Think of this team without Gaborik, until a few days ago we did not have someone that could replace his ability to score goals and would leave a huge hole in the lineup. Now try the same exercise without McD, while he was an anchor for out blueline, we still have (a fully healthy and camp-ready) Staal and Girardi to lean on. Can McD be the best player on our team? Certainly, but at this point in time I don't think he adds a different dimension to our team like Gaborik does.
Think of this team without Gaborik, until a few days ago we did not have someone that could replace his ability to score goals and would leave a huge hole in the lineup. Now try the same exercise without McD, while he was an anchor for out blueline, we still have (a fully healthy and camp-ready) Staal and Girardi to lean on. Can McD be the best player on our team? Certainly, but at this point in time I don't think he adds a different dimension to our team like Gaborik does.
Most Important and Best are two different teams. Gaborik is huge for the offense, but there is no doubt in my mind, McDonagh has become this teams best all around skater.
Think of this team without Gaborik, until a few days ago we did not have someone that could replace his ability to score goals and would leave a huge hole in the lineup. Now try the same exercise without McD, while he was an anchor for out blueline, we still have (a fully healthy and camp-ready) Staal and Girardi to lean on. Can McD be the best player on our team? Certainly, but at this point in time I don't think he adds a different dimension to our team like Gaborik does.
I don't really like this argument. Yes you can make an argument for Gaborik being more important for scoring, but that doesn't make him the better overall player. It's like the Pens; Letang might be more important and they're more than fine without Crosby (50 win+ team), but Crosby is obviously still their best player.
For his age McDonagh is a monster. Keeping in mind that d-men usually take a year or two longer in terms of development he's way ahead of the curve. The thing that puts him quite possibly ahead of Staal is the offensive side of his game which took a real leap last year. IMO Staal and McD are about equal defensively but I think Ryan and the Rangers (even in college he was more a stay at home) are just at the point of realizing there's are more facets of his game to explore.
An example--Sergei Zubov was a stay at home guy as well before signing with the Rangers. On his Russian team that was his job and in the Olympics paired with Malakhov he was the guy that stayed back. Really it was only after he became a Ranger that that side of his game was explored. McD has a bit in common with him which is not to say that that I expect 60-70 point seasons out of Ryan but I think he's capable of getting up to 45-50.
With all due respect to the people saying McDonagh..
ARE YOU SERIOUS?
McDonagh is young, and already a beast..but...stop..just stop.
Rick Nash is the best player on this team, AINEC. Put him on a good team surrounded by good players and you're about to see why he was drafted #1 overall.
Go look at some of his highlight videos on youtube. He scores goals and pulls out moves Gabby couldn't dream of.
people are saying Marc Staal? Like...what? Did I misunderstand the question?
I think I'm gonna go find my 2002 Rick Nash Atomic RC card.
Last edited by KreiMeARiver: 07-25-2012 at 07:59 PM.
With all due respect to the people saying McDonagh..
ARE YOU SERIOUS?
McDonagh is young, and already a beast..but...stop..just stop.
Rick Nash is the best player on this team, AINEC. Put him on a good team surrounded by good players and you're about to see why he was drafted #1 overall.
Go look at some of his highlight videos on youtube. He scores goals and pulls out moves Gabby couldn't dream of.
people are saying Marc Staal? Like...what? Did I misunderstand the question?
I think I'm gonna go find my 2002 Rick Nash Atomic RC card.
i love nash and now we finally have a 1st overall on our team...but i honestly do not know how nash will fit here. i believe he will be fine and i honestly believe he is the perfect winger for richie. he is by far the most skilled "player" (excluding goalies) on the team. McD is the best skater, defender, and saved our ***** at times this season. theyre close
my opinion on what i guess would be the tiers these players are in (more space=larger drop off in talent):
Went with Gaborik. Until Nash and Richards both prove they can fulfill their potential in NY its gotta be Gabby. McD is 1b, once the offense comes id take him over gabby.
With all due respect to the people saying McDonagh..
ARE YOU SERIOUS?
McDonagh is young, and already a beast..but...stop..just stop.
Rick Nash is the best player on this team, AINEC. Put him on a good team surrounded by good players and you're about to see why he was drafted #1 overall.
Go look at some of his highlight videos on youtube. He scores goals and pulls out moves Gabby couldn't dream of.
people are saying Marc Staal? Like...what? Did I misunderstand the question?
I think I'm gonna go find my 2002 Rick Nash Atomic RC card.
A 30 goal winger isn't more valuable than a center or defenseman. Not better than a 30 minutes a night, lights out, shut down man-child. He's not better than a center putting up the same points that's clutch when it counts.
If it's Nash with the "AINEC" tag, he shouldn't need the "good team surrounded by good players" caveat. I'm happy we got Nash but I'm not anointing him until he does what he's supposed to do now that he has the cast. There's more to the game than Youtube goals.
And with regards to Staal, yes, you did misunderstand the question.
I'd love to say Nash and jump on the koolaid train, but I want to see him play Torts system before we call him the best right now. I have huge hopes though.
I would say it is a tie between McD and Girardi. I was at every home game this year and it would go back and forth between the two of them, both made a handful of mistakes I remember, but both always played great and gave me confidence.
People saying Staal must have forgotten what he played like most of the year. "Get off the ice !" was a common shout I remember hearing all year. He did improve greatly at the end but not enough to top the #1 D pair.
Yes, me and 90% of the posters are wrong. Nash is nothing special until he performs. He's elite but he needs all these pieces surrounding him... ooookay. Nash is that guy in Columbus. He hasn't been oppressed for 9 years. He's talented, but he's not our best player.
And Nash isn't the only guy on the poll. Gabby and no McD? No Callahan? I don't know, maybe that's a start in a talent poll, but BEST player? No, way off.
People saying Staal must have forgotten what he played like most of the year. "Get off the ice !" was a common shout I remember hearing all year. He did improve greatly at the end but not enough to top the #1 D pair.
Or they have memories longer than 6 months. The guy in the post season, that's Staal. The one you are slighting was the guy without a camp, who got to skate what, 3 weeks before his first game. A guy who didn't play a game of hockey with a clear head for 10 months.
It's ok to tag Nash as the best because of what he might do with decent players, but Staal can't be the best player because of his burdens that he overcame eventually.
It's ok to tag Nash as the best because of what he might do with decent players, but Staal can't be the best player because of his burdens that he overcame eventually.
I don't think Staal completely overcame just yet. I am hoping the long rest will be enough to bring him back to his full potential, but the way he played at the end of the season, although good, wasn't enough to label him better than McD/Girardi in my eyes.
Also, I never tagged Nash as a possible best. Just commenting on all the people that are.
Gaborik is too inconsistent. Nash is an unknown. Richards was also too inconsistent. Kreider is a rookie. Staal makes too many boneheaded mistakes. McDonough makes roughly as many as Staal does.
Girardi rarely ever has an off game. He is a rock. I trust him completely when he's on the ice. I can't say I have the level of trust for any other player than I do for Girardi.
