Which current player has the most to prove this postseason?

[Rec T]

I think on a personal (non team) level it's got to be Marner. If he wants that huge contract, either with Toronto or someone else, he's going to have to really step up his playoff game. Will he get a big contract regardless? Sure, 100 point scorers tend to get those, but it will be much more justified /palatable if he scores a bunch (as expected) but also goes to the dirty areas, delivering & taking hits on a much more regular basis. That could mean the difference between $'X' and $'X'+ a couple million more or another $15-20 million over a full contract.

 

[Team_Spirit]

My top5

Marner, UFA to be. Could be the best paid player in the league with a strong playoffs.

Hertl 1g in 7gp last year after like 5 years of no playoffs. Vegas committed to him.

Logan Thompson to show Vegas they made a mistake.

Rantanen, too show he was not a MacMakar product.

Nic Ehlers UFA to be, 37gp 14pts nowhere near his regular season production.

 

[Mrb1p]

Hellebuyck has been an absolute sieve, an anchor even.

Close with Auston PapichuLose

 

[Bring Bak Damphousse]

McDavid has been the best playoff performer of our generation and all these idiots want to say he has something to prove? Actual morons. I hate the Oilers with a passion but there is so much more to the game than a player or 2.

If anything the rest of the team has a lot to prove.

Agreed, I could care less about the Oilers, but Mcdavid has nothing to be ashamed of, he’s been a monster. It would be like saying Hasek has something to prove after he lost in the finals to Dallas.

 

[FerrisRox]

Has in, which player under/over performance will affect their overall image around the league the most? And what would need to happen?

Leafs out in round 1 or 2 will mark Matthews as the ultimate loser? Or on the contrary, a push for Toronto past round 2 will change a lot about the opinion fans have of him? Or is it a cup or nothing?

McDavid? Is anything else short of another cup finals will start to tarnish his image? Will a cup win make him a contender for hockey mount rushmore?

Make or break playoff for Helleybuck maybe? Draisaitl?

This might be a hot take but I think a MVP for Kucherov or Mackinnon might gave them ammunition for best player in the league.

Why would Draisaitl have anything to prove?

The guy has 108 points in 74 playoff games!

 

[HockeyVirus]

Wait, are people seriously nominating Draisaitl or McDavid...?? Good grief.

McDavid scored more assists in a playoff run than Gretzky. Draisaitl scored more points in a 5-games series than Gretzky or Lemieux or anybody in history.

They're both been completely dominant in the playoffs at historically record-breaking levels, and have dragged an Oilers' team with middle defence and AHL goaltending to the third round twice, including winning the Western Conference.

Because they pad their stats against LA every year lol

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Edmonton because apparently they have the deepest offense in NHL.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Edmonton because apparently they have the deepest offense in NHL.

Which team does he play for?

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Edmonton because apparently they have the deepest offense in NHL.

Who said that?

 

[KCC]

Hellebuck, Matthews and Marner.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Tkachuk and Marner. Ones game is perceived as suited for the post season. The other has a history of the opposite. Now they’re playing in the same series with something to prove.

 

[Paxton Fettel]

Apropos of nothing in particular, but here are select players' (min. 70 GP) statistics in the playoffs, starting from the 2006 playoffs up to 2024, and averaged out to per / 82 GP and then ranked:

McDavid: 41G + 89A = 130 PTS (+31)
Draisaitl: 45G + 74A = 119 PTS (+11)
MacKinnon: 45G + 62A = 107 PTS (+31)

Kucherov: 30G + 64A = 94 PTS (+21)
Crosby: 32G + 59A = 91 PTS (+8)
Makar: 24G + 67A = 91 PTS (+27)
Point: 48G + 42A = 90 PTS (-2)

Malkin: 31G + 52A = 82 PTS (+3)

Kane: 30G + 49A = 79 PTS (+2)
Ovechkin: 39G + 37A = 76 PTS (+2)

Marchand: 29G + 43A = 72 PTS (+16)

Stamkos: 32G + 33A = 65 PTS (-7)

I don't think Matthews / Marner have played enough playoff games to merit fair comparison, but for what it's worth, they would look like this:
Matthews: 34G + 37A = 72 PTS (+3)
Marner: 16G + 56A = 72 PTS (+14)

This is not a fair comparison. Take Kucherov for instance : he's been to the finals 4 times and that's where you score the least. The guys at the top of your list have been to the final ...once?
Maybe you should compare stats round by round or at least put aside numbers from round 1.

 

[yeaher]

Landeskog- has done f*** all for 3 years, if he scores 20/39/59 this post season, and the avs win the cup I bet people will think more highly of him