitely makes a difference.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Mack is paid 6 mill less. So it'll be pretty much impossible for the OIlers to ever ice a team with the same level of talent. So the argument that if only McDavid plays on a team with the Avs talent is pretty moot.

 

[ItWasJustified]

When/if Edmonton supports Mcdavid with a proper supporting cast, we will be able to properly compare them. Next year they have a decent path to the second round as I have them as probably the 2nd best team in their division going into the off season.

These two sentences are antonyms.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Meh, I knew this would be the reply but honestly the way MacKinnon elevates his game in the playoffs is incredible and McDavid hasn't matched that. We can bring up whatever excuse we want but MacKinnon deserves credit for what he actually does more than what McDavid should get for what he hypothetically could. I'm definitely not ready to say MacKinnon is better but he certainly seems to be stepping up his game at the most important time of the year yet again and making this a discussion worth having.

I think a good lesson is not to reach a definitive conclusion one way or another as many wanted to declare McDavid way above MacKinnon again on the back of regular season production, not really buying that either.

We don't need to always be so inflexible and final in these kinds of talks, they're very young and the situation is fluid.

Well if you're comparing them 1 to 1 I'd say MacK is as good and elevates his game in the Playoffs which is nice and all.
But this is a team sport, and to not take into account the vast differences between the Avs and Oil is shortsighted in my opinion.
McD on the Avs would be doing as good if not better - that's not an unfounded claim.

 

[Aashir]

These two sentences are antonyms.

Welp I’m dumb

 

[DonM]

These two sentences are antonyms.

Not necessarily. The second best team in a terrible division is still probably not very good.

 

[Ryan Michaels]

Well if you're comparing them 1 to 1 I'd say MacK is as good and elevates his game in the Playoffs which is nice and all.
But this is a team sport, and to not take into account the vast differences between the Avs and Oil is shortsighted in my opinion.
McD on the Avs would be doing as good if not better - that's not an unfounded claim.

Well it's possible it is also by definition an unfounded claim. And yes, MacKinnon gets to play on a better team but at the end of the day he has tangebile real life dominant playoff performances of course that's more meaningful than playing what-if with McDavid.... And the idea that McDavid only plays with scrubs is pretty much fiction, he plays an awful lot with Drai, which in terms of individual performance shouldn't be a hinderance. Also the Oilers have been favourites in their last two playoffs, I don't buy that they're total garbage every time this topic comes around.

Anyway not saying MacKinnon's better but we can't totally wave away his playoff accomplishments just because you think McDavid would hypothetically accomplish them in an alternate universe. One is clearly more meaningful than the other. And McDavid has plenty of achievements we can point to without hypotheticals and excuses, I don't know why it always comes to this.

 

[HarryLime]

my problem with this forum is the same thing I said last year when I made the thread. they're both close. people, mostly Oilers fans act like the idea of someone being on the same level as McDavid sickened them to the core. Not just Edm fans but hockey people don't want to, or like having the discussions.... McDavid is a good pick as the best but to act like Mackinnon is not even worthy of being someone's pick is pretty entertaining for someone like me.