Just about every hockey fan has built a Mount Rushmore of the four players they believe are the greatest to ever play the game. Maybe youâ€ve had this conversation with friends, family, co-workers or other fans youâ€ve met in the hockey world, and the debates can get heated. Choices can vary greatly depending on what era you grew up watching or what impact you feel certain players have made.
Lately, though, Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby are making a push for near-unanimous inclusion. Both hit major milestones recently, inching closer to joining Wayne Gretzky as the only players to ever reach 2,000 points.
Crosby and McDavid will finish their careers with at least 2,000 points
Exceeding the 2,000-point mark is no easy accomplishment to achieve, but both Crosby and McDavid have at least put themselves in the conversation to join The Great One. Crosby got to 1,700 points late last month, and earlier this week, McDavid crossed 1,100. The Edmonton Oilers superstar is further away from the mark, but has a lot more runway left, while Crosby now has less than 300 points to go, although at age 38, itâ€s unclear how many more years heâ€ll continue playing. Given how talented both players are, would you put it past them to get to 2,000?
- NHL on Sportsnet
Livestream Hockey Night in Canada, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the Oilers, Flames, Canucks, out-of-market matchups, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the NHL Draft.
I think barring something unforeseen, both Crosby and McDavid have a legitimate chance to reach the milestone. Letâ€s start with Crosby, who continues to produce at an elite level despite his age. Heâ€s tallied more than 90 points in each of the past three seasons on some very mediocre Pittsburgh Penguins squads. It doesnâ€t really seem to matter who Crosby plays with, as he continues to rack up the points year after year.
This season, Crosby is on an even better pace, currently trending towards a 100-point campaign. Letâ€s be conservative and assume he finishes with 90 points, which would put him at 1,777 for his career. Heâ€d still need 223 points, and itâ€s unrealistic, even for Crosby, to assume he could get there in two more seasons. That means heâ€d need three more seasons at an average of 75 points per year to clear 2,000. That does seem very doable, even if you account for some regression from where heâ€s at now, and especially if his circumstances change.
The Penguins have had a decent start to the season, which has quieted down the trade chatter around Crosby, but if Pittsburgh ultimately does become a seller and goes through a full rebuild, thereâ€s always a chance he may decide to conclude his career elsewhere. That potential landing spot should be on a much stronger team because Crosbyâ€s only real reason for leaving would likely be to chase one last Cup, meaning heâ€d have more talent around him to help his numbers.
We donâ€t know how long Crosby wants to play, though he certainly isnâ€t showing any signs of slowing down, and heâ€s given no indication that retirement is on the horizon. He continues to keep himself in tremendous shape, so thereâ€s no reason to believe right now he couldnâ€t be a very productive player into his early 40s.
When it comes to McDavid, heâ€s almost 900 points away and still in his prime. In every full season McDavid has played, heâ€s scored at least 100 points, and in three of the previous four years, heâ€s hit 120 points. So, if McDavid plays nine more seasons, one would assume he could get to 2,000 fairly easily. Heâ€ll turn 29 in January, so another nine years would put him at 38 years old, the age Crosby is now. McDavid is also in a unique spot with his contract situation, as heâ€ll pretty much be able to dictate where he goes and the term for the remainder of his career, and heâ€ll make sure heâ€s in the best spot possible to compete for a Cup every year. That means talented teams that will help him continue to put up big numbers wherever he goes.
You never know what the future holds, and health will be a big factor, but as long as they want to continue playing, it seems inevitable that theyâ€ll reach 2,000 points. The only thing that could stop Crosby and McDavid may be themselves.
Thereâ€s a logjam near the top of the NHLâ€s goal-scoring leaderboard after the first month of the season, and Cole Caufield is right in the thick of it. The Montreal Canadiens forward is enjoying a hot start with 12 goals in 15 games, which puts him on pace for 65 goals. That pace will drop as the season goes along, but Caufield looks dangerous enough to at least set a new career high in goals. Heâ€s playing on a great line with Nick Suzuki, who is averaging more than an assist per game while setting up Caufield with regularity. Caufield could very well win the Rocket Richard Trophy this season if he continues to fill the back of the net with ease.
While I do think Caufield is in for a career year, I donâ€t think heâ€ll finish with enough goals to claim the award. Right now, heâ€s battling with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Jack Hughes, Crosby, Leon Draisaitl and others for top spot, and all four have a higher goal-scoring pedigree than Caufield. Heâ€s only had one 30-plus goal campaign to his credit, and Caufield has never scored 40 before, so expecting him to jump all the way up to at least 50 or so, which is likely what itâ€s going to take to win the award, is a big ask.
Now, 11 of Caufieldâ€s goals have come at even strength even, but itâ€s a little deceiving. Three of those tallies came in sudden-death overtime in 3-on-3 situations. Those goals are a little less sustainable than 5-on-5 tallies, and I donâ€t think you can count on Caufield getting 25 per cent of his goals all season in overtime. Iâ€d trust players like MacKinnon, Draisaitl and Crosby a lot more at 5-on-5, where the bulk of the game is played.
Caufield may very well lead the Canadiens to the playoffs and earn a spot on Team USA at the Olympics, but I think heâ€ll fall just short of the Rocket.
Ducks can win the Pacific Division
Donâ€t look now, but the Anaheim Ducks are sitting atop the Pacific Division. Some thought the Ducks might be ready to push for a playoff spot this season, but theyâ€ve already exceeded expectations and have vaulted up the standings with six straight wins and eight victories in their past nine games. Anaheim hasnâ€t just taken advantage of an easy schedule either. The Ducks have wins over Detroit and New Jersey and have beaten the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers twice. Plus, they knocked off division rival Vegas on Saturday night. Joel Quenneville has this team clicking, and Anaheim has a good balance of young talent and contributing veterans. Can the Ducks keep this going all year and push for a division title?
I donâ€t think this is a mirage. Anaheim has five players averaging at least a point per game, including Cutter Gauthier, who is pushing for the league lead in goals with 11. Leo Carlsson is blossoming into a star with 23 points in 14 games, and Chris Kreider has been a seamless fit, scoring nine times in 10 outings. The defensive corps is also really balanced, with a really nice blend of talented youngsters like Jackson LaCombe and Olen Zellweger, and veterans like Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba. We havenâ€t even mentioned the goaltending yet, as Lukas Dostal has taken his game to another level and sits fourth in goals saved above expected with 8.7.
Anaheimâ€s biggest competition is likely going to be Vegas, Edmonton and Los Angeles, with the Ducks having the best goal differential out of the group by a mile right now at plus-14. You could argue Dostal might give the Ducks the advantage in goal, but the other three could boast more high-end talent. The Oilers have started the season in a malaise and canâ€t seem to hold a lead, and Vegas is already dealing with key injuries to Adin Hill and Mark Stone. If Anaheim can take advantage and bank a few points here, it could really help them the rest of the way. It wouldnâ€t shock me if they take home the division crown come April.
Maybe all Trevor Zegras needed was a change of scenery. He sure looks comfortable in his new surroundings, notching 16 points in 15 games so far with the Philadelphia Flyers. Zegras looks like a different player in Philly and has already become a very important piece for his new team, averaging 20:12 a night in November while holding down a spot on the first line. Heâ€s on pace for more than 80 points, and perhaps this is finally the breakout season from Zegras that everybody has been waiting for.
Itâ€s been a tremendous start for Zegras, though I do think we should pump the brakes a little bit and temper expectations the rest of the way. Zegras shot 25 per cent in October and that number is already starting to come down. Heâ€s also currently playing with Christian Dvorak, who doesnâ€t have even a 40-point season to his name, and Owen Tippett, who has struggled with consistency. I think it will be challenging for Zegras to put up points on a nightly basis with that deployment.
Zegras is also a minus-six over his past five games. If that keeps up, Iâ€d expect Rick Tocchet to cut his ice time at some point and maybe move him down the lineup. Zegras is far from a perfect player, and his limitations at the defensive end of the ice will likely clash with Tocchet sooner or later. This isnâ€t to say things are going to become disastrous in Philly for Zegras because I think itâ€s ultimately a good landing spot for him, but a 60-point season seems more of an attainable goal than 80 points to me.
Itâ€s no secret that Canada no longer possesses an embarrassment of riches between the pipes, so general manager Doug Armstrong may have to expand his search for quality netminders. That could include Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves, who has been punching above his weight this season. Greaves owns a .907 save percentage and sits in the top 10 in the NHL in goals saved above expected with 6.3. Heâ€s still only played 28 career games, but Greaves is starting to be a model of consistency for the Blue Jackets. The 24-year-old nearly dragged Columbus into the playoffs himself late last season, going 5-0-0 with two shutouts and a .975 save percentage down the stretch. If heâ€s not already on Team Canadaâ€s radar at this point, he probably should be.
Whatâ€s working in Greaves†favour here is not just his play, but the fact that other Canadian netminders have really struggled out of the gate. Jordan Binnington has just three wins this season and a mark of .859, Adin Hill has battled injuries amid a slow start and Samuel Montembeault may be losing his No. 1 job in Montreal to Jakub Dobes. That could open the door for someone like Greaves or Logan Thompson to crack the squad. I think Binnington probably gets some benefit of the doubt because of his performance at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and Greaves probably isnâ€t ready to start for Canada, but why shouldnâ€t he be in the mix for the third goalie?
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.