Who is the 2nd best player currently?

[Pavel Buchnevich]

He's not clearly better than anyone on this list, but yes he has a good argument for top 10 especially going forward.

In your opinion. You made the poll, and didn't list him, so I can see why you may disagree. If you made a poll of Eichel vs. Malkin/Pastrnak/Panarin/Kucherov/Kane, he's winning 60/40 or better. I think he'd win a poll over everyone here except for McDavid and MacKinnon.

 

[authentic]

Their entire careers have overlapped
Kucherov: 547pts in 515 GP = 1.06 PPG
MacK: 495pts in 525 GP = 0.94 PPG

Since Mack's breakout in 17/18
Kucherov: 313pts in 230 GP = 1.36 PPG
MacK: 289pts in 225 GP = 1.28 PPG

Top 10 goals: 3-3
2,6,9 vs 6,9,9

Top 10 pts: 4-3, Kucherov
1,3,5,7 vs 5,5,7

Top 10 hart: 3-3
1,6,8 vs 2,2,6

AST: 4-2, Kucherov
1,1,2,2 vs 2,2

Kucherov has better goal finishes, better (and more) pt finishes and he actually has individual hardware, unlike MacK who has never been within single digits of a ross. Kucherov also just had the 2nd highest scoring playoff run in the last 25 years. So better finishes in everything, way better peak season, best playoff run, actually has individual hardware and a cup but MacK is better. Makes sense considering how overrated he's become.

MacKinnon just had 25 points in 15 playoff games, his team just didn't advance like Kucherov's. He has a higher career points per game in the playoffs and their points per game difference is minimal. Pretty disingenuous to act like it's crazy to consider MacKinon better. I think Kucherov has a very good case though don't get me wrong.

 

[authentic]

In your opinion. You made the poll, and didn't list him, so I can see why you may disagree. If you made a poll of Eichel vs. Malkin/Pastrnak/Panarin/Kucherov/Kane, he's winning 60/40 or better. I think he'd win a poll over everyone here except for McDavid and MacKinnon.

You think he would win a poll over Kucherov???

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

MacKinnon just had 25 points in 15 playoff games, his team just didn't advance like Kucherov's. He has a higher career points per game in the playoffs and their points per game difference is minimal. Pretty disingenuous to act like it's crazy to consider MacKinon better. I think Kucherov has a very good case though don't get me wrong.

Also, since 2017-18, Mack has contributed to a higher percentage of his teams total goals (38.58% vs 36.74%) than Kucherov has. In other words, Mack scores ~2 extra points per 100 goals his team has scored. Kucherov's team just scores a lot more (852 vs 749 total goals).

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

You think he would win a poll over Kucherov???

I think so.

 

[El Travo]

It's Nathan MacKinnon and it bothers me that there's people that think it isn't.

 

[canuckking1]

MacKinnon just had 25 points in 15 playoff games, his team just didn't advance like Kucherov's. He has a higher career points per game in the playoffs and their points per game difference is minimal. Pretty disingenuous to act like it's crazy to consider MacKinon better. I think Kucherov has a very good case though don't get me wrong.

Kucherov had 34 in 25 against better competition

 

[Regal]

On other hand Mackinnon was better 2 of last 3 seasons and Kucherov in his '2 highest scoring playoff run in last 25 years' was probably 3rd best players on his own team.
Just for little perspective.

Yea pretty much. Kucherov's big year was great, but it was one of those years he's not going to repeat again, so I don't see why it should hold so much weight that it dominates everything (the PPG and finishes are all skewed because of that year). They're certainly close as players.

 

[dmac7719]

Kucherov isn't even the best player on his line, don't understand how he can be considered the 2nd best in the league

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Kucherov isn't even the best player on his line, don't understand how he can be considered the 2nd best in the league

Now that's a hot take

 

[Machinehead]

Kucherov pretty easily

But since he isnt a center we continue to pretend he is behind MacKinnon and maybe crosby, draisaitl as well.

Past 3 years regular season + playoffs combined he is the best player in the NHL

Kucherov isn't the best player on Tampa

 

[hamzarocks]

Kucherov isn't the best player on Tampa

He is for me. Best offensive player in both regular season and playoffs. Average defensively so his defensive contributions are not negative like a few elite wingers.

Point doesn't have the track record nor isolated production to have any claim ( Kucherov in 2017 was 3rd in ppg I think without playing with him). Point has to be much better in the regular season to compare with him

If your saying hedman I disagree there as well. Hedman is in the 6-10 range league wide for me behind a group of franchise forwards (mcd, kuch, mack, drai & sid). Hedman could pull ahead if kucherov has a down year and he gets he end up with a norris finalist for the 5th year in a row

 

[Machinehead]

He is for me. Best offensive player in both regular season and playoffs. Average defensively so his defensive contributions are not negative like a few elite wingers.

Point doesn't have the track record nor isolated production to have any claim ( Kucherov in 2017 was 3rd in ppg I think without playing with him). Point has to be much better in the regular season to compare with him

If your saying hedman I disagree there as well. Hedman is in the 6-10 range league wide for me behind a group of franchise forwards (mcd, kuch, mack, drai & sid). Hedman could pull ahead if kucherov has a down year and he gets he end up with a norris finalist for the 5th year in a row

Defensemen are so valuable that we'll only put six of them on a roster and play the best ones half the game, but when we rank the best players, forwards always take precedence. I never understood that.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Kucherov isn't even the best player on his line, don't understand how he can be considered the 2nd best in the league

Kucherov is unquestionably the best player on his line.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Defensemen are so valuable that we'll only put six of them on a roster and play the best ones half the game, but when we rank the best players, forwards always take precedence. I never understood that.

Scarcity of a position that plays in a given night shouldn't really impact how we rank these players, otherwise goalies should take up the 1-31 slot since starters literally play 60 minutes of a game and have the single biggest impact among all players on the ice.

 

[34]

MacKinnon and McDavid are #1 and #2. No specific order.

That could change as early as this upcoming season. There are some fantastic players in the league that get very underrated.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

My problem with how some regard Kucherov is that what makes him elite is one thing. Offense.

Is he good defensively? No.
Does he PK? No.
Does he play the least important position? Yes.
Does he bring any physicality or dynamic speed to bring another element to a game? No.
Is he at least an Ovechkin type of sniper whose offense comes in a much more in demand way? No.

He is elite offensively, and he’s probably the best offensive player on the best team in the league, but I find it hard to rank him up there with the best centers and defensemen in the league. I don’t think that one dimension he brings is so overwhelmingly important that the rest doesn’t matter.

 

[Machinehead]

Scarcity of a position that plays in a given night shouldn't really impact how we rank these players, otherwise goalies should take up the 1-31 slot since starters literally play 60 minutes of a game and have the single biggest impact among all players on the ice.

Goalies are scarce because only one guy fits in the net. Defensemen are scares because fewer players are trusted to defend. It's two completely different types of scarcity.

 

[authentic]

Scarcity of a position that plays in a given night shouldn't really impact how we rank these players, otherwise goalies should take up the 1-31 slot since starters literally play 60 minutes of a game and have the single biggest impact among all players on the ice.

At the same time though goalies don't contribute to offense in any way except the odd empty net goal.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Defensemen are scares because fewer players are trusted to defend.

Lol what? There are fewer defensemen on the roster because fewer defensemen are on the ice at a time, and the position requires less energy expenditure.

 

[Voight]

Between MackInnon & Kuch for me.

 

[John Eichel da GOAT]

Why cant I vote for McDavid?

Hart Votes last 3 seasons:
MacKinnon: 2621
McDavid: 1044

 

[John Eichel da GOAT]

MacKinnon is getting severely overrated for someone who hasn't won a thing in the last 3 years. It's annoying watching Kucherov get disrespected. TSN had him at #7 like a month ago

Hart Votes last 3 seasons: Mac: 2621 McDavid: 1044

 

[Krewe]

Do Tampa fans think Kucherov is better than Hedman? I know people have said losing Hedman hurts the team more but that's obviously because Tampa has a lot of great forwards.

Kucherov is better but hedman is hard to replace

 

[Krewe]

In your opinion. You made the poll, and didn't list him, so I can see why you may disagree. If you made a poll of Eichel vs. Malkin/Pastrnak/Panarin/Kucherov/Kane, he's winning 60/40 or better. I think he'd win a poll over everyone here except for McDavid and MacKinnon.

Kucherov and panarin would destroy eichel in a poll