What Happened To Every #1 Pick From The 2000's

Between the year 2000 and 2010, there was a wide range of skill drafted 1st overall in the NHL. Some went on to become superstars, while others simply didn't live up to expectations. Here's What Happened To Every #1 Pick From The 2000's.
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[@Dayv018]

For all the rivalry between Ovi/Sid and the Caps/Pens, it's pretty remarkable that back to back #1 overall picks are going to end up easy Hall of Famers, Conn Smythe and Cup winners (yes, obviously Sid with 3 Cups)...but even more impressive both could be within the top 10 in total points all time when they retire (although Ovi might get eventually knocked out by McDavid down the road), with Ovechkin a shot at being #1 overall in goals, and Sid and outside chance at top 5 all time points depending on how long he plays. All this, and the #2 overall pick after Ovechkin in '04 was Malkin, Sid's teammate, who will likely end up in the top 20 in points all time, and surpass the 500 goal mark.

[@_Kakoosh]

Insane amounts of talent coming up in the 00’s. So many legends

[@Only1BandIsTheBand]

my dude we in the 20's again

[@Dev3000]

I think DiPietro wouldn't have been a bust if he could of stayed healthy. He played 4 full seasons, had 2 average and 2 above average on horrible teams. Mike Comrie, Jason Blake, and Trent Hunter/Oleg Kvasha were the top scorers in 3 of those seasons

[@wallytuber]

The draft wasn't the bust. It was the long term contract.

[@Dev3000]

@@wallytuber if he would have stayed healthy, 4.5 million a year for a good goalie is a good number

[@wallytuber]

​@@Dev3000 He was already having injury problems. A 15 year deal? They couldn't do 10 or 8?

[@andreprefontaine3824]

@@wallytuber THE CONTRACT WASS DUMB, BECAUE OF THE DUMB OWNER WHO KNEW NOTHING ABOUT HOCKEY

[@jtp2007]

Ironically, his career derailed at the All Star Game. Oh if Milbury was not a moron and not traded Luongo

[@testingmyaudioaddiction3452]

The Dipietro situation is so interesting. He was making money from two different contracts with the Islanders for a few years: His playing contract (which he had reconstructed to something similar to what happened with Bobby Bonilla in baseball) and a media contract were both on the books for the Islanders.

[@nm3724]

Drafting a goalie 1st overall is just insanity. Drafting a goalie in the top 10 is pretty rare. 90-00's islanders management is among the worst ever they were an absolute joke of a team for years. The fact they had a good seasons after losing Tavares to ufa was pretty impressive.

[@jadenippersiel912]

Atlanta would probably still have a team if Kovalchuck and Heatley played their careers in Atlanta

[@user-zt1ym7zc7p]

Brett Hull wasn’t American born but he represented the US in international play

[@benpenrose5207]

Tavares hasnt even come close to being worth 11m for the leafs, maybe more like 5-6m

[@CatherineRivinius-ty3tr]

💯 agree and I'm a Islander fan

[@jtp2007]

@@CatherineRivinius-ty3tr Islanders have also won way more playoff series without him. Tavares finally won his 1st this year

[@CatherineRivinius-ty3tr]

@@jtp2007 I know

[@wesleyoke8448]

After tax he is making about 5-6 mill. So you actually summed that up pretty well.

[@prestonwall9068]

Ya a point per game is worth 5 mil also there captain and consistent cor almost 15 years this take is wild

[@SkateQrew]

well done mate, happy for some good nhl content in the offseason

[@pj5491]

Looking at some of those names, damn. 2000-2010 was packed with HOF talent.

[@joshdrumheller4920]

I think that fellow from the 2004 draft has built quite a legacy. Even pursuing a goals record......😊😊😊😊

[@jreyn2043]

Feel bad for Dipietro.The whole franchise was a bust at the time. If he played for nyi under Trotz, who's system protects goalies his career may have been completely different.

[@HDreamer]

Not sure about it, his issue wasn't the teams he played on, but being injured so much. At the end in 2012 the injuries had broken him so much, he wasn't even good enough to play for a minor league team in Germany.

[@CatherineRivinius-ty3tr]

I feel bad for Ricky also he may not be a star but he would prob better then what we seen from him

[@NolanEgbert]

@@HDreamerThe teams were 100% the issue, he was always forced to try and drag very unremarkable teams into playoff relevance and the Islanders quickly bottomed back out once his injury problems began

[@kylemerkley2606]

I find it interesting that almost all these guys have proven to be great at hockey. Yet in the NFL they seem to struggle getting draft picks right. It's almost like giving them a bit to develop let's them actually succeed

[@joshdrumheller4920]

Agreed!!!!! If the NFL had development leagues like the NHL, NBA, and MLB, things would be different.

[@tt128556]

There's less time to develop in the NFL, the average career length is something like 5 years.

[@D-Fens_1632]

That's what bugs me about the Bedard hype. The kid was at his Jr prom like a year ago, let him become capable of growing a mustache before throwing him out there with all those wild animals.

[@Mike-zf4xg]

@@D-Fens_1632 no. you must never what hockey or even understand the game; i'd refrain from talking. bedard can play at the nhl level easily and would be better served by playing at that level vs staying another year in juniors or playing minors.

[@resathe6760]

@@D-Fens_1632that doesn't really make sense. Most of the great players of the last 20 years were drafted at the same age and began in the NHL the same year as they were drafted. It's good that the NHL has the opportunity to develop those young players in lower leagues if the necessity arises but I don't think Bedard really needs that. He's doing just fine in his first NHL season

[@RetepElpmet]

I wasn't expecting that photo of Crosby in his Shattuck sweater.

[@Hisdudeness9500]

The parallels between Sid vs. Ovi and Gretz vs. Mario are uncanny, imo. Wayne and Sid: On the smaller end of the spectrum. Exceptionally gifted playmakers with a ridiculously high hockey IQ. Not the flashiest of players, but did well to elevate everyone on the ice with them, and reliably get the puck in the opposing net. Type of player you want to build a team around. Mario and Ovi: Human highlight reels who had no right to be that talented for men of their size. Handed out assists like candy on Halloween. Didn't elevate their teammates quite like Wayne or Sid, but could take the puck 1 on 5 and bury it. Type of player who will put all the butts in all the seats.

[@iTryhardMC]

I don’t think you can say Sid and Ovi aren’t exceptionally gifted playmakers, especially Sid.

[@milesbrown7345]

All have cups so there all very similar

[@ChristianStokes-nv7mh]

​​@@milesbrown7345"All have cups so they are similar" gotta love your logic🤡🤡 you're probably the type to have had a different argument prior to 2018 God I hate hockey fans like you.

[@literallywho4197]

"mostly struggling between the pipes" he says about team US's starting goalie at the Olympics(age 24), and started in the All star game in 08'.

[@plainbagel9192]

Dipietro is the Bobby Bonilla of hockey

[@user-vc7ps6tk8i]

Lol underrated comment. NY team as well (and based near Queens). When is Rick Dipietro day?

[@plainbagel9192]

@user-vc7ps6tk8i According to Google on July 1st, the Islanders owe Rick Dipietro 1.5 million until 2028

[@jeremybueckert3187]

​@user-vc7ps6tk8i technically he gets paid biweekly like every other nhl player still earning a contract but it's recognized as July 1st and we all pretend the Islanders give him a massive lottery check every year because that's way funnier

[@borismuller86]

@@jeremybueckert3187I never knew this, thank you.

[@glonden30]

Who tf is Bobby Bonilla?

[@toptenguy1]

That's a heck of a success rate! Tons of hall of famers in there!

[@RIPJimmyA7X]

To your average fan EJ is just a decent d man but for Avs fans hes a legend, we dont win the cup without his steady presence and leadership.

[@ls93780]

Sure, EJ may have been underwhelming compared to the other top 5 players drafted around him, but he’s far from a bust. He was a reliable top 2 defenseman on some very bad to thoroughly average Avalanche teams.

[@RhymesWithCarbon]

Agree, you can't have a defense of all Cale Makars. You need more than that, and Johnson played serviceably well during the playoffs plus the leadership you mentioned.

[@D-Fens_1632]

To your average Blues fan he's just a bad memory.

[@mountaingurl16]

Never realized EJ was a first round! Big shout out to him, will always live in the hearts of AVS fans

[@JJ............................]

If it weren't for the lockout and 2 shortened seasons due to COVID, Ovie would have passed Gretzky by now. People say all he does is stand at the top of the faceoff circle looking for a one timer. Well, that's called Ovie's office for a reason. Teams know he's just going to camp there and they still can't stop him from putting the puck in the net.

[@skyatollah2skyharder276]

Not just passed it, Gretzky wouldn't even be in his rear view mirror anymore.

[@esperago]

Everything you say is true. He's a radically different player than Gretzky. Gretzky is rare. A bit of a unicorn in that he wasn't just individually the best but he also elevated his entire team. Ovi is seemingly a better goal scorer but his talent balance is uneven. He can hit. He can also change the pace of a game. However, unlike Gretz, he doesn't elevate his team anywhere near the same. His linemate gets a boost because whoever passes the puck into his office gets the assist but beyond that, Ovi's influence drops off (I'm speaking relative to Gretzky, not to other average players). Ultimately, Gretzky has four Cups and Ovechkin has one. It's really hard to beat Gretz's overall talent... but what you said stands true, Ovi is probably a better raw goal scorer than Gretzky.

[@wolfeusmc2011]

To be honest I am a Pens fan but I agree...if it ain't broke don't fix it. Ovie may shoot from the same spot but teams and goalies still have a hard time adapting to his shot....save for the Flower 🌺 Ovie revolutionized the One Timer.

[@wolfeusmc2011]

And I agree with the previous comment Gretz, Stevie Y, and Sid have been the best team players that elevate their teammates

[@kellismith4329]

@@wolfeusmc2011 I would add Mario to that list

[@leafsfanforever2896]

Rick DiPietro: Was on pace to become a solid goaltender until knee injuries derailed his career Ilya Kovalchuk: Superstar goal scorer for the Thrashers and Devils before jumping ship to Russia. When he came back in 2018, he was a shadow of his former self Rick Nash: All-Star goal scorer with the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers until concussions shortened his career Marc-Andre Fleury: All-Star, yet overrated, goaltender for the Penguins. Took off upon arriving in Vegas, winning a Vezina Alexander Ovechkin: Legendary goal scorer for the Washington Capitals Sidney Crosby: Legendary scorer for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Imagine what could have been if it were not for concussions 2007 to 2012 Erik Johnson: Had a solid rookie season, but then a golfing accident busted up his knee and derailed his progress. He nonetheless transitioned into a solid defensive defenseman Patrick Kane: Superstar winger for the Chicago Blackhawks Steven Stamkos: Superstar goal scorer for the Tampa Bay Lightning in spite of several injuries between 2013 and 2017 John Tavares: All-Star scorer for the New York Islanders, could have been better if the Olympics did not cut his season short. Solid with the Maple Leafs Taylor Hall: Superstar winger on a very weak Oilers team, endured hot and cold 2014-2017, reignited with New Jersey until knee surgery in 2019, regressed to a second line caliber

[@richardj3025]

Tavares worth $11 mil a season...😅😅😅

[@thechefmike]

Hasn't been a good argument as to why he isn't though

[@thechefmike]

@@kevinbadger8030 his stat line other than 1 year during covid tells you wrong though

[@thedoomofvalyria6466]

What stats are you referring to? If you are making 11 mil as an offensive player, you are obligated to finish top 10 in scoring in the NHL every season of your contract. If you do not, then you are overpaid.@@thechefmike

[@tommygoode9644]

The biggest mistake the New York Islanders made was letting Mike Millbury be head coach and general manager at the same time. Disaster ensued and he managed to make a last place team even worse. He traded away Chara, Roberto Louongo, Bryan McCabe, Todd Bertuzzi, olli jokenin, and some other really good players for next to nothing. Then he signed Rick Dipietro and Alexei Yashin to long term deals. The Islanders are still paying Ricky D. a million dollars a year to NOT play and will until 2030. What the hell did he have on Charles Wang anyway?

[@D-Fens_1632]

On paper that does look terrible. More importantly I have zero memory of Luongo being an Islander, I gotta look that up.

[@tommygoode9644]

@@D-Fens_1632 they drafted him in 1997

[@cinemasnitch3959]

hated DP but surprisingly love him on the radio now. Who knew?

[@todward3295]

Brooo what, Marc Andres into ovechkin into Crosby is insane how is that even possible

[@maximegirard4402]

Kovalchuk was kinda electric in montreal

[@MoneyHoneyBunny]

This was an amazing decade for #1 draft pics. Better than the 90s, equal to the 80s probably! Kovalchuk was always to me, the greatest what if of this decade. He played for absolutely terrible teams every year and still has one of the best goals per game of the millennium, at least for his original run before retiring. Look at his years in Atlanta. Imagine him on a competitive team with other playmakers, he was in the defensive era NHL scoring 45-50 goals a season, and staying in the NHL long term,,, his career goals would easily look a lot more like Ovechkins, not quite that high but, seriously... he would have been a 50-60 goal per year guy easily. He still was amazing though.

[@PierLuc111]

Something that would've been interesting to see written before changing , is how many cups they won. To see , on average , how much success (or not) can happen with a 1st overall.

[@milesbrown7345]

I say 50 50 maybe 75 25 bc about 10 cups and I think I'm shy a couple because I'm not exact but that's from 4 or 5 guys

[@summer20105707]

Signing anyone to a 15 year deal is nuts.

[@jeanpaulfelix4095]

Mario Lemeiux was the greatest forward to put on skates.

[@davidkelly5585]

Finally someone said it

[@JohnDaubSuperfan369]

DiPietro made a fortune without even playing, smart cat. Still gets paid to this day, he absolutely played the Islanders management and in the land of money chasing husks of men that's gotta stand for something

[@TheSmurray39]

Jeeze what a decade. The golden draft years here

[@DirtyDan77]

I wonder what Stamkos' legacy would have been if he wasn't so injury prone. I remember the season he broke his leg, he was on pace for 100 goals

[@chaddevlin8545]

there was no season where he was on pace for 100 goals, what are you talking about haha

[@DirtyDan77]

@@chaddevlin8545 sorry he was only on pace for 80 goals

[@bramstedt8997]

I think he still ends up in the HHOF, even if he retires tomorrow

[@leafsfanforever2896]

He would have had a couple cold stretches

[@ariannegarcia8841]

Oh EJ, my love.

[@streetdog75]

Needed to have that pic of Tavares as a kid in his Maple Leafs pajamas sitting on his bed with Leafs sheets...

[@Indigenous_Rambo]

The only bust is Rick Dipietro.

[@armandoortiz9114]

Na. He's still getting paid lol

[@lukeyarasheski5510]

What's crazy is that they traded away Luongo for him to play. And I dunno of bust is a good label. I think the fact he was always hurt didn't help him. But he wasn't ever really bad. Every goalie has struggles. He could just never play

[@lukeyarasheski5510]

@ericstuff1023 I don't think oft injured players deserve the bust label. That should exclusively be territory of people whos skill just didn't make the transition with them. But maybe I'm biased. I coulda gone pro.... if it weren't for this bum knee

[@nhlvan]

DiPietro was decent when he was healthy, but definitely nowhere near as good as Luongo. Boneheaded move to dump a 20 year old 3rd overall pick goalie so quickly. Like they could've covered other positions by picking a different player...

[@CoolHand.]

Dipierro was in the best fight ever! Johnson skated down for the Pens net, after Dipietro tripped Cooke on purpose with 30 seconds remaining, and put him out with a concussion. Never made it back after that!

[@nhlvan]

2000 DiPietro - Bust 2001 Kovalchuk - HHOF borderline 2002 Nash - Great but not HHOF 2003 Fleury - HHOF 1st ballot 2004 Ovechkin - HHOF 1st ballot, one of the greatest of all time 2005 Crosby - HHOF 1st ballot, one of the greatest of all time 2006 Johnson - Solid, nothing amazing 2007 Kane - HHOF 1st ballot 2008 Stamkos - HHOF 1st ballot 2009 Tavares - HHOF borderline (needs a few more point per game seasons) 2010 Hall - Not HHOF, but won a Hart

[@HoweyJR_]

Rick D wasn’t a Bust & John T is definitely HOF Worthy

[@Terminator6364]

Not sure if Fleury is a 1st ballot. Got criticized alot thorugh his career and even lost his place to Murray and got traded.

[@fwater9543]

@@Terminator6364he lost his place to Murray because the penguins defense was crazy those years and the staff were too dumb to realize Murray wasn’t nearly as good as they thought. And fleury wasn’t traded until 2021

[@iluciferi5320]

Pretty much correct. I think Kovalchuk & Tavares are not HOF.

[@jyhina]

Highly doubt Kovalchuk won't make the HHOF. Him, Ovie, Malkin and Datsyuk were the top offensive NHL-russians of their generation. He played in an incredibly defensive era and yet almost managed a point per game (which puts him in the top 100). It should also be noted that he played on a shit Thrashers team for almost 8 years too. Throughout his career he was a staple in top 10 in scoring. But then again Mogilny still isn't in the HHOF, so until then I would keep Kovalchuk out.

[@Charles-vl8xm]

Eric Johnson could have been a much better player if he didn't shred his knee playing bumber cars with golf carts in his 2nd years preseason.

[@father042]

Well they were better than 90s #1 picks where only thornton and Lindros were HoF worthy

[@MyKFloo]

We see that scouting improved a lot

[@stevenbauer4799]

'90's also featured expansion teams in '91, '92, '93, '98, '99 drafts that led to some horrible first/top picks like daigle, fallon, legwand, and stefan. not one h o f worthy. '93 had pronger and kariya h o f's go after daigle who sens were too obsessed with and blatantly said they tanked to get. '99 draft was one of the worst draft years ever. and tb also took lecavalier no. one who won a cup over marleau 1000 pt. scorer who didn't win a cup yet will probably get into hall one day. and '92, '94, '95, '96 drafts had d men go no one. all by new teams-two by sens-the others by tb and fla. so building from the back end was the thinking of new teams.

[@father042]

@@stevenbauer4799 Legwand had a pretty solid career, he was not a bust like the rest 94 draft was also pretty good with a lot of late round steals

[@stevenbauer4799]

@@father042 I never said 'bust' to legwand. but for a second pick of draft he never put up big numbers expected out of second pick. had a solid career. not anywhere near 1000 pts. or never topped 63 pts. in a season. that is borderline bust and nowhere near h o f with 618 career pts. i wont call legwand a bust for the simple reason he played most of his career in trotz's stifling d system which stifled his offensive numbers because he could score big time in jrs.

[@father042]

@@stevenbauer4799 Also the number 1 defesemen in that decade were weird, Hamrlik had a lengthy but not amazing career, Jovanovski was also solid but not a superstar, Berard's career was ruined by eye injury and Phillips was a stay at home defense man, which was really odd for #1 pick

[@dylanevans7529]

If Kovalchuck wasn't on Atlanta, He'd have a stellar Career... He was literally the only thing keeping that Franchise Afloat, the Second he Left, so did the Thrashers.

[@andreprefontaine3824]

HE HAD A STELLAR CARREER! JUST NOT winning same with sundin

[@jamiesucie2685]

Tavares is not even remotely worth the $11 mil he’s being paid. That must have been sarcasm

[@CalTheHogNosedBat]

You mention Johnson getting Silver, but you forgot who got the winning goal to get Canada the gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Sydney freaking Crosby. Just figured to remind you of that.

[@brandtk9635]

Brett Hull was born in Canada

[@kellismith4329]

Yep in Ontario

[@blueshattrick]

Great point. Captains don't hand the Stanley Cup off to "Busts"

[@savantiromero5518]

Please make 2011-2020

[@liamjones5287]

Kovy with the habs was a great time ngl

[@newjerseyfan101]

Kovalchuk did the devils so dirty

[@sanaon7453]

8 out of the 11, 1st overall picks of this decade have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Only 7 of them have won Lord Stanley's Cup.

[@johnmcconnell8151]

You had a long shot of Chris Osgood as you discussed DiPietro's contract.

[@Apollo2195]

Funny enough that was DiPietro, he broke his jaw in his fight with Johnson from the penguins. A trainer found an old helmet of Osgood’s and DiPietro realized that it didn’t bother his jaw as much as the traditional modern helmets. (My father had one of those old Osgood helmets and they are very loose fitting.) ironically he ended up getting a concussion due to the helmet and eventually switched back. DiPietro couldn’t catch a break.

[@johnmcconnell8151]

@@Apollo2195 Wow, I never heard that story, thank you for the info! My bad!

[@hypn0298]

@@johnmcconnell8151yep, he actually ended up being the last goalie to have worn the helmet/cage combo mask in an NHL game.

[@jtp2007]

Osgood was signed after that and was good for the Isles.

[@TeamOT]

Ovy just loves to play.

[@peterolbrisch8970]

You covered 11 players, but it should have been only ten. Taylor Hall is the first player of the twothousandtens, not the last player of the twothousands. That is, if you're striving for any kind of consistency here.

[@Kyle899]

Milbury is a HOFer at incompetence. The early 2000s Islanders could have had a core with Spezza, Heatley, Chara, Kasparaitis and Luongo..

[@DavidRJones82]

The Condor is the fucking man.

[@ccramit]

Imagine being the Blues. You have Ovechkin come out. Then Crosby. Once it's your turn, you pick Johnson. Not a bad player by any means, but not franchise level talent like the Caps and Pens got. And then freaking Kane the year after haha.

[@todward3295]

I’m the sports guy on my trivia team this is good hockey knowledge

[@LeClairBHZ]

Stamkos and Toronto?? Could anyone please explain this?

[@JensSchraeder]

Now only if the Oilers could figure out a way to get rid of Darnell Nurse.

[@rafimaddas9215]

Correction: If 2000s, it should be 2000 - 2009. Respectively, that is already 10 years = 1 decade. Dipietro up to Tavares is the only group you should be talking about. No need to include year 2010. That’s another decade. 😏

[@josephpanozzo4815]

Unfortunately, Taylor Hall got injured early in his first Blackhawks season and could not mentor Connor Bedard.

[@NolanEgbert]

DiPietro is only a bust in the sense that the league only got to see him in his prime for 1 and half seasons between 2006-2008. He was a rising goalie who’s career was derailed by a catastrophic knee injury at only 26 years old when he should’ve only just have been entering the best years of his career. You can’t exactly say he spent most of his time struggling when he was Team USA’s starter in the 2006 Olympics and was in the 2008 All-Star game

[@bramstedt8997]

Generational superstars: Ovechkin Crosby Kane Stamkos Stars: Kovalchuk Nash Fleury Tavares Hall Wasted pick: DiPietro Johnson

[@TheSamdroidOnline]

I'm glad the selfish, money-hungry Kovalchuk was never able to reach the 500 goal mark. Fleury got ruffed up the first 2 seasons but has been great ever since. Ovechkin has been amazing. His drop off this year has been astonishing. Is he hurt, or is Washington so bad that they can't surround Ovechkin with adequate players. Crosby would be crossing the 2,000 point line if it had not been for injuries. I hope he keeps up a high level of play and plays into his 40s to possibly get past the 2,000 point mark. Patrick Kane has been nothing but great. I hope he continues after his hip resurfacing surgery. Playing with Detroit with DeBrincat should help. Stamkos is fantastic. Tampa Bay would be stupid to trade him. He is part of the core-five of Stamkos-Kucherov-Point-Headman-Vasilevskiy. Ride that group into the sunset. Tavares is a disappointment. He has done nothing for the Leafs. So over-payed. Hall had one good season. That's it. Enough said.

[@justinratcliff7766]

Can I just suggest that MAF's @5:03 greatness is also predicated upon the fact that he's a fukken stand up human being? (see what I did there?)

[@D-Fens_1632]

I'd have to do some deep diving into the trade trees to find anything of value that Erik Johnson contributed to St Louis.

[@devilsjointonX]

HALL also got to play with rookies NICO HISCHIER and JESPER BRATT two players id want over Hall on my team today no question.

[@leafsfanforever2896]

Hall was 2010

[@devilsjointonX]

@@leafsfanforever2896 ok and?

[@chrisdvine]

Why does it keep showing Dan Cloutier instead of Dipietro lol 1:14

[@colonelquack]

Ovie will Jagr/Howe his way to the goal scoring record.

[@fwater9543]

He’s only 62 behind him and he’s played 140 less games

[@Trag1cMag1c]

Gretzky finished his career with a 0.60 goals per game. Ovi is currently sitting at 0.61. And Gretzky would not have faired as well against today's crop of goaltenders and their equipment.

[@michaelshields6326]

Nash only won the Rocket Richard once.

[@todward3295]

03 04 is insane

[@andreprefontaine3824]

who is stephen stamkos

[@jyhina]

Let's act like Brian Leetch and Jake Guentzel are not American when talking about Pat Kane's plaoyff ppg

[@dan3307]

#1 Ovi - this guy is a freaking tank. My favorite moment is the fall-down goal vs. the Wayne Gretzky led Phoenix Coyotes - Gretzky's look says it all..."OMG...this kid is unbelievable, he might break some of MY records!"

[@dan3307]

#2 Sid the Kid - besides his talent, dude is a winner with 3 Cups, 5 Cup Final appearances (?) and a Gold medal (I used to hate the guy - beat my Wings and my country back to back - but over time he's proven a great talent, a great leader, a great teammate and most of all a great person). #3 is a toss-up between Kaner and Stamkos. Kane may end up the best US born player ever when the dust settles. Also we'll have to see how he does after the 23-24 offseason and hip surgery. Stamkos has the individual awards including the 60 goals as well as leading his team to several cups. All 3 have been pivotal in Dynasties. #4 Marc-André Fleury no doubt. One can argue Sid wouldn't be as good as he is without MAF between the pipes early in their careers. In addition whatever he, Ovi, (LeBron and TB12) are drinking, GIVE ME SOME! The way these guys can continue to produce consistently while being over 35 is unprecedented.

[@stiermeta1832]

@@dan3307 as an overall player, Sid is an entire tier above ovi. Both are insane at what they do though. The fact that they're both 35 and still keeping their names at the top of the stats every year is just insane

[@borismuller86]

@@stiermeta1832I agree, Sid is a more complete player. Ovi is a pure goalscorer, and I fully expect him to break Wayne’s goals record.

[@maitrehg]

​@@dan3307Crosby : 3 Cups in 4 appearances. 2 Olympic Gold medals.

[@quezcatol]

Sure we have better goalies now and age matters more now but you forget something: more teams, more games- easier for a player like ovechkin to score by just that alone.

[@tomdiperna964]

Dick Rash only won one Rocket Richard trophy, not two.

[@JokingPiper]

Undoubtedly. Not undoubtebly.

[@OwlEyes85]

Save to say the NHL knows how to draft #1s

[@dan3307]

Best #1 pick for Edmonton - Taylor Hall or Connor McDavid? lol (Poor Taylor might not even be the best #1 pick on the Chicago Blackhawks this year! Still hopefully he'll provide some great leadership for Connor Bedard which he himself may not have gotten in Edmonton).

[@grandtheftautoandstuff3744]

For 2009 you forgot Chris kreider

[@emperorpalpatine1228]

Russian Tank never breaks.

[@adriangentle2953]

Didn’t even mention Crosby winning for Canada

[@Mike-zf4xg]

erik johnson.... crickets. amazing +4. holy! do you watch hockey?

[@lamnuck]

So, if you do the 2010s are you going to include 2010 AGAIN ????

[@CallsignJoNay]

"Impressive +4 career rating" Wow, what an accomplishment. 😅

[@forbrich2290]

This is too easy, to look back and say who made big mistakes. Nobody has a crystal ball.

[@psuley1977]

The Habs once had a Cristobal though

[@armandoortiz9114]

Not only did the Ducks lose Sidney Crosby, they lost Connor Bedard to an original 6 team. Talk about rigged.

[@mam362]

just because things dont work out in your favorite teams favor does not mean it was rigged. jeez

[@joshdrumheller4920]

​@mam362 they have a point. It's been a conspiracy that 05 was "rigged" to help Pittsburgh get Crosby.

[@Thoraxe41]

Unfortunate luck. But at least we got a Cup out of it.

[@armandoortiz9114]

@@mam362 feels like it. But since the Ducks violated the cap space by 35 million, they were penalized by giving up a number one draft pick.

[@tomslick2058]

Here come thd Hawks. The mighty Black Hawks.

[@greggburke7796]

I'm sorry, did you call Erik Johnson's career plus 4 rating impressive? He's actually only plus 3...but that is far from an impressive number. His teammate Cale Makar is a plus 93 and he accomplished that in just 4 seasons.

[@DillanWill]

Look at the avalanche team that EJ was on for most of his years as an Av. There were some horrible years in there, including one that set a record (at the time) of the lowest points in a season.

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

Point shares? What is that supposed to mean?

[@korlu01]

They all went to the Oilers

[@paulofearghail9408]

*the 2000s (not 2000's)

[@richarddesilets4947]

You really think Tavares is worth every penny of $11mil a year? For that kind of money, he should be able to be a #1 C on any team in the league and that just isn't the case. He's not even #1 on his own team. He's a very good player but at no point was he an $11mil guy. $9mil tops

[@oblivion2674]

Fleury only has 2 years where he was a top goalie. He’s consistently good enough. He does not deserve to enter the hall of fame

[@oblivion2674]

oH BuT He WOn 3 cUpS. He didn’t play for 2 of them

[@fwater9543]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@oblivion2674okay let’s completely ignore his playoff success, he’s 4th all-time in games played while also being 3rd in wins. He has a .913 save % with a 2.58 GAA over 985 games and 28,000 shots against. Almost every year he has hovered around a .915 to .920 sv%, the only 2 outliers are his first 2 seasons when he wasn’t even old enough to drink in the United States, and managed to win the vezina when he was 36. His longevity is insane. Your comment saying he doesn’t deserve to be in the hall of fame because he was “only” at the top of the league in 2 seasons is completely ignoring the fact that he was still a really really good goalie in the other seasons where he wasn’t near the top. On top of his stats he is also one of the most beloved players in the league, with players often describe him as an incredible teammate, and him consistently being a fan favorite.

[@66Bunn]

Bottom line...with all the talk of the "young guns" coming on...Many of the old guys still got it

[@al2502]

Conveniently skipping over Erik Johnson's first 3 seasons of professional play is pretty sus. Sure he did receive harsh criticism, but that's because he did not play well. In his inaugural season he played 69 games and got a total of 33 points (extremely mid stats if you ask me), and that is one of his best seasons point wise. The next 4 picks that year dramatically surpassed him.

[@11fifteen]

Ovi will never compare im sorry

[@kiepyon1]

Fluery is the best also fuck golden knight for dumping him

[@aspirindamage5152]

kovylchuk is the most annoying on the list imo because he just gave up on the people that made him a millionaire

[@Maguire-om9zd]

Its just big bu$iness and they have to go along with the script to do well. 😮

[@Dimiew5]

:)

[@doggyondown]

Dp was an allstar and Olympian and played on an awful team yes he got hurt an never lived up to high selection but not as bad as you proclaim

[@Dobbysfree]

Gd the early 2000s Columbus jerseys were insanely ugly