I've never seen so much ignorance spewed in one article. You've really out done yourself James.

I'd put RNH in the lower #1C to good 2C category... There are a lot of good centers in the league...

These are the teams where he would probably be a #3C imo

Penguins (Crosby, Malkin)
Stars (Seguin, Spezza) better than spezza
Flyers (Giroux, Couturier) - better than SC
Capitals (Kuznetsov, Backstrom) better all round game than both
Lightning (Stamkos, Johnson) better than johnson. Maybe better than SS going forward.
Kings (Kopitar, Carter) better than carter by a lot
Sharks (Thornton, Couture) fair but joe has 1 or 3 years left
Bruins (Bergeron, Krejci) better all round than DC
Ducks (Getzlaf, Kesler) - Debatable not debatable hes way better than kesler. Better than getzlaf soon if not already.
Sabres (Eichel, O'Reilly) better than both
Avalanche (MacKinnon, Duchene) probably a better all round game than MD

I see him playing as either #1C or #2C on all of the other teams though...
- laughs2907

Ask the leafs how that worked in the 90's.
- wreckage

You mean with their 4 appearances in the final fourin ten years?

Edits
- James_Tanner

We'll have to agree to disagree on most of those...

Yakupov for Barrie
- laughs2907

Suck it up, Buttercup! Tanner is the man!
- laughs2907

My response to this would surely result in a timeout, so just answer the question. What did you (frank)ers do?

what the boombaclot

My response to this would surely result in a timeout, so just answer the question. What did you (frank)ers do?
- leonkennedy

A JB and Jero gone wild video?

You mean with their 4 appearances in the final fourin ten years?
- James_Tanner

I'm sorry, I thought the objective was to win the Stanley Cup. But if it's just to make it to the conference final...

I'd put RNH in the lower #1C to good 2C category... There are a lot of good centers in the league...

These are the teams where he would probably be a #3C imo

Penguins (Crosby, Malkin)
Stars (Seguin, Spezza)
Flyers (Giroux, Couturier) - Debatable
Capitals (Kuznetsov, Backstrom)
Lightning (Stamkos, Johnson)
Kings (Kopitar, Carter)
Sharks (Thornton, Couture)
Bruins (Bergeron, Krejci)
Ducks (Getzlaf, Kesler) - Debatable
Sabres (Eichel, O'Reilly)
Avalanche (MacKinnon, Duchene)

I see him playing as either #1C or #2C on all of the other teams though...
- laughs2907

The problem with assessing him or arguing against Oilers' fans opinions is that he contributed all those points on a very bad overall team. I believe there was a 5 year period (up to the year before was traded) where Phil Kessel had the 3rd most points in the NHL. Yet no one would ever suggest that he was a top 3 player in the league.

Before you can honestly assess RNH, I think we would need to see him perform on a team that was committed to, and successful in, playing complete 2 way game.

There is no doubt he is talented, and I think he stood out at the WCH, but he still has a lot to prove.

- Ihatebrianburke

Yakupov for Barrie clearly benefts both teams. I am surprised it hasn't happened.

I expect to see it appear on an Ek blog shortly as an E2

Yakupov for Barrie clearly benefts both teams. I am surprised it hasn't happened.

I expect to see it appear on an Ek blog shortly as an E2
- Aetherial

He is clearly the next Pavel Bure just as he was billed before the draft. We need to be compensated accordingly

I'm sorry, I thought the objective was to win the Stanley Cup. But if it's just to make it to the conference final...
- wreckage

Then the Buffalo Bills would be the greatest football team of all time.

He is clearly the next Pavel Bure just as he was billed before the draft. We need to be compensated accordingly
- Ihatebrianburke

He looked like he would be with Freddy Kruger at the helm. Too bad he got fired so quick so an awful coach could ruin his career. Your current coach is not much better. I still really like Yak. And agree they shouldnt trade him.

I'm going to pistol whip you for posting this and trying to make a narrative of MacK vs Nuge. Nuge is fine but lets not pretend hes something hes not
- DDM-Coga

I'm helping RNH with MacKinnon's cache in the league. Not a lot statistically separating 18-19-20 YO RNH and Mackinnon

He looked like he would be with Freddy Kruger at the helm. Too bad he got fired so quick so an awful coach could ruin his career. Your current coach is not much better. I still really like Yak. And agree they shouldnt trade him.
- FLflames34

That was a horrible move getting rid of Kruger. I liked him. He did have Yak going. Good motivational guy. I wanted to keep Todd Nelson as well. McLellan is pretty good. Has a lot of respect around the league.

My response to this would surely result in a timeout, so just answer the question. What did you (frank)ers do?
- leonkennedy

Haha I don't even know... I went away for a few hours and learned that it had been locked up after... No idea.

The problem with assessing him or arguing against Oilers' fans opinions is that he contributed all those points on a very bad overall team. I believe there was a 5 year period (up to the year before was traded) where Phil Kessel had the 3rd most points in the NHL. Yet no one would ever suggest that he was a top 3 player in the league.

Before you can honestly assess RNH, I think we would need to see him perform on a team that was committed to, and successful in, playing complete 2 way game.

There is no doubt he is talented, and I think he stood out at the WCH, but he still has a lot to prove.
- Aetherial

Yup yup... Very true sir... Very true.

He is clearly the next Pavel Bure just as he was billed before the draft. We need to be compensated accordingly
- Ihatebrianburke

Do you think Barrie is enough of a return?

Priceless
- Flamin_Irishmin

It's like talking to a ten year old.

I don't know if it will be possible for McDavid to be the highest paid player in NHL history. The max is 20% of the cap per season in the season the deal is signed, about $14.3M for this season, multiply that by 8 and you get $116.8M. Ovechkin's contract is for $124M. The cap isn't going to go up much in the next 2 years, but if they use the escalator and the cap would've otherwise stayed steady it would be just enough. It would be ~$126M contract.

But it's moot, no one is getting a max contract. A team would have to be braindead, ok maybe with Chiarelli it's possible, to give a single guy 20% of the cap. Stamkos likely could've gotten ~$12M as a UFA had he left Tampa, but no one was even talking about a max deal, at least those that knew what the max was. McDavid will also have no leverage for another 6 years.

I might be late on this, but I don't feel like reading all the comments.

p.s. Who's going to play goalie on this fictional team in the interim 2 years, or are you just going to get like 6 goalies and hope one of them gets hot at the end of the year and stays hot throughout the playoffs? And what happens when McDavid gets his 20%? Do you really think Lindholm and Trouba will sign for 2 years?

Then the Buffalo Bills would be the greatest football team of all time.
- Ihatebrianburke

First of all... the Bills made it to the Super Bowl, not just the AFC championship, 4 times in a row. I have nothing else.

First of all... the Bills made it to the Super Bowl, not just the AFC championship, 4 times in a row. I have nothing else.
- Wetbandit1

Scott Norwood

I don't know if it will be possible for McDavid to be the highest paid player in NHL history. The max is 20% of the cap per season in the season the deal is signed, about $14.3M for this season, multiply that by 8 and you get $116.8M. Ovechkin's contract is for $124M. The cap isn't going to go up much in the next 2 years, but if they use the escalator and the cap would've otherwise stayed steady it would be just enough. It would be ~$126M contract.

But it's moot, no one is getting a max contract. A team would have to be braindead, ok maybe with Chiarelli it's possible, to give a single guy 20% of the cap. Stamkos likely could've gotten ~$12M as a UFA had he left Tampa, but no one was even talking about a max deal, at least those that knew what the max was. McDavid will also have no leverage for another 6 years.

I might be late on this, but I don't feel like reading all the comments.

p.s. Who's going to play goalie on this fictional team in the interim 2 years, or are you just going to get like 6 goalies and hope one of them gets hot at the end of the year and stays hot throughout the playoffs? And what happens when McDavid gets his 20%? Do you really think Lindholm and Trouba will sign for 2 years?
- Wetbandit1

I told Tanner he skipped over the goalie part earlier. He obviously thinks Talbot is the next Grant Fuhr by declining to respond.

Do you think Barrie is enough of a return?
- laughs2907

It's a lowball offer but I feel we should take it. Then Yak can blossom under the new Eakins in Colorado.