The Hockey News Top 50 Players

[flyersfan4706]

Nash and Iginla>Mike Richards


And how the hell is Brad Richards better then Iggy and Nash???

 

[HonusWagner66]

I think they tied in his Olympic play as well into it?

Probably. A lot had to push him from not even making their top 50 last year to #5.

I think Toews is a great player, but I just don't think he is top 5 worthy. If I needed to win 1 game right now, I'd take Zetterberg over Toews.

 

[HonusWagner66]

Is Philly getting the shaft? No one dislikes the Flyers more than me, but I'm can't sit here and say that there are this many players above Giroux and Richards. Just my opinion.

I think Richards is in about the right spot. My top 50 list wouldn't touch Giroux with a ten foot pole. 16 goals, 47 points and a -9 rating isn't getting a young kid in my top 50. He certainly has potential to be a top 50 player soon, but not now. The kid only has 25 career goals.

 

[flyersfan4706]

Semin over Nash? Really?

I'm a Pens fan, so I can't really dispute the big two toward the top. If only I wasn't a homer, I might have more credibility there... I can say that the most exciting players are in the top ten, not just my boys.

You are a Pens fan? Then why DChero?

 

[DChero]

You are a Pens fan? Then why DChero?

DC Comics It has nothing to do with the city.

 

[IPostedWhat]

DC Comics It has nothing to do with the city.

I think he was just being a prick.


(Take the "I think" off that sentence.)

 

[flyersfan4706]

Wow, I always thought you were a fan of the Capit-

so that is where your avatar comes from.


OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

[flyersfan4706]

I think he was just being a fucking amazing person like he always is. I actually kind of wish I was him...

1) Become friends

2)??????????????

3) Profit


(Take the "I think" off that sentence.)

Fixed

 

[DChero]

Probably. A lot had to push him from not even making their top 50 last year to #5.

I think Toews is a great player, but I just don't think he is top 5 worthy. If I needed to win 1 game right now, I'd take Zetterberg over Toews.

I have to say that I'd much rather face Toews in the playoffs than Zetterberg. I like Toews a lot more, but I don't consider him as much of a disruption against my team.

Oddly enough, if I was starting a team, I'd choose Toews. Go figure...

 

[HonusWagner66]

Fixed

Ok I had to give out a rep point for that.

 

[HonusWagner66]

I have to say that I'd much rather face Toews in the playoffs than Zetterberg. I like Toews a lot more, but I don't consider him as much of a disruption against my team.

Oddly enough, if I was starting a team, I'd choose Toews. Go figure...

If I were starting a team I'd definitely take Toews. But that's due to age and career potential. Not the talent of each player at the moment.

 

[flyersfan4706]

Ok I had to give out a rep point for that.

Which part, the I think or profit? Maybe both tickled your fancy

 

[HonusWagner66]

Which part, the I think or profit? Maybe both tickled your fancy

It was an quality post overall, but the profit part sealed the deal.

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

(No online link, sorry. Subscribers to The Hockey News got the digital issue of this season's "Yearbook" today.)

50. Vincent Lecavalier
49. Mike Cammalleri
48. Tyler Myers
47. Tuukka Rask
46. Alex Burrows
45. Jaroslav Halak
44. Corey Perry
43. Daniel Alfredsson
42. Patrick Marleau
41. Jarome Iginla

40. Henrik Lundqvist
39. Miika Kiprusoff
38. Dany Heatley
37. Zdeno Chara
36. Rick Nash
35. Shea Weber
34. Dan Boyle
33. Eric Staal
32. Alexander Semin
31. Ryan Kesler

30. Roberto Luongo
29. Ryan Getzlaf
28. Brad Richards
27. Marian Hossa
26. Martin Brodeur
25. Joe Thornton
24. Mike Green
23. Mike Richards
22. Henrik Zetterberg
21. Anze Kopitar

20. Ilya Bryzgalov
19. Ilya Kovalchuk
18. Marian Gaborik
17. Nicklas Lidstrom
16. Chris Pronger
15. Zach Parise
14. Drew Doughty
13. Martin St. Louis
12. Patrick Kane
11. Daniel Sedin

10. Steven Stamkos
09. Nicklas Backstrom
08. Evgeni Malkin
07. Duncan Keith
06. Henrik Sedin
05. Jonathan Toews
04. Pavel Datsyuk
03. Ryan Miller
02. Alexander Ovechkin
01. Sidney Crosby

Reported.

 

[HonusWagner66]

Reported.

 

[DChero]

The more I look at it, Halak is ranked pretty high (or low), considering his recent performance. I think he's more valuable than a few that outrank him.

 

[Vadered]

I think Richards is in about the right spot. My top 50 list wouldn't touch Giroux with a ten foot pole. 16 goals, 47 points and a -9 rating isn't getting a young kid in my top 50. He certainly has potential to be a top 50 player soon, but not now. The kid only has 25 career goals.

Call me Corso, because I have to say NOT SO FAST. While I agree that he isn't quite top 50 just yet, saying you wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole is not giving the guy enough credit. I'd put him around 60 or so. He's more of a playmaker, not a goal scorer, and he's pretty darn good on defense. He's shown the ability to singlehandedly disrupt an opposing team's power play for an entire shift - get the puck in their zone with him along the boards, and he does not give it up for 20 seconds. Or he gets an assist. His +/- in the regular season was bad, I'll grant you, but he was +7 in the playoffs, good enough for 11th in the NHL. He had 3 PPG, 10th in the NHL. He had 10 goals in the playoffs, good enough for a 5th place tie with Patrick Kane. 11 assists, tied for 14th. Admittedly a non-stellar 37ths .91 points per game in the playoffs, but that's better than Malkin's .85 or Thornton's .80 or Hossa's .68.

If we are going by recent performance, I'd say he's within spitting distance of the top 50. He's certainly top 50 in the playoffs.

 

[HonusWagner66]

Call me Corso, because I have to say NOT SO FAST. While I agree that he isn't quite top 50 just yet, saying you wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole is not giving the guy enough credit. I'd put him around 60 or so. He's more of a playmaker, not a goal scorer, and he's pretty darn good on defense. He's shown the ability to singlehandedly disrupt an opposing team's power play for an entire shift - get the puck in their zone with him along the boards, and he does not give it up for 20 seconds. Or he gets an assist. His +/- in the regular season was bad, I'll grant you, but he was +7 in the playoffs, good enough for 11th in the NHL. He had 3 PPG, 10th in the NHL. He had 10 goals in the playoffs, good enough for a 5th place tie with Patrick Kane. 11 assists, tied for 14th. Admittedly a non-stellar 37ths .91 points per game in the playoffs, but that's better than Malkin's .85 or Thornton's .80 or Hossa's .68.

If we are going by recent performance, I'd say he's within spitting distance of the top 50. He's certainly top 50 in the playoffs.

This past playoffs? Sure. So is Dustin Byfuglien. And Danny Briere. And Patrick Sharp. And Dave Bolland. And Joe Pavelski. And Brian Gionta. Hell, so was Ville Leino.

Look at the forwards in the bottom 10 of the list. Lecavalier. Cammalleri. Alfredsson. Marleau. Iginla.

Giroux just isn't in that class. Not yet.

I could list 20 players off the top of my head that would make my top 50 before I'd consider Giroux. I don't think it's me not giving him credit, cause I think he will be a very good NHL player. But he hasn't done enough to warrant being on this list yet. Regardless of a nice playoff run on a team that made it to the SCF.

I think he has a good shot to be on this list soon -- although not ever as high as some people are speculating -- but I just don't feel he is in this conversation yet.

Just my opinion though.

 

[HonusWagner66]

Hell, on the Flyers alone I think you could at least make a case for Carter, Briere, Hartnell and the recently departed Gagne all being more deserving than Giroux.

 

[DChero]

Hell, on the Flyers alone I think you could at least make a case for Carter, Briere, Hartnell and the recently departed Gagne all being more deserving than Giroux.

Low blow?