What prevented Kovalchuk from reaching Ovechkin/Crosby/Malkin level?

[Evergreen]

I love Kovalchuk, but he has always been easy to get off his game by getting under his skin.

 

[Blues88]

He had deficiencies in comparison to the other players mentioned, but also had advantages over all of them as well.

Honestly, and I hate to cop out like this, I think he would have closed what little gap there already was with a competent center. Maybe he never is a perennial 100 point guy like those being discussed...he wasn't as good along the wall as Malkin or as physical as Ovechkin, but he was phenomenal at everything having to do with the puck on your stick. He also blossomed into a PK threat and a competent 3 zone player in Jersey.

Look at his career....he scored 52 with Eric Perrin...and that was with Heatley on the other wing, siphoning some chances (rightfully so). When Savard came to Atlanta, they had chemistry, but it was short lived, and he had a prime Hossa on his wing as well, siphoning off some chances (rightfully so). I don't think he suddenly matches Ovechkin's year to year goal production or Malkin's point totals but if the question becomes, would Kovalchuk score 50 on Pittsburgh's second line and 1st PP unit or with Bacskstrom as his center, I'd have to answer Yes to both. Hypothetical, flawed....but yes all the same.

He was incredible. However you feel about him as a player/person, unquestionably, the league is a tad bit worse without him in it. He was that good.

 

[glovesave_35]

Putting Kovalchuk in the same category of "underachiever" as Kovalev relative to their skill sets is crazy to me.

 

[The Sweetness]

The Thrashers and hockey IQ imo.

That said, as someone else said, he didn't underachieve and was a beast.

 

[Acallabeth]

BS hahaha. I guess you have missed the fights Kovalchuk has been in? I've never seen Ovechkin KO someone in a fight, try again.

What does being a better fighter and an easy distractable hot head have in common with being an aggressive player? Ovechkin played a more physical and more goal-oriented game.

 

[SlappaDaBass]

I don't compare Ovi with Crosby or Malkin. I see the other 2 above him. Maybe it's the SCF ring they have IDK. I feel like Ovi only really cares about scoring goals and getting points while the other 2 want to be remembered as 2 of the very best that have played.

Wow, it's almost like you've never watched a single Caps game in your life. Anyone who knows Ovi/Caps knows he probably strives to win more than anyone in the league.

 

[Systemfel]

Kovalchuk lost some of his explosiveness suddenly at a point past the age of 25. Closer to his late 20s. I am not sure if there was an injury involved.

4/20/2013 Missed 11 games (shoulder injury).
11/16/2011 Missed 5 games (lower body injury).
11/12/2009 Missed 6 games (broken right foot).
3/20/2009 Missed 3 games (upper body injury).
2/05/2008 Missed 2 games (knee injury).
4/14/2002 Missed the last 16 games of the regular season (shoulder injury).

 

[GeeoffBrown]

He just wasn't quite as good. Still a HHOF-level player.

 

[nobuddy]

He wasn't as good as they are.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

He wasn't quite as explosive and dynamic as Ovechkin, and didn't have the vision or creativity of Crosby/Malkin. I don't think it's anything more than that. He didn't underachieve, he just wasn't quite as good. That's not to say he wasn't a beast though, he had a great career and will be remembered.

 

[seafoam]

here it is

Man, now I really miss Kovy.

He'd be the perfect winger for Tavares and Okposo.

 

[TheAngryHank]

here it is

Awesome..

Clank..Score!

 

[JimEIV]

He wasn't as good as they are.

Skill-wise he was as good or better...He was big, strong and fast, he had a cannon of a shot but he was also incredibly careless.

Kovalchuk made high-risk low percentage plays way too frequently. He didn't like to get the puck deep when there was no other option and preferred to try and make something happen, it was constantly putting his team in difficult situations. And it was 50/50 if he was going come back to help out after one of those high-risk plays.

He never went to the net and almost never engaged physically. If the game was grinding type of game Kovalchuk was nowhere to found...He didn't make players around him better and really never utilized his linemates well.

Skill-wise he had it all...In my opinion he never put it all together because he believed he could do all himself.

I think Kovalchuk was the quintessential diva player.

 

[OzzyFan]

You're talking like Kovalchuk was the Kovalev of his generation, and he wasn't. He achieved up to his skillset mostly. I'd call Kovalchuk the Robitaille of the recent generation(impact and offensive/goalscoring wise), too bad he went to the khl and didn't build on an already impressive career here in the nhl.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Was one of my favorite players when he was with Hotlanta. Was so pissed when he went to the Devils.

 

[Duke749]

He was probably one of the most purely talented players in the last 2 decades. Wasn't as smart as some of the other players, didn't have a work ethic akin to some of the hardest workers, and wasn't as consistently as intense as some guys. Extremely talented player, just had a few deficiencies in his game. It's too bad he couldn't consistently play with a top line center in his career.

 

[tfong]

He had Bobby Holik as his center, what did you want?

Ovechkin had his monster years playing with Backstrom and Crosby/Malkin are just better players overall I think and played on a team with more offensive support.

Kovie is like Iginla in where he had one or two decent teammates but no really good top line center for himself. He had really good years with Hossa though just like Iggy and Tangs.

 

[Lebowski]

He had Bobby Holik as his center, what did you want?

Ovechkin had his monster years playing with Backstrom and Crosby/Malkin are just better players overall I think and played on a team with more offensive support.

Kovie is like Iginla in where he had one or two decent teammates but no really good top line center for himself. He had really good years with Hossa though just like Iggy and Tangs.

Kovalchuk's best statistical season happened when he played with one of the best passer in the game in Marc Savard.

He also had a couple years with Hossa.

He didn't get the consistent support Ovechkin may have had, but that's still far more support than either Crosby and Malkin for most of their career.

 

[ohheyhemsky]

Ovechkin and Crosby had better supporting casts. Doesn't hurt to help pad your assist category when you have a couple of guys who can finish on the play.

I don't know though. He wasn't destined to be a 120-130 point guy. 100 point players are still hard to find, so it's not a knock. The guy, IMO, was pound for pound the strongest player in the league for a few years.

It was sometimes scary the things that he could do.

 

[Lebowski]

Ovechkin and Crosby had better supporting casts. Doesn't hurt to help pad your assist category when you have a couple of guys who can finish on the play.

I don't know though. He wasn't destined to be a 120-130 point guy. 100 point players are still hard to find, so it's not a knock. The guy, IMO, was pound for pound the strongest player in the league for a few years.

It was sometimes scary the things that he could do.

Crosby's best consistent winger since entering the league is Chris Kunitz.

I don't think that qualifies as a better supporting cast.

 

[Brave Sir Robin]

Putting Kovalchuk in the same category of "underachiever" as Kovalev relative to their skill sets is crazy to me.

Semin is probably the Kovalev of this generation. Their skillsets are more alike, and Semin is more of an underachiever.

 

[hurricanedave]

During Kovalchuck's time in the nhl, 2001-12 to 2012-13, he scored more goals than anyone else and the only players to score more points than him were Iginla, Thornton, and St. Louis. When compared to his peers, for the duration of his career, he was great. I am not sure what more could have been asked of him.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

exactly Canadian players are just as greedy as anyother players look at kariya and ryan Johansson this past season

O'reilly would rather play in KHL if he didn't get the money he wanted.

 

[authentic]

Semin is probably the Kovalev of this generation. Their skillsets are more alike, and Semin is more of an underachiever.

I would agree with this. By me saying Kovalchuk was an underachiever like Kovalev, I never meant that Kovalchuk was just as much of an underachiever as Kovalev. Semin is for sure though, a few good seasons like Kovalev then a bunch of bad ones. The only difference is Kovalev was better.

 

[Voight]

Semin is probably the Kovalev of this generation. Their skillsets are more alike, and Semin is more of an underachiever.

Yup. Tons of skill but too lazy. Semin would be insane if he actually gave a ****.