Alex Ovechkin setting the NHL goals record brought back memories of him and Sidney Crosby breaking out into the league – along with Dion Phaneuf.
The cover of The Hockey News’ 2006-07 season opener issue asked readers which budding superstar they’d rather have – the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Crosby, Washington Capitals’ Alexander Ovechkin or Calgary Flames’ Phaneuf. Suffice it to say, Phaneuf didn’t end up on the same level as the other two stars.
The Hockey News’ Michael Traikos updated the question to be between Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Avs defenseman Cale Makar. It’s a difficult choice to make, but we’d choose McDavid.
McDavid is the most dynamic player of the three, the star who uses his elite speed to do everything at an unmatched pace and the guy who more or less carries the Oilers whenever he’s on the ice. You can give MacKinnon his flowers as one of the top three talents in the game today – and you can recognize Makar as the best blueliner on the planet – but ultimately, McDavid is the best player of the three.
That reality is underscored by McDavid’s three Hart Trophies as the NHL’s most valuable player, his five Art Ross Trophies as the league’s top point-producer, his Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal-scorer and his Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup playoffs’ MVP, even in a losing cause.
Now, MacKinnon and Makar are no slouch on the individual awards front. MacKinnon has a Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, one Hart Trophy, and of course, one Stanley Cup championship on his resume. Makar has a Cup win, a Calder Trophy, a Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top D-man and a Conn Smythe Trophy to his credit.
MacKinnon joined the league first and has played 161 more games than McDavid, but the Oilers captain has 58 more points than MacKinnon, at 1,072 in his career compared to 1,014.
While Makar is the only defenseman to average at least a point per game among all NHL blueliners since 2000 – Quinn Hughes is close, at 0.95 points per game – McDavid’s 1.51 points per game are 0.26 more than Crosby, and he’s the only player to average more than 1.35 points per game since 2000. McDavid’s still only 28 years old, is hungry for a Stanley Cup win and has many prime years still ahead.
Obviously, no team would go wrong by picking MacKinnon or Makar. But McDavid has been the most dominant force of his generation, and the fact he hasn’t won a Cup yet is more of a comment on the Oilers than it is about McDavid’s performance as an individual. MacKinnon and Makar helped power the Avalanche to a Cup win, but certainly, Colorado was a much better team in winning a Cup than Edmonton has been in recent years.
So yes, for this writer, at least, McDavid should be the one picked over MacKinnon and Makar. All three are bound to be Hockey Hall of Famers, but McDavid’s pure talent is what separates him from the rest of the field.
Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.