Who is the best all-around player in the league?

[Kyle]

Datsyuk and I don't think it's even close. Had he been at 100 percent and not missed any games in the Pens/Wings rematch we'd be talking about if/when Crosby would lift the Cup.

How do you play defense against a guy like Datsyuk?

 

[drearick]

In regards to Crosby and the Penalty Kill, let's not confuse "doesn't trust" with "doesn't need".

Right now the Penguins penalty killing ranks 4th in the NHL, consistently using 4 pretty good penalty killing forwards in Craig Adams, Max Talbot, Matt Cooke, and Pascal Dupuis ... and that doesn't even include Jordan Staal who hasn't played yet this season and is a Selke finalist. So, why not throw Crosby in there to add some offense you ask ... well Pittsburgh has 4 shorties this year - 2nd only to Philadelphia's 5 ... doesn't look like shorthanded offense has been a problem without him either.

All I'm saying is let's not put a knock on Crosby's penalty killing (or lack thereof) for not being on the penalty kill when the team doesn't need him there ... if you were Pittsburgh's coach wouldn't you rather have him for a few extra minutes of 5-on-5 or PP time instead of wearing him out killing penalties? Without a doubt he'd be a top-4 penalty killer for most teams in the NHL right now.

Just sayin' ...

 

[stop__dreaming]

Pavel Datsyuk would get the nod for me. He's a guy who does it all and someone you could bank on doing a good job game in, game out - even drops the gloves too

I predict we'll have another Datsyuk on our hands in a couple of years in the name of Claude Giroux. Just putting that out there.

 

[jmatchett]

And with all due respect to your icetime comparison, look at the teams....Crosby right now has absolutely no other forwards in the team worth their salt, with the exception of Malkin, while Richards has to share ice time with several other high caliber players. Not really a fair comparison.

Richards has been playing the majority of his time with Andreas Nodl, Eric Wellwood, and Zherdev. Not exactly Kurri and Robitaille.

 

[will-411]

In regards to Crosby and the Penalty Kill, let's not confuse "doesn't trust" with "doesn't need".

Right now the Penguins penalty killing ranks 4th in the NHL, consistently using 4 pretty good penalty killing forwards in Craig Adams, Max Talbot, Matt Cooke, and Pascal Dupuis ... and that doesn't even include Jordan Staal who hasn't played yet this season and is a Selke finalist. So, why not throw Crosby in there to add some offense you ask ... well Pittsburgh has 4 shorties this year - 2nd only to Philadelphia's 5 ... doesn't look like shorthanded offense has been a problem without him either.

All I'm saying is let's not put a knock on Crosby's penalty killing (or lack thereof) for not being on the penalty kill when the team doesn't need him there ... if you were Pittsburgh's coach wouldn't you rather have him for a few extra minutes of 5-on-5 or PP time instead of wearing him out killing penalties? Without a doubt he'd be a top-4 penalty killer for most teams in the NHL right now.

Just sayin' ...

I totally agree Crosby doesn't need to be on the PK... however, when discussing all round players, PK is part of the equation. The fact Crosby does very little of it makes it difficult to give him a 'score' for that aspect of the game.

It's a difficult subject because no one is actually working with the same criteria to evaluate players. But it's a fun discussion nonetheless.

Cory

 

[wingnut888]

I do agree in not using the words "doesn't trust" as I think Crosby could handle working the PK but the fact that he's not out there is telling me he's not the best at it. When Scotty Bowman got to the Wings first thing he did was stick Yzerman on the PK until he was good at it. Ultimately it made him a great all around player.
I mean I'm not stupid if I'm drafting players on offensive ability I'm going to take Crosby or Ovechkin near the top but if I'm drafting on all around play I'm going Datsyuk/Richards/Zetterberg as I'm going to get good defense along with the offense.

In regards to Crosby and the Penalty Kill, let's not confuse "doesn't trust" with "doesn't need".

Right now the Penguins penalty killing ranks 4th in the NHL, consistently using 4 pretty good penalty killing forwards in Craig Adams, Max Talbot, Matt Cooke, and Pascal Dupuis ... and that doesn't even include Jordan Staal who hasn't played yet this season and is a Selke finalist. So, why not throw Crosby in there to add some offense you ask ... well Pittsburgh has 4 shorties this year - 2nd only to Philadelphia's 5 ... doesn't look like shorthanded offense has been a problem without him either.

All I'm saying is let's not put a knock on Crosby's penalty killing (or lack thereof) for not being on the penalty kill when the team doesn't need him there ... if you were Pittsburgh's coach wouldn't you rather have him for a few extra minutes of 5-on-5 or PP time instead of wearing him out killing penalties? Without a doubt he'd be a top-4 penalty killer for most teams in the NHL right now.

Just sayin' ...

 

[newfiecomicguy1]

I will take Sid.

 

[Megaman555]

Team pride

I will let you all figure it out, but this certainly seems way way biased in favor of Richards ...Maybe for short handed goals, on a fast break and I might chose him as one of the best 10 in a shootout situation or a one on one with the goalie, but I dont see richards as the best overall.

He is a strong Center, but compare him to a different center, say Nicklas Backstrom from the Caps. He is just as good, with a slightly different style. Backstrom should be looked at seriously in all respects, if you are going to look at richards ( except maybe hitting, which i will add that he has been stepping up this year)

-Backstrom scores goals!
- Backstom can score in tough games, like the hattrick he pulled last april against the Canadians winning the playoff game in overtime and getting a hattrick!
-Backstrom plays on the penalty kill a lot of the time, even if he is on the same Ovechkin line and ovie goes to the bench, you will see backstrom out there clearing that puck.
-He has amazing defensive skills. Go on youtube and look up when "backstrom blocked shots" and watch when he lost his stick against tampa bay and blocked 3 shots in a row with just his body to sacrifice for the team.
-He has more passes than goals and has a great mixture of both overall in his 3 years
- He is one of only 104 people ever to have over 100 points in a single season in the NHL. Richards is not there yet.
-He has great eyes and always anticipates where the puck is going. Just like a center should.

If you are going to say richards than you must say Backstrom and similars, thats all im saying...Richards is not the best...

Each person has a different skill set and thats what makes it interesting!
Ovie great goal scorer and hits hard
Crosby great traffic creator and stuffer to score goals
Mike Richards great break away skills and leadership.
Chara great defensive skills...
Backstrom great passing, centering, and defensive
Toews great skills developing
Datsyuk ....
...................

 

[GrimUSMC]

I will let you all figure it out, but this certainly seems way way biased in favor of Richards ...Maybe for short handed goals, on a fast break and I might chose him as one of the best 10 in a shootout situation or a one on one with the goalie, but I dont see richards as the best overall.

He is a strong Center, but compare him to a different center, say Nicklas Backstrom from the Caps. He is just as good, with a slightly different style. Backstrom should be looked at seriously in all respects, if you are going to look at richards ( except maybe hitting, which i will add that he has been stepping up this year)

-Backstrom scores goals!
- Backstom can score in tough games, like the hattrick he pulled last april against the Canadians winning the playoff game in overtime and getting a hattrick!
-Backstrom plays on the penalty kill a lot of the time, even if he is on the same Ovechkin line and ovie goes to the bench, you will see backstrom out there clearing that puck.
-He has amazing defensive skills. Go on youtube and look up when "backstrom blocked shots" and watch when he lost his stick against tampa bay and blocked 3 shots in a row with just his body to sacrifice for the team.
-He has more passes than goals and has a great mixture of both overall in his 3 years
- He is one of only 104 people ever to have over 100 points in a single season in the NHL. Richards is not there yet.
-He has great eyes and always anticipates where the puck is going. Just like a center should.

If you are going to say richards than you must say Backstrom and similars, thats all im saying...Richards is not the best...

Each person has a different skill set and thats what makes it interesting!
Ovie great goal scorer and hits hard
Crosby great traffic creator and stuffer to score goals
Mike Richards great break away skills and leadership.
Chara great defensive skills...
Backstrom great passing, centering, and defensive
Toews great skills developing
Datsyuk ....
...................

Slow the jets here, Mike Richards is not a man with "Great Breakaway Skills". He creates breakaways by his defensive play. There are MANY who are better once on the breakaway, like Backstrom, lol.

As for Backstom, I agree with a lot of your points you make. I just dont think he is up there defensively with Richards and some of the others here. Defensive play is more then blocking shots. Plus Backstrom is not a leader. Many of the others mentioned here are leaders.

However, Backstrom is one hell of a player and id say only slightly less important to Washington as AO is.

 

[TanguayFan]

Richards has been playing the majority of his time with Andreas Nodl, Eric Wellwood, and Zherdev. Not exactly Kurri and Robitaille.

I wasn't talking about linemates. I was talkinng about other guys on the team. Philly has Carter, Giroux, JVR (although he's been pretty bad this year), Richards, Hartnell, Zherdev, Lieno, Briere......that's a pretty solid group of forwards to spread the ice time around with....Crosby has Malkin...and well, that's about it. Beyond those two (and Staal when he gets back), the Penguins have one of the most sad sack group of forwards in the entire league. Hell, the Leafs have more depth up front than the Pens. Matt Cooke? Pascal Dupuis? LOL. There's a reason why Crosby has 50% more points than the next nearest guy on the team....because the rest of them (again, with the exception of Malkin and Staal) would barely qualify for an AHL lineup..... luckily, the Pens seem to be getting their share of offense from the back end, 'cause the forward corps surely ain't cutting it.

 

[sprague11]

Jonathon Toews.

 

[Stadium Sports]

If there is 30 seconds left in the game and your up by 1, I want Richards on the ice.

If there is 30 seconds left in the game and your down 1, I want OV on the ice.

If I am an owner and I want to build a team around someone - I am thinking marketability and SID is my guy.

If I am a GM and want to build a successful franchise - I would trade all my number 1 picks for Kessel.... woops, that one was taken.... Maybe trade my best defensemen to the leafs for .... leafs... woops, taken again. Actually, I would make some deals so I could get Stamkos and St. Louis together.....

I actually think it's great that a number of different names have come up - it shows that the league is not just 1 guy head and shoulders above the rest. Allthose guys have talent - put the right people together and look out.

Datsyuk
Crosby
Ovechkin
Richards
Toews
Stamkos
Doughty
Parise
Backstrom
Miller

The list just keeps on going.....

 

[jmatchett]

I wasn't talking about linemates. I was talkinng about other guys on the team. Philly has Carter, Giroux, JVR (although he's been pretty bad this year), Richards, Hartnell, Zherdev, Lieno, Briere......that's a pretty solid group of forwards to spread the ice time around with....Crosby has Malkin...and well, that's about it. Beyond those two (and Staal when he gets back), the Penguins have one of the most sad sack group of forwards in the entire league. Hell, the Leafs have more depth up front than the Pens. Matt Cooke? Pascal Dupuis? LOL. There's a reason why Crosby has 50% more points than the next nearest guy on the team....because the rest of them (again, with the exception of Malkin and Staal) would barely qualify for an AHL lineup..... luckily, the Pens seem to be getting their share of offense from the back end, 'cause the forward corps surely ain't cutting it.

I guess I didn't get it. I thought you were saying Richards was so good because he's been playing (directly) with players who are good, as opposed to Sid (who lately has been playing alongside Malkin). But yes, as far as depth goes, the Flyers have a better team on paper than the Pens.

 

[Metrags]

They are talking about 'all around', Crosby, Ovy, etc have no place in this thread. They are the elite scorers and Ovy can hit harder than 90% of the players in the game, but there are other aspects.

Afterall, you only spend half of the game on the attack. The other half is on D.

Datsyuk takes it handedly.

 

[vodkalodka]

Think its Datsyuk far and away. Getting to see him play the Hawks multiple times a year, its envious to watch.

I think Toews and Mike Richards is on their way to being in the conversation. Both players have made huge strides to improve all parts of there game in the NHL.

 

[Tom R]

This topic is hilarious, and the opinions expressed on here are even more funny. I dont mean that in a bad way either.. Its just the topic stated..Best all around player, well there are a lot a facets to the game of hockey...almost every opinion expressed adresses one small portion of the game.

The fact that Mike Richards name is even mentioned makes me want to puke. It was this time last year that almost every Flyer fan was calling for him to be traded. He was a bad captain, he was lazy, he was this and he was that. Now he is the "best all arund player"? Mike Richards cant hold Ovechkins jock, he cant even touch Sidney Crosby stick, and Datyuk, well Richards just wishes he could play the game like him..

Any conversation about best overall that does not include those three names, does not deserve a response. You can argue the point all you want.. Crosby does not kill penalties? What games are you watching cause he does..but he gets a ton of ice time now. You say Ovechkin does not play defense...of course not, he usually plays most of his time creating scoring chances. Datsyuk just plays..and does what ever he needs to so his team wins.. These three guys are the best..they are the A players...everyone else is B and lower in the alphabet.

** I might add that the comments expressed in my post were pure opinion, and are meant toward a little humor..

 

[GrimUSMC]

This topic is hilarious, and the opinions expressed on here are even more funny. I dont mean that in a bad way either.. Its just the topic stated..Best all around player, well there are a lot a facets to the game of hockey...almost every opinion expressed adresses one small portion of the game.

The fact that Mike Richards name is even mentioned makes me want to puke. It was this time last year that almost every Flyer fan was calling for him to be traded. He was a bad captain, he was lazy, he was this and he was that. Now he is the "best all arund player"? Mike Richards cant hold Ovechkins jock, he cant even touch Sidney Crosby stick, and Datyuk, well Richards just wishes he could play the game like him..

Any conversation about best overall that does not include those three names, does not deserve a response. You can argue the point all you want.. Crosby does not kill penalties? What games are you watching cause he does..but he gets a ton of ice time now. You say Ovechkin does not play defense...of course not, he usually plays most of his time creating scoring chances. Datsyuk just plays..and does what ever he needs to so his team wins.. These three guys are the best..they are the A players...everyone else is B and lower in the alphabet.

** I might add that the comments expressed in my post were pure opinion, and are meant toward a little humor..

They are quite humorous indeed. You must have missed the "All Around part", LOL

 

[Chinner]

For me it's a toss up between Crosby and Toews.

 

[Tom R]

no, I did not miss it.. Mike Richards...LOL....puke

They are quite humorous indeed. You must have missed the "All Around part", LOL

 

[GrimUSMC]

no, I did not miss it.. Mike Richards...LOL....puke

Then why would you say something to the effect of "AO is busy making scoring chances not playing D". That means you either missed it, or have no idea what it means. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, lol.