The Best 17 Forwards of the NHL

[redwinger4747 6]

I was bored so I decided to try to come up with the 10 most dynamic, dominant superstar forwards in the game. I realized this was too hard and expanded it to the top 17 superstars before I was satisfied. The criteria was how good the player is right now but also looking at the last couple years as further indication of the player's dominance. This means that a player having a bit of a down year but has shown very recently his ability to dominate will be included (Hossa). Also, it means a player who is having a very strong year but before now had not established himself as an unbelievable player will not be included (Getzlaf, Ribeiro). A degree of youth is required to leave out veterans having strong seasons but who could fall off very quickly next year (Sundin, Kovalev).

So, here is my list of the 17 most outstanding forwards in the game today:

Crosby

Ovechkin

Malkin

Spezza

Heatley

Alfredsson

Lecavalier

St. Louis

Hossa

Kovalchuck

Gaborik

Jokinen

Datsyuk

Zetterberg

Iginla

Thorton

E Staal

Just missed the cut:

Savard

Nash

Young players who could make the jump very soon:

Stastny

Kane

Toews

Getzlaf

M Richards

Kopitar

Backstrom

Unlikely to achieve annual superstardom:

Ribeiro

Perry

Vanek

Horcoff

Obviously many other things can be said about other young forwards in the game, just my opinion of who is a superstar, who could be a superstar, and who probably wont be.

Edited March 7, 2008 by redwinger4747

[Jamaica Jon 1]

Is your ordering arbitrary? i.e. Is Crosby in your opinion the most dominant and Staal the 17th most. Or is that just the 17 most dominant forwards in no particular order?

Also, is this purely based off offensive performance?

[tommingthepuck96 1]

Your list is pretty much the top 17.

But i'd take Datsyuk, Ignla, Zetterberg line over any combination of 3 of the rest of your list. Was looking forward to seeing them play together at the all-star game. A shame zetterberg couldnt make it.

Edit: spelling

Edited March 7, 2008 by tommingthepuck96

[eva unit zero 271]

To be a 'top' forward in the league, a player MUST be among the most offensively talented players. Ideally, he would bring something beyond offense that would set him apart, but a truly dominant offensive forward could be among the best just based on his offense (Think Gretzky.)

With all that said, here's my list of the top 17 forwards in the league. I am going to follow the same rules and remove Sundin, Kovalev, and any young player who is having an unexpected breakout season.

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh

Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit

Alexander Ovechkin, Washington

Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa

Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay

Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit

Dany Heatley, Ottawa

Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh

Jarome Iginla, Calgary

Joe Thornton, San Jose

Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim

Mike Richards, Philadelphia

Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta

Jason Spezza, Ottawa

Marian Hossa, Pittsburgh

Olli Jokinen, Florida

Brenden Morrow, Dallas

[CrossCheck24 2]

Why doesn't anyone have Robert Lang or Sammy on the list?

[redwinger4747 6]

Is your ordering arbitrary? i.e. Is Crosby in your opinion the most dominant and Staal the 17th most. Or is that just the 17 most dominant forwards in no particular order?

Also, is this purely based off offensive performance?

no particular order, this is mostly based off of offensive production but is also who dominates the game when they are out there, not just someone who picks up a lot of points.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

1. Sidney Crosby

2. Alex Ovechkin

3. Daniel Alfredsson

4. Ilya Kovalchuck

5. Vinny Lecalvalier

6. Joe Thornton

7. Jarome Iginla

8. Henrik Zetterberg

9. Rick Nash

10. Danny Heatly

11. Evgeni Malkin

12. Marion Hossa

13. Martin St. Louis

14. Marion Gaborik

15. Pavel Datsyuk

16. Eric Staal

17. Ryan Getzlaf

Just missed: Marc Savard, Daniel Briere, BOBBERT!!!!

And while we're on best players - 17 best goaltenders in the game today

1. Roberto Luongo

2. Martin Brodeur

3. Miikka Kiprusoff

4. Henrik Lundqvist

5. Evgeni Nabokov

6. Dominik Hasek

7. Pascal Leclaire (If this season is what he's capable of on a s***ty team, he should be higher up on the list)

8. Ryan Miller

9. JS Giguere (Thanks in large part to that matress under his jersey)

10. Marty Turco

11. Tomas Vokoun

12. Ilya Bryzgalov

13. Nikolai Khabibulin

14. Marc Andre-Fleury

15. Tim Thomas

16. Cristobal Huet

17. Niklas Backstrom

Just missed - Rick DiPietro, Vesa Toskala, Mathieu Garon (He's been huge for the Oil this year), Manny Legace

Edited March 7, 2008 by Hockeytown0001

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

double post

Edited March 7, 2008 by Hockeytown0001

[bellarina 1]

There's only one answer for true fans:

There aren't 17 theres only 15.

Cleary

Downey

Datsyuk

Drake

Draper

Ellis

Fillpula

Franzen

Holmstrom

Hudler

Kopecky

Maltby

Samuelson

Zetterberg

McCarthy

[DenJ91 0]

1. Crosby (best all around player)

2. Ovechkin (could be one of the best goal scorers of all time when all is said and done)

3. Malkin (deserves mvp nomination)

4. Spezza (can do it all, such a great passer)

5. Zetterberg (smart player, makes few mistakes, can do it all)

6. Lecavalier (can take over the game, monster shot)

7. Gaborik (fastest player, can't be stopped at times, if it weren't for injuries the guy would be an mvp player)

8. Datsyuk (best playmaker, amazing wrist shot)

9. Kovalchuck (pure goalscorer, can do everything on a bad team)

10. Thornton (can't knock off the puck, top 3 passer)

11. Brad Richards (one of the best all around players, top 3 passer)

12. Alfredsson (solid at both ends of ice, great leader, can do it all)

13. Iginla (not a strong skater but has incredible accuracy on his wrist shots, puts the dirty ones in too)

14. Heatley (best and one of only power forwards left)

15. Hossa (great playmaker and pure scorer)

16. Sundin (just cause he's older doesn't mean he can't be on the list. he's always consistent, put big numbers up and is a force every shift)

17. Nash (selfish player, but can go through the whole team at times, cleans up garbage shots)

just missed the cut:

Savard (mostly known for his passing skills, but because so, teams have to know when he's on the ice)

Jokinen

Kovalev (great playmaker, power play specialist)

Jagr (have to mark him down every shift, still a great player)

Shanahan (lost a step, but a pure sniper)

Elias

St. louis

Afinogenov (yes i know he's had a bad year, he's had injuries throughout his career but when healthy he can dominate games with his speed and playmaking. one of the most creative players in my opinion which makes teams have to mark him when he's on the ice making him "dominating" which is the point of this thread)

Goalies:

1. Henrik Lundqvist

2. Roberto Luongo

3. Miikka Kiprusoff

4. Martin Brodeur

5. Evgeni Nabokov

6. Ryan Miller

7. Pascal Leclaire (doing so well on a terrible team)

8. Cristobal Huet (so solid, controls rebounds probably better than anyone)

9. Niklas Backstrom

10. Vesa Toskala

11. Marty Turco

12. Dominic Hasek

13. Tomas Vokoun

14. Ilya Bryzgalov (biggest reason for coyotes success)

15. Chris Osgood

16. Kari Lehtonen (injuries, plus he's on a really bad team imo)

17. Tim Thomas (has his ups and downs)

Edited March 7, 2008 by DenJ91

[T-Ruff 47]

No way St. Louis deserves to be on a top 17 list any more than Nash or Savard; or even any of the "Young Players" or some of the "Unlikely..." players too, in my opinion....

he is ridiculously overrated...

[awingsincebirth 0]

And while we're on best players - 17 best goaltenders in the game today

1. Roberto Luongo

2. Martin Brodeur

3. Miikka Kiprusoff

4. Henrik Lundqvist

5. Evgeni Nabokov

6. Dominik Hasek

7. Pascal Leclaire (If this season is what he's capable of on a s***ty team, he should be higher up on the list)

8. Ryan Miller

9. JS Giguere (Thanks in large part to that matress under his jersey)

10. Marty Turco

11. Tomas Vokoun

12. Ilya Bryzgalov

13. Nikolai Khabibulin

14. Marc Andre-Fleury

15. Tim Thomas

16. Cristobal Huet

17. Niklas Backstrom

Just missed - Manny Legace, Vesa Toskala, Mathieu Garon (He's been huge for the Oil this year)

Here's my top 15 goalies:

1. Luongo

2. Brodeur

3. Kiprusoff

4. Nabokov

5. Lundquist

6. Toskala

7. Turco

8. Miller

9. Hasek

10. Giguere

11. Leclaire

12. Bryzgalov

13. Huet

14. Thomas

15. Vokoun

Ya, that's right, I have Toskala in at number 6. I believe if this guy didn't have such a circus playing in front of him, this guy would be elite....a real TOP NOTCH GOALIE!

[redwinger4747 6]

feel free to make lists of anywhere from the 10-20 top players. I only went with 17 because that is what happened to be the number of players I would put in the absolute top tier. You don't have to stick to 17.

[ashenhigh 9]

There's only one answer for true fans:

There aren't 17 theres only 15.

Cleary

Downey

Datsyuk

Drake

Draper

Ellis

Fillpula

Franzen

Holmstrom

Hudler

Kopecky

Maltby

Samuelson

Zetterberg

McCarthy

Ellis is on the kings and its McCarty, not McCarthy.

[toby91_ca 620]

Ellis is on the kings and its McCarty, not McCarthy.

Hmmm, you'd think a "true fan" would know these things

[Gutierrez 7]

Goalies:

1. Henrik Lundqvist

2. Roberto Luongo

3. Miikka Kiprusoff

4. Martin Brodeur

5. Evgeni Nabokov

6. Ryan Miller

7. Pascal Leclaire (doing so well on a terrible team)

8. Cristobal Huet (so solid, controls rebounds probably better than anyone)

9. Niklas Backstrom

10. Vesa Toskala

11. Marty Turco

12. Dominic Hasek

13. Tomas Vokoun

14. Ilya Bryzgalov (biggest reason for coyotes success)

15. Chris Osgood

16. Kari Lehtonen (injuries, plus he's on a really bad team imo)

17. Tim Thomas (has his ups and downs)

How is Giguere not in the top 17? If Huet is good then why did he get traded, he should be lower imo.

[DenJ91 0]

How is Giguere not in the top 17? If Huet is good then why did he get traded, he should be lower imo.

cause i think giguere is waaaaay overrated but thanks for asking. huet is that good imo which is why he's where he is on my list. why was he traded?, who knows for sure. why was everyone perplexed why montreal would do that. could be cause price is their future and they also have halak (sp) which are both good goalies. maybe they were moving huet for cap space to make a move for hossa and failed. huet seemed like the odd one out if your riding price for the future. nough said. the capitals and fans are thrilled to have him.

[BeeRYCE 2]

1. Crosby

2. Ovechkin

3. Malkin

4. Kovalchuk

5. Heatley

6. Thornton

7. Lecavalier

8. Iginla

9. Zetterberg

10. Alfredsson

11. Spezza

12. Datsyuk

13. Gaborik

14. Hossa

15. St. Louis

16. Getzlaf

17. Nash

[Never_Retire_Steve 35]

1.Crosby

2.Ovechkin

3.Spezza

4.Thornton

5.Lecavalier

6.Iginla

7.Alfredsson

8.Zetterberg

9.Datsyuk

10.Malkin

11.Heatley

12.Kovalchuk

13.Gaborik

14.Kovalev

15.Statsny

16.Savard

17.Sundin

Here is my top 17, not based solely on offensive skills or this year but who I would say is the "best forward" for the year

[DenJ91 0]

1.Crosby

2.Ovechkin

3.Spezza

4.Thornton

5.Lecavalier

6.Iginla

7.Alfredsson

8.Zetterberg

9.Datsyuk

10.Malkin

11.Heatley

12.Kovalchuk

13.Gaborik

14.Kovalev

15.Statsny

16.Savard

17.Sundin

Here is my top 17, not based solely on offensive skills or this year but who I would say is the "best forward" for the year

if your going by this year, shouldn't malkin be top 3 then, i mean he's carried the pens while crosby has been out . but it's your list it can be whatever i'm just saying

[eva unit zero 271]

Since we started ranking goaltenders:

Brodeur

Leclaire

Luongo

Osgood

Bryzgalov

Thomas

Giguere

Vokoun

Miller

Biron

Huet

Garon

Backstrom

Legace

Turco

Nabokov

Hasek

And I'll even throw in some defensemen as a bonus:

Lidstrom

Zubov

Rafalski

Chara

Phaneuf

Redden

Kaberle

Markov

Gonchar

Campbell

Pronger

Kronwall

Corvo

Schneider

Aucoin

Meszaros

Keith

[dallas27 7]

Is that in any particular order Ev? Vancouver isn't anywhere near they are in the standing this year if it isn't for Luongo.

[eva unit zero 271]

Is that in any particular order Ev? Vancouver isn't anywhere near they are in the standing this year if it isn't for Luongo.

The same can easily be said of:

Brodeur/New Jersey

Leclaire/Columbus

Osgood/Detroit

Phoenix/Bryzgalov

Basically...my top five goalies all have had huge bearing on whether or not their teams would be where they are right now. So that isn't a deciding factor in who to rank above who at the top. It would be like saying "The Rocket Richard winner is the undisputed best goal scorer" in a year like 2002-03 when three players tied for the league lead.

Right now, Brodeur is the guy I give the Vezina to.

[dallas27 7]

The same can easily be said of:

Brodeur/New Jersey

Leclaire/Columbus

Osgood/Detroit

Phoenix/Bryzgalov

Basically...my top five goalies all have had huge bearing on whether or not their teams would be where they are right now. So that isn't a deciding factor in who to rank above who at the top. It would be like saying "The Rocket Richard winner is the undisputed best goal scorer" in a year like 2002-03 when three players tied for the league lead.

Right now, Brodeur is the guy I give the Vezina to.

Got ya. I'm just thinking that because Vancouver is in the last seed (as of now) and with what little goal support Luongo has I'd give the nod to Luongo. That's not saying the other ones have had huge goal support, other than Ozzie, but that is not discrediting Ozzie and what he has done for the Wings this year.

[eva unit zero 271]

Got ya. I'm just thinking that because Vancouver is in the last seed (as of now) and with what little goal support Luongo has I'd give the nod to Luongo. That's not saying the other ones have had huge goal support, other than Ozzie, but that is not discrediting Ozzie and what he has done for the Wings this year.

In terms of goals per game, only Osgood of my top five has received more than Luongo. Brodeur, Leclaire, and Bryzgalov have seen fewer goals scored by their teams than Bobby Lou has.

In relation to other elite goalies, Luongo's influence on his team's fortunes is really overblown. He's no more important to Vancouver than Brodeur is to New Jersey, or Leclaire to Columbus. Yet people act as if Luongo is the only goalie anywhere near that important to his team, and as such that it would be a huge injustice for anyone else to be recognized as the best goalie.