Which top-2 draft duo has actually delivered more — Barkov & MacKinnon (’13) or McDavid & Eichel (’15)?

[Cats2TheCup]

Which top-2 draft duo has actually delivered more — Barkov & MacKinnon (’13) or McDavid & Eichel (’15)?


Two drafts, each with a generational 1-2 at the top. Decade-plus in, strip away the hype and look at what’s actually on the table — which pairing has done more?


2013 — MacKinnon (1st) & Barkov (2nd)

• MacKinnon: 1,140+ pts in ~950 GP, Calder, 2024 Hart + Ted Lindsay, Lady Byng, 2026 Rocket Richard (first to 50), 2022 Cup
• Barkov: ~780 pts, +125, 3x Selke (best two-way forward of his generation), Lady Byng, King Clancy, captain of a back-to-back champ (2024 + 2025), then missed all of 25-26 on a blown knee and still came back to captain Finland to WC gold
• Combined rings: 3

2015 — McDavid (1st) & Eichel (2nd)

• McDavid: 1,100+ pts, 3x Hart, 5x Art Ross, 4x Ted Lindsay, Rocket Richard, 2024 Conn Smythe, record 34 assists in one playoff run… but 0 Cups (lost the ’24 and ’25 Finals)
• Eichel: legit two-way 1C, 2023 Cup with Vegas, just lost the ’26 Final to Carolina, no major individual NHL hardware
• Combined rings: 1

The case for 2013: they win, and they win the games that matter. Three Cups between them. Barkov is the most complete center in the sport — he eats your top line alive and puts up a point a game doing it, and he’s got two rings and the C to show for it. MacKinnon pairs an MVP with a Cup and is still a 50-goal, league-leading force at 30. That’s two guys at the absolute peak of the position with the banners to back it up. Proven, not projected.


The case for 2015: McDavid. Highest ceiling, best individual résumé. And Eichel does have a ring McDavid doesn’t.


My lean: it’s the 2013 duo, fairly comfortably. McDavid is the best offensive player, but the question isn’t “best offensive talent,” it’s who’s delivered — and MacKinnon + Barkov have three Cups, an MVP, three Selkes and a back-to-back captain between them while the ’15 pair is still waiting on McDavid to lift one. Talent loses to results here. Barkov in particular has quietly been the most valuable winner of the bunch.


If your franchise’s goal is to actually hoist the thing — which duo is the right choice?

 

[bobholly39]

McDavid is the clear best player here, and the clear best playoff performer here. Him, 100%.

 

[FinlandPanther]

I mean 3 are winners and 1 is a loser who can’t show up in game 6-7 or elimination games in general.

 

[dgibb10]

2015.

Especially a team that gets both of them at the same time to start their careers on their ELCs together. This is the highest value point for them.

McDavid and Eichel were the 2 significantly better players signficantly sooner, and so they cost more money. MacKinnons timing worked out that he broke out AFTER he'd signed a contract based on him being a 50 point guy on his ELC making him a massive bargain for the cup. I don't think him breakout later makes him a better player

Mack didn't become PPG till year 5
Same with Barkov.

For eichel that was year 2 and Mcdavid that was year 1.

So far barkov has given 8 elite years (year 5 onward, not this year), eichel 8 (not his rookie year, or the 2 injury riddled years around the trade), mackinnon 9 (year 5 onward), mcdavid 11. And the eichel mcdavid duo is 2 years younger.

Hockey is a probability game. You build a really good team, and you want as many kicks at the can as possible with said good team hoping to get the bounces to go your way.

Also McDavid is the best player here

 

[Frank the Tank]

OP shorts McDavid on Art Ross, Lindsay, and World Championships. The agenda is clear...

 

[Vegaspunk]

OP shorts McDavid on Art Ross, Lindsay, and World Championships. The agenda is clear...

Mentions the World Championships for Barkov but not for McDavid or 4 Nations/Olympics where McDavid had the lead in points for Canada both times lol, Florida fans have such a strange obsession with hating McDavid when they denied him a Cup twice

Anyways give me McDavid/Eichel, McDavid is so far ahead of everyone and might not have the clutch gene but neither does MacKinnon, this year not withstanding because they were both hobbled

 

[tabness]

obviously Barkov and MacKinnon, cups and stuffed animals

 

[wetcoast]

Which top-2 draft duo has actually delivered more — Barkov & MacKinnon (’13) or McDavid & Eichel (’15)?


Two drafts, each with a generational 1-2 at the top. Decade-plus in, strip away the hype and look at what’s actually on the table — which pairing has done more?


2013 — MacKinnon (1st) & Barkov (2nd)

• MacKinnon: 1,140+ pts in ~950 GP, Calder, 2024 Hart + Ted Lindsay, Lady Byng, 2026 Rocket Richard (first to 50), 2022 Cup
• Barkov: ~780 pts, +125, 3x Selke (best two-way forward of his generation), Lady Byng, King Clancy, captain of a back-to-back champ (2024 + 2025), then missed all of 25-26 on a blown knee and still came back to captain Finland to WC gold
• Combined rings: 3

2015 — McDavid (1st) & Eichel (2nd)

• McDavid: 1,100+ pts, 3x Hart, 5x Art Ross, 4x Ted Lindsay, Rocket Richard, 2024 Conn Smythe, record 34 assists in one playoff run… but 0 Cups (lost the ’24 and ’25 Finals)
• Eichel: legit two-way 1C, 2023 Cup with Vegas, just lost the ’26 Final to Carolina, no major individual NHL hardware
• Combined rings: 1

The case for 2013: they win, and they win the games that matter. Three Cups between them. Barkov is the most complete center in the sport — he eats your top line alive and puts up a point a game doing it, and he’s got two rings and the C to show for it. MacKinnon pairs an MVP with a Cup and is still a 50-goal, league-leading force at 30. That’s two guys at the absolute peak of the position with the banners to back it up. Proven, not projected.


The case for 2015: McDavid. Highest ceiling, best individual résumé. And Eichel does have a ring McDavid doesn’t.


My lean: it’s the 2013 duo, fairly comfortably. McDavid is the best offensive player, but the question isn’t “best offensive talent,” it’s who’s delivered — and MacKinnon + Barkov have three Cups, an MVP, three Selkes and a back-to-back captain between them while the ’15 pair is still waiting on McDavid to lift one. Talent loses to results here. Barkov in particular has quietly been the most valuable winner of the bunch.


If your franchise’s goal is to actually hoist the thing — which duo is the right choice?

Why not just simplify your question to " which duo will win more SCs" instead of all that noise?

 

[wetcoast]

The answer in a vacuum is that the 15 dou are better and will be viewed as such overall since the OP is talking about their resumes.

 

[Cats2TheCup]

Why not just simplify your question to " which duo will win more SCs" instead of all that noise?

Make a poll. your idea is not smart enough for me to use

 

[wetcoast]

Make a poll. your idea is not smart enough for me to use

You are being too cute by half here.lets have less noise and more signal is my suggestion.

The poll results restore my faith in people being able to cut through the noise.

 

[Breakers]

Stamkos doughty

 

[Miami Wice]

If McDavid and Drai haven't won yet- replacing Drai with a much inferior C doesn't improve the odds.

 

[superstars]

Barkov's teams only won cause they fluked into an all time great getting injured in 2024 (Draisaitl broken hand) and farmed LTaxIR and beaches in 2025 (confirmed by Brad Marchand)

edge to 2015 duo since they are better players

 

[dgibb10]

The gap in talent between teams who win cups and teams who don't is vastly overstated.

Florida won their cups because they had what, 7 TRUE 6 forwards? Lundell, Tkachuk, Barkov, Verhaeghe, Bennett, Marchand, Reinhart. And then Eetu and Erod who are probably the 6th best forward on a lot of teams.

And then Ekblad, Forsling, Seth Jones. That's 3 top pairing dmen. as well as mikkola and kulikov.

They didn't win because their stars were better or that barkov was somehow better.

They won because they had 10 core players and the better goalie.

And edmonton had 3 top 6 forwards in McDrai and Nuge, and 2 top pairing dman in Bouchard and Ekholm.

 

[JaegerDice]

McDavid is arguably the most hyped prospect of all time, and he has somehow managed to outperform expectations.

You could have put Barkov and MacKinnon against McDavid by himself and I would have voted for him.

 

[notbias]

I think McDavid has been more impressive than all 3 combined.

 

[waitin425]

It's cute that you have to lump McDavid in with Eichel to get him a ring.

 

[Killswitch]

I think McDavid's name will be remembered in 50 years. Doubtful Barkov or Eichels name will. At least among casual fans. Let's be honest. Hardly anyone can tell you who won most Selke trophies and that's Barkovs claim to fame. Today. Eichels is a good player. So was Bobby Smith.