Nicklas Backstrom Or Pierre Turgeon?

[DitchMarner]

Who was the better player?

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[Evergreen]

Turgeon

 

[Albatros]

Turgeon, better for longer.

 

[Neutrinos]

Turgeon did notably more with less

 

[Ace of Hades]

Turgeon quite comfortably. Was very underrated.

 

[jiboy]

I went with Backstrom , I saw maybe the last 10 seasons of Turgeon probably im missing something but I much prefer the Backstrom.

Turgeon was very talented but pretty soft

 

[Regal]

I think Turgeon was better as an overall offensive player, but I don’t think it’s a huge gap and I like that Backstrom was also very strong defensively.

 

[Regal]

Turgeon, better for longer.

I don’t know about that really. He had more years as a player in general, but he started putting up 1C numbers at 19 and stopped at 31. Backstrom started at 21 and stopped at 33. 13 years for both.
And in those time frames, Turgeon was 6th in points and 12th in points per game. Backstrom was 5th in points and 13th in points per game.

 

[amnesiac]

Turgeon by a bit, adjusted points are not that far off

Backstrom was the better playmaker by far, but Turgeon scored over 500G, although did play 7 seasons in a MUCH higher scoring era

 

[Staniowski]

Turgeon. He had better all-around talent. In addition to being a very good playmaker and puck-carrier, he was an excellent goal-scorer - he could score well from a distance and in close. Great instincts around the net, and quick.

 

[Midnight Judges]

It's a good comparable IMO. Good poll.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Backstrom was better defensively but Turgeon was very talented and I think the better player.

Turgeon was one of those guys who just had "it" as far as hockey sense goes.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

This is a really good poll.

I think they're roughly equal as playmakers. Turgeon is clearly the better goal-scorer. Backstrom is far better defensively.

Both were roughly even in the playoffs - meeting expectations, but not exceeding them.

The biggest difference is Turgeon was the top forward on his team for much of his career. He had some huge years (leading the 1993 Islanders in scoring by 45 points, and he led several other teams in scoring by 15+ points - 1989 and 1990 Sabres, 1994 Islanders). Backstrom, of course, has spent most of his career supporting Ovechkin.

I really value Backstrom's defensive play, but if I had to draft one of them with the expectation that they'd be a #1 centre, Turgeon's offensive talent is too good to ignore (so I voted for him in this poll). On the other hand, Backstrom has been the perfect complement to arguably the greatest goal-scorer in NHL history, and I can't envision Turgeon filling that role nearly as effectively.

 

[Albatros]

While Turgeon wasn't really a gritty defensive player, he did play smart and finished +139 in his career despite playing for rather mediocre teams.