OT Stars Hockey

[WilltheThrill]

In no player poll I have EVER seen has Sidney Crosby been voted by his peers as the most respected player. Most skilled? Ok. Best all-around? Sure. But I can say with 100% certainty that Sidney Crosby is not highly thought of by a lot of his peers, and it has nothing to do with jealousy. Biggest crybaby by a mile. Biggest diver/flopper. Entitled bratty attitude. Mouths off to opponents but cowers like a baby when challenged. Only fights guys like Stephane Robidas despite constantly talking trash. It's all of these things which make him so disliked among his peers.

He's an awesome player and he's done a lot for hockey, no doubt. But facts are facts, and Crosby is most certainly seen as the biggest bitch in all of hockey.

 

[terpsfball09]

Actually had a little game-watching party in arkansas tonight. A shame really. It was actually bit of a dull game for the most part. Not that many big hits or hostility between either team (although that little fit roussel threw in the penalty box was freakin awesome) Wish we could have picked up a point. But I guess its New Jersey next. Nice to see Seguin get off the schnide.

I actually turned some bonafide rednecks up here into hockey fans tonight. We were discussing personal lives, and in the middle of my friends conversation he said " hold on, this is actually kinda interesting" and kept on watching the game. They kept on asking me questions about "checking lines" and "offsides" and "best faceoff men" and "powerplay killers" and things of that nature. Of course, I was more than willing to talk about it with them. Very promising in my opinion. These people see one of the more boring games hockey has to offer and are incredibly intrigued by it. Imagine if they see a game against Philly, anaheim, san jose, or boston?

 

[terpsfball09]

The Canucks, Kings, and Coyotes have called us about ray whitney. The Capitals have called about Trevor Daley. Fiddler and Gonchar may also be dealt. All this according to a couple of reports I read earlier.

Don't know how I feel about Daley, but everyone else, thanks for your service

 

[terpsfball09]

Also, I don't know if any of you "insiders" can paste an article here, but on the nhl page there is an article that lists the greatest players at each age in the nhl. Nichushkin is the best 18 year old, and Seguin was spoken about, but i'm not sure if he was the best 22 or 23 year old (i think he just had a birthday).

 

[jta4437]

18 years old

Nichushkin

Valeri Nichushkin, F, Dallas Stars

This is a two-horse race between Nathan MacKinnon and Nichushkin, but you have to give the nod to the No. 10 overall pick over No. 1. The young Russian has 25 points in 50 games and plays a very disciplined game. He has delivered 61 hits and made 20 takeaways, but has only been whistled for two minor penalties all season. In terms of puck possession, Dallas sees 52.4 percent of even-strength shot attempts in their favor when he skates, while Colorado enjoys just 46.4 percent with MacKinnon on the ice. Healthy scratches aside, Nichushkin is the better-rounded player right now.

Honorable mention: Nathan MacKinnon

19 years old

Trouba

Jacob Trouba, D, Winnipeg Jets

If not for a broken hand, Alex Galchenyuk would probably be the leader here, but instead top honors go to the Winnipeg blueliner. Trouba is an excellent skater who uses his size to make hits (62 this season) and block shots (73). Plus, he skates over 21 minutes a night, including time on special teams, averaging 2:52 on the penalty kill and 1:57 with the man advantage per game.

Honorable mention: Alex Galchenyuk

20 years old

Brodin

Jonas Brodin, D, Minnesota Wild

It is easy to look at the production from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (40 points in 53 games) and be impressed, but Brodin is playing some tough minutes in his sophomore season. The Swede is routinely paired with Ryan Suter and matched up against the best the opposition has to offer. Skating 24:39 per game against the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Ryan Getzlaf, Phil Kessel and Anze Kopitar is enough to put Brodin over either Nugent-Hopkins or reigning rookie of the year Jonathan Huberdeau.

Honorable mention: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jonathan Huberdeau

21 years old

Landeskog

Gabriel Landeskog, F, Colorado Avalanche

When the Colorado Avalanche sewed the "C" on Landeskog's sweater, he became the youngest captain in NHL history. Since being drafted second overall in 2011, he has been named the league's best rookie (following the 2011-12 season), has tallied 109 points in 169 NHL games and will make his first Olympic appearance for Sweden. Fellow Calder winner Jeff Skinner (2010-11) has more experience, and Chicago's Brandon Saad hoisted the Stanley Cup, but Landeskog is the best of the three.

Honorable mention: Jeff Skinner, Brandon Saad

22 years old

Seguin

Tyler Seguin, F, Dallas Stars

Seguin has only been in the league for four seasons, but few others have his backstory. Seguin was selected second overall in the 2010 draft by the Boston Bruins, using a pick acquired from Toronto in a trade for Phil Kessel. Seguin's seven points in 13 playoff games that following season would help Boston win its first Stanley Cup in 38 years. Two seasons and 99 points later, Seguin would be traded to Dallas, where he is putting together a near point-per-game season with 23 goals and 28 assists in 51 games, distancing himself from fellow 22-year-olds such as Edmonton's Taylor Hall and Winnipeg's Evander Kane.

Honorable mention: Taylor Hall, Evander Kane

23 years old

Karlsson

Erik Karlsson, D, Ottawa Senators

This is a toughie. Steven Stamkos has led the league in goals scored twice, while averaging a goal every game and a half over the past three seasons. John Tavares is leading the resurgence on Long Island, helping the Islanders secure their first playoff berth since 2007, plus he was my top player under 25 years old this past September. But Stamkos is injured and Tavares' puck possession metrics have regressed, so the edge has to go to Karlsson. Karlsson won the Norris Trophy, awarded to the league's best defenseman, after a 78-point campaign in 2011-12 while skating over 25 minutes per game. He is producing almost a point per game this season, has three playoff appearances and helps Ottawa outshoot opponents at even strength (1,647 to 1,483 over the past three seasons) despite playing the tough minutes.

Honorable mention: Steven Stamkos, John Tavares

24 years old

Subban

P.K. Subban, D, Montreal Canadiens

Subban could be one of the most underappreciated players in the NHL. He was voted the league's best defenseman last season, skating over 23 minutes per game, 4:46 of which was on the power play. This season, Subban is again in the top five among defensemen in points (36) and shots generated (143) despite routinely facing the best the NHL has to offer.

Honorable mention: Alex Pietrangelo, Logan Couture

25 years old

Toews

Jonathan Toews, F, Chicago Blackhawks

You could argue Toews is not only the best 25-year-old in the game today, but the second best among all age groups in the NHL behind Sidney Crosby. Ignoring special teams and lead-protecting situations, the Blackhawks have outshot opponents 314-235 with their captain on the ice. Toews also has won over 57 percent of his draws, and chipped in 17 goals and 32 assists in 54 games.

Honorable mention: Patrick Kane

26 years old

Crosby

Sidney Crosby, F, Pittsburgh Penguins

The pool of 26-year-olds is probably the deepest of all the age groups. Anze Kopitar, Claude Giroux, Phil Kessel, Nicklas Backstrom, James Neal and Bobby Ryan are all in this age bracket, so it makes sense only one name could beat them all: Sidney Crosby. When healthy, Crosby is the best player on the ice and perhaps the world.

Honorable mention: Anze Kopitar, Claude Giroux

27 years old

Malkin

Evgeni Malkin, F, Pittsburgh Penguins

As strong as the 26-year-olds were, this age bracket is relatively weak, giving the crown to Malkin by a mile. Despite injuries, Malkin still helps keep the Penguins on top. His 37 assists and 51 points are good for sixth and 13th in the league, respectively, and Pittsburgh outshoots opponents 336-298 when he is on the ice.

Honorable mention: David Krejci, Blake Wheeler, Keith Yandle

28 years old

Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin, F, Washington Capitals

Corey Perry, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Getzlaf and Shea Weber are all in this group, but none of them redefined scoring in the salary-cap era like Ovechkin. The three-time Hart Trophy winner leads the league with 36 goals in 48 games this season, and is the primary reason that Washington is even considered to be a threat to make the playoffs.

Honorable mention: Corey Perry, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Getzlaf, Shea Weber

29 years old

Suter

Ryan Suter, D, Minnesota Wild

Suter plays a lot of minutes. This season, the Wisconsin native is averaging over 29 minutes per game, and has topped the 30-minute mark in more than half of Minnesota's games thus far. And they are not "soft" minutes: Suter is routinely matched up against the top forward lines the opposition puts on the ice.

Honorable mention: Alexander Steen, Eric Staal, Joe Pavelski, Zach Parise

30 years old

Keith

Duncan Keith, D, Chicago Blackhawks

Keith already has one Norris on his résumé (2010), and is the favorite for another this season. He skates over 24 minutes per game, and leads all defensemen with 43 assists. His total of 46 points this season is second only to Karlsson. Often matched up against an opponent's top line, Keith still manages to be on the ice with almost 57 percent of all even-strength shot attempts in Chicago's favor.

Honorable mention: Jason Spezza, Thomas Vanek, Antti Niemi

31 years old

Lundqvist

Henrik Lundqvist, G, New York Rangers

The 2013-14 season got off to a rocky start for Lundqvist, who went 12-15-2 from October through December, with a .908 save percentage, but has picked up as of late. In January, the Swedish Olympian is 6-3-1, with one shutout and a .931 save percentage. Using even-strength save percentage on the road -- which eliminates all scorer bias in shot counting -- only Tim Thomas (.9331) saved a higher percentage of shots than Lundqvist (.9307) from 2007-08 to the lockout shortened 2013 campaign.

Honorable mention: Jason Pominville, Marian Gaborik, Tomas Plekanec

32 years old

Sharp

Patrick Sharp, F, Chicago Blackhawks

With all the star power on Chicago, it is easy to lose sight of Sharp, who has 52 points in 54 games, on pace for a career-best total. In terms of puck possession, the Blackhawks have outshot opponents 499-354 during even strength this season when Sharp is on the ice, and have accounted for over 55 percent of the shots over the past six seasons when he skates.

Honorable mention: Justin Williams, Kevin Bieksa, Craig Anderson

33 years old

H. Sedin
D. Sedin

Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin, F, Vancouver Canucks

It's hard to separate the performance of Daniel and Henrik due to the fact that they have spent over 84 percent of their even-strength minutes together. Daniel, the scorer, has 304 goals and 494 assists in 959 games while Henrik, the playmaker, has 832 points in 990 games. When they skate together, Vancouver has seen over 57 percent of even-strength shot attempts in their favor, compared to 46 percent when they are split up. It's almost as if they can read each other's thoughts or something.

Honorable mention: Henrik Zetterberg, Ryan Miller

34 years old

Thornton

Joe Thornton, F, San Jose Sharks

Once the league resumed play in 2005-06, Thornton soldified his place among the best that the sport has to offer. He won the Art Ross and Hart trophies that season after a 125-point campaign. Jumbo Joe has accumulated 1,173 points in 1,177 games, and leads the league in assists this season (47), showing he's still got it.

Honorable mention: Chris Kunitz, Patrick Marleau, Brian Campbell

 

[jta4437]

35 and over

Jagr

Jaromir Jagr, F, New Jersey Devils

This age group has many good, if not great, players, but at 41 years old, Jagr shows no signs of slowing down. Before leaving the NHL to compete in the KHL, he won the Art Ross Trophy five times, was voted most outstanding player by his peers (Ted Lindsay Award) three times and was voted as the league's most valuable player (Hart Memorial Trophy) by the media once. Since he came back to the NHL for the 2011-12 season, he has 131 points in 170 games, and has all but solidified his future place in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Honorable mention: Pavel Datsyuk, Zdeno Chara, Martin St. Louis, Teemu Selanne

 

[terpsfball09]

Clutch JTA thanks!

 

[terpsfball09]

Really surprising that Seguin is listed as better than both kane AND hall. That says a lot to me. Also surprising to me that Karlsson is listed as better than both stamkos and tavares. But a pretty interesting read

 

[Justinkm83]

We signed Garbutt to a 3 year extension.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Really surprising that Seguin is listed as better than both kane AND hall. That says a lot to me. Also surprising to me that Karlsson is listed as better than both stamkos and tavares. But a pretty interesting read

I think the list is fairly accurate, but ranking Karlsson over Stamkos and Tavares is just silly. Yeah, Karlsson is a top-3 offensive defenseman, but Stamkos and Tavares are easily top-10 overall. I'm not sure how you can rank the NHL's best pure goal scorer lower than any defenseman just because he's injured. I think all 30 GM's would pick Stamkos (or Tavares) over Karlsson.

 

[WilltheThrill]

My top 20 regardless of age would read (in no particular order): Crosby, Ovechkin, Toews, Malkin, Stamkos, Tavares, P Kane, Datsyuk, Subban, Perry, D Sedin, H Sedin, Karlsson, Getzlaf, Zetterberg, Giroux, Kopitar, Weber, Parise, and Seguin by a nose over Suter and Thornton.

 

[terpsfball09]

We signed Garbutt to a 3 year extension.

Great move! I'm very happy we did this. The only thing that may worry me is that he changes his game and eases up a little now that he's not in a contract year anymore... but I don't think he will. He just seems very passionate about the game itself.

 

[terpsfball09]

Quick question guys, Antoine Roussel is a free agent after this year correct? (restricted) Because of what he brings, and how cheap he'll be, do we go and get him for a 3 year/4 million extension? He's, by far, my favorite player on the team. He lays his balls on the line every game. He's a little undisciplined, but this is his first FULL season in the nhl and he only just turned 24. I figured that he plays so well with Garbutt that we'd want to lock them both up. You guys think we extend him?

Also, I'm praying we do because I just ordered a Roussel jersey...

 

[Bmurph]

Quick question guys, Antoine Roussel is a free agent after this year correct? (restricted) Because of what he brings, and how cheap he'll be, do we go and get him for a 3 year/4 million extension? He's, by far, my favorite player on the team. He lays his balls on the line every game. He's a little undisciplined, but this is his first FULL season in the nhl and he only just turned 24. I figured that he plays so well with Garbutt that we'd want to lock them both up. You guys think we extend him?

Also, I'm praying we do because I just ordered a Roussel jersey...

I would like to see him re-signed, like the speed

 

[Justinkm83]

Impressive W, handing the Ducks only their 3rd loss at home, and their 1st SO.

 

[terpsfball09]

A lot of rumors starting to swirl. We had a scout at the maple leafs game yesterday!

I literally read one article that said "the stars could either be buyers or sellers." Well no shit.

 

[Justinkm83]

A lot of rumors starting to swirl. We had a scout at the maple leafs game yesterday!

I literally read one article that said "the stars could either be buyers or sellers." Well no shit.

Ha ha. I knew we would be one of them. Who do you think we were interested in?

 

[terpsfball09]

If it was Kadri that would be so nice

 

[Justinkm83]

If it was Kadri that would be so nice

That would be awesome, but I don't know how we would pull that off.

 

[Justinkm83]

Hell yeah! Huge win on the road. Only 2 points out of a playoff spot and they both have played 2 more games.