With TSN's annual top 50 players in the NHL coming out I thought I'd do my own top 50. So here we go. We'll see how I compare to TSN.
50. Corey Crawford CHI, 32-16-10, 2.26 GAA, .917 SV%
Crawford is a good goalie. However, it's hard to say if he's much more than that. His numbers are solid, but not the greatest, and he wins playing on a very good team. That being said he is good, and is worthy of the fiftieth best player in the NHL.
49. Gabriel Landeskog COL, 26 G, 39 A
Colorado has a lot of young kids making an impact and Landeskog is one of them. He's good on both sides of the puck and puts up a lot of points. He should just keep getting better.
48. Max Pacioretty MTL, 39 G, 21 A
Pacioretty was fourth in the league in goals last season, but just 44th in points. Some might say he should be higher because of the goals, but in order to get higher I think the total points would need to spike, and I think in order to be higher he needs to take more of a leadership role on the Canadiens. Right now it's Subban and Price, if one more person would step up, that would help them a lot. I believe Pacioretty could be that guy.
47. Jordan Eberle EDM, 28 G, 37 A
I know my bias might be showing with this one, but there is an argument to be had for Eberle. He has really good numbers and has shown in the past he is capable of a point per game or close to a point until he proves he can do it again though he's at number 47.
46. Oliver Ekman-Larsson ARI, 15 G, 29 A
This begins what will be a very long parade of young skilled defensemen. The things I'm about to say about Larsson you will hear a lot about the others as well. Larsson can put the puck in the net and play defense really well. He is a huge boost to the Coyotes and just expect him to get better.
45. Joe Pavelski SJS, 41 G, 38 A
You're probably wondering with stats like that why Pavelski is so low. Well, he's getting old and likely won't have the same production. There is also question marks surrounding the Sharks this year. There are a number of things that will likely factor into a lesser season for him. However, he is still a good player.
44.Nathan MacKinnon COL,24 G, 39 A
MacKinnon had a really good rookie season last year and just look for him to get better. Again it was one season, so I'm not getting too excited yet. However, he has a lot of promise and could really develop into something special.
43.Semyon Varlamov COL, 41-14-6 2.41 GAA, .927 SV%
Varlamov led all goalies in wins last season and put together a very good campaign. The only reason he isn't higher and a top goalie is because of one good season. It was his first season doing this. I believe he can repeat, but he needs to prove he can before he moves up the rankings.
42. Antti Niemi SJS, 39-17-7, 2.39 GAA, .913 SV%
Niemi has been a good goalie for the Sharks, winning them lots of games and putting up good numbers. He is definitely a legitimate NHL goalie.
41. Ryan McDonagh NYR, 14 G, 29 A
The Rangers young defenseman has helped them out a lot. He was a large part of last season, and their run to the Stanley Cup. Expect even better things from him than what we've already seen.
40. Joe Thorton SJS, 11 G, 65 A
Thorton has been one of the best set up men in the game. However, he's getting older, and questions around the Sharks team don't help either. He is still a very good player, but how much he has left, and what the Sharks can do will have to be seen yet this season.
39. Mark Giordano CGY, 14 G, 33A
This young defender out of Calgary is only going to get better. I wouldn't be surprised to see him much higher up on this list one day.
38. Kevin Shattenkirk STL, 10 G 35 A
There are a lot of young good defensemen in the league right now and Shattenkirk is one of them. He can both put up points and defend well.
37. Nicklas Backstrom WSH, 18 G, 61 A
Backstrom is a solid distributor of the puck and almost a point per game player. Playing with Ovechkin on offense probably doesn't hurt either.
36. Marc-Andre Fleury PIT, 39-18-5, 2.37 GAA, .915 SV%
Fleury has had some consistency issues, but he is still a good NHL goalie. He is still capable of doing well and being a quality goalie in the NHL.
35. Victor Hedman TB, 13 G, 42 A
Sometimes it must seem like Hedman is doing it all by himself in Tampa Bay. He is a very good defenseman who has been a major plus for the lightning.
34. Phil Kessel TOR, 37 G, 43 A
In many ways Kessel is at times Toronto's biggest threat. He's a good goal scorer and contributes a lot there. He is nowhere close to best in the league, but he does have a lot of skill and can put the puck in the net.
33. Pavel Datsyuk, DET, 17 G, 20 A
Datsyuk seemed to be slowing down in a shortened season for him last year. He still has very soft hands, but how much he has left in the tank remains to be seen. He is still a top thirty player, but with so many young players leaving a mark and getting better I find it hard to see a guy like Datsyuk making it much higher on this list while being on the decline.
32. Zdeno Chara BOS, 17 G, 23 A
Chara seems to have lost a step recently, he isn't quite the dominant presence that he once was. He is still a top defenseman in the league, and he still has a massive shot from the point. His size and skill still make him a formidable opponent.
31. Jamie Benn DAL, 34 G, 45 A
Benn has been a very good player for Dallas and should just continue to get better. He can score, but he isn't afraid to go in the greasy areas either. He should continue to get better and better and will be a huge help for the Stars this season.
30. Brent Seabrook CHI, 7 G, 34 A
Seabrook is a very good shut down defenseman from Chicago. He puts up points and knows how to stop scoring threats. Definitely worthy of being on this list.
29. Ryan Suter MIN, 8 G, 35 A
Suter doesn't quite put up the same points, or play defense quite as well as some of the defensemen on this list, but he's very reliable. He plays consistently good defense, and can help out on offense. His biggest asset is eating minutes. Suter led all skaters in ice time averaging 29:24 in icetime per game.
28. Matt Duchene COL, 23 G, 47 A
A young centre out of Colorado who has really been a huge boost to an up and coming team. Watch out for Colorado to have another really good season, and Duchene should be a huge factor into it.
27. Keith Yandle ARI, 8 G, 45A
Another young but solid defenseman. This time out of the desert. Again, he knows how to contribute on offense, but can also come back and play shut down defense.
26. David Krejci BOS, 19 G, 50 A
An excellent passer, and Krejci certainly doesn't have a shortage of people to pass to in Boston. Like so many players on the Bruins Krejci plays both sides of the puck well and also like the other Bruins he isn't afraid to take or deliver a hit either.
25. Patrick Sharp CHI, 34 G 44 A
Yet another Blackhawk on the list, that really tells you something about the team. Sharp is a well rounded forward who can both score and dish the puck. A very solid player who would do well on just about any team.
24. Alex Pietrangelo STL, 8 G, 43 A
Young good defenders. St. Louis has a lot of them. Pietrangelo is one of them he can do a bit of everything. He can contribute on offense and plays really good defense.
23. Taylor Hall EDM, 27 G, 53 A
Hall has been consistently the best offensive threat in Edmonton. He isn't quite as good as some of the top forwards in the league yet, but he is the top left winger in the league. Right now he's top twenty, but in a year or two who knows how high he could be on this list?
22. Tyler Seguin DAL, 37 G, 47 A
For awhile it looked like Seguin might be a bust, however, he showed some promise in Boston and then really broke out in Dallas. He's put up a lot of points and will probably get better yet.
21. Patrice Bergeron BOS, 30 G, 32 A
Bergeron doesn't put up as many points as some guys on this list, but what he does put up he does so with consistency. What really puts him high on this list is the style of game he plays. He's an excellent two way centre who isn't afraid to take or deliver a hit.
20. Tukka Rask BOS, 36-15-6, 2.04 GAA, .930 SV%
Rask's numbers might be better than some of the guys mentioned earlier, but the reason he's a little bit lower is he didn't have to carry a team the way some of the others did, it's hard to say with a goalie who has such a good team how good his skill set is. However, that doesn't mean Rask isn't that good. He is still a very good goalie, who could potentially prove me wrong for having him this low.
19. Patrick Kane CHI, 29 G, 40 A
I don't think Kane is quite as good as some people do, a lot of people would have him higher yet. He is a very skilled forward and does a lot for Chicago. He can put up the points and all three players on that top line for Chicago are strong.
18. Erik Karlsson OTT, 20 G, 54 A
Some people will find this very low for Kaarlsson. However, his defense isn't as good as some and believe it or not defense is the main priority for a defenseman. That being said, Kaarlsson is a very good player and he led the league in defensemen for points for a reason.
17. Alex Ovechkin WSH, 51 G, 28 A
A lot of people think Ovechkin should be much higher than this. However for all the scoring he does is equally bad on defense. He is lazy in back checking and doesn't do much in his own end. Improve on defense and we'll talk about a higher ranking for him.
16. Henrik Lundqvist NYR, 33-24-5, 2.36 GAA, .920 SV%
Lundqvist is another very good goalie. He took the Rangers team on his back and led them to the Stanley Cup Finals. He was one of the only reasons they went that deep too. The Rangers are another team that could use some help, but their goaltending is extremely sound.
15. John Tavares NYI, 24 G, 42 A
Tavares has not consistently led the Islanders to the playoffs. Tavares needs to prove that he can stay healthy, and lead the Islanders to the playoffs, and potentially even win a series. He is a very skilled forward and is definitely one of the best in the league.
14.Corey Perry ANA, 43 G, 39 A
The first of Anaheim's dynamic duo. Perry didn't score quite as much as Getzlaf last year, however, that doesn't make him much less of a player. Perry is a very good player and there are very few things that he can't do.
13. Evgeni Malkin PIT, 23 G, 49 A
This might be a little low for Malkin, however, last season he didn't have as quite a good a season as he normally does which is why I put him lower. This doesn't mean though that he is any less of a threat than some other forwards. Last season was a decent season for Malkin, he is capable of much more than what he did last season though.
12. Anze Kopitar LA, 29 G, 41 A
Kopitar has really emerged as one of the NHL's top players for the Kings. He played a huge role in winning their Stanley Cup last year and is a major part of that team. Any team would love to have a guy like Kopitar.
11. Ryan Getzlaf, ANA, 31 G, 56 A
Getzlaf, and his partner Perry who you saw earlier in this list are one of the deadliest duos in the NHL. However, on their own both are skilled. Getzlaf was second in the NHL in points last season and he doesn't look like he's slowing down any time soon.
10. Johnathon Quick LA, 27-17-4, 2.07 GAA, .915 SV%
Last year was a solid season for Quick, after what was a bit of a down year the year before. It still wasn't as good as he has been in the past, but I still believe he is that goalie. These are good numbers, but he's also capable of better yet. Watch out for Quick, one of the best goalies in the NHL.
9. PK Subban, MTL 10 G, 43 A
The face of the Canadiens franchise. Subban is a big game player, with big game attitude. He knows how to distribute the puck and don't let his ten goals fool you. He may have only had ten, but his monster shot from the point is always a threat, especially on the power play. The only thing keeping him from being a higher rank is he can be reckless on defense and is susceptible to costly mistakes.
8. Claude Giroux PHI, 28 G, 58 A
Giroux had a really slow start to the season last year and still managed to score eighty six points. If he hadn't started so cold his numbers would be way up there. I would say that if anyone is going to give Crosby and Stamkos competition for points it might be Giroux. Yes, he is that good.
7. Drew Doughty LA, 10 G, 27 A
Doughty doesn't put up points the same way the some others do, but you could make a case for him being the best shut down defenseman in the NHL. He is a huge asset to LA, and probably knows how to stop power offenses from scoring better than anyone else.
6.Carey Price MTL, 34-20-5, 2.32 GAA, .927 SV. %
This might be a surprise to some, but I have no question that Price is the best goalie in the NHL, you can argue that he is the Canadiens heart beat. When Price went out in the playoffs last year the Canadiens just weren't the same. He "Careys" his team, puts up really good stats, and gets them wins. He could use some more help, but as it is now he can get them to the playoffs and win a couple rounds, any team would love a goalie that could get a team that far.
5. Johnathon Toews CHI, 28 G, 40 A
Toews doesn't quite put up the numbers as a lot of forwards do, but they are still good numbers. What makes him an extremely good player though is his leadership. When you combine the type of leadership he provides with his good numbers, he is definitely a top notch NHL player.
4. Duncan Keith CHI, 6 G, 55A
Right on the heels of Shea Weber is Duncan Keith. Both are shut down defensemen, who do their jobs very well. Keith doesn't score as much as Weber, and he doesn't need to carry the team the same way Weber does. However, Keith is a very hard hitter and can put out any offensive attack. Again, he is easily a top defenseman in the NHL.
3.Shea Weber NSH 23 G, 33A
Last season Weber was third among defensemen in scoring. He is easily one of the best shut down defensemen in the league and has put Nashville on his back multiple times. For the way he carries the team, his shut down ability, and the scoring threat he is with his hardest shot, Weber deserves the title as best defenseman in the league.
2. Steven Stamkos TB, 25 G, 15 A
Despite a major injury forcing him to miss most of the season, Stamkos is still the second best player in the NHL. He has scored sixty goals before and still has the ability to do it again. By the end of the season there's a chance he has passed Crosby for number one.
1. Sidney Crosby PIT, 36 G, 68 A
Crosby really is the obvious choice for number one. No one has dominated the game in the same way Crosby has and he should be due for another great campaign this season. I would say he is likely to hit 100 points again.
-Darren
Did I get my top 50 right? Wrong? I know almost all of you disagree with something. Let me know what you think. Either comment below the blog post, or find me on twitter @thewildman111
photo taken from forbes.com
If this is going to happen there are a number of obstacles to get over and hoops to jump through. First of all, Montreal would likely need to build a brand new baseball stadium. This involves finding a space to put one, planning out how the stadium will look, and most importantly money. Since 2000 the cheapest stadium to be built cost $216M (PNC) and the most expensive cost $1.6B (New Yankee Stadium). Montreal probably wouldn't get a stadium for the price that Pittsburgh did anymore, but they wouldn't have to spend money like New York either. They would probably need around $500M-$800M. That would be a lot of money for a city to spend and there would be a large discussion about who pays for it. How much would the city chip in? The provincial government? The federal government? How much would the owner(s) have to pay? This also raises another issue. Are there owners willing to buy the team? And is the team even for sale?
