Shocked no one has voted McDonald, hes easily our most dangerous offensive threat when hes healthy.
Went Backes, I think hes a better offensive player than Steen.
If he was one of healthier or a better hitter he'd be right up there for me, hands down our best point producer and literally makes the team better just being in the line up.
Backes and Steen are awful close, but my gut gives the draw to Backes. Oshie is 1/10th of a step behind those two though, but his play as of late has me reconsidering that view point.
EDIT: And just to clarify, I'm saying that Oshie has been so good as of late that he's basically right there on their level.
I voted Backes, but this is so close. I think we could be the only team in the league that does not have a clear-cut best forward on the roster, and I think it's a fantastic problem to have.
I think that Backes is the best all-around forward that we have.
However I voted for McDonald because he is a true forward in every sense of what you want in a forward. Backes' defensive game and power are a great bonus but just looking at a forwards forward... gotta be McDonald. Offensively he rarely makes a mistake and he is one of the few players on the Blues that I can honestly say I can't remember when they played a bad game.
p.s. Thank you Stealth JD for saying you can take the question however you decide to translate it because obviously "whos the best forward?" is a pretty vague question.
I voted Backes, but this is so close. I think we could be the only team in the league that does not have a clear-cut best forward on the roster, and I think it's a fantastic problem to have.
Sobotka seems so little....and feisty. I guess that he's harder to push around because he's not as small as I imagine.
McDonald gets really underrated by Blues fans. Every time he's in our lineup he's our top point producing forward. We're really missing him right now, even though we're having success.
Of course, I didn't vote for him... picked Perron. :p
McDonald gets really underrated by Blues fans. Every time he's in our lineup he's our top point producing forward. We're really missing him right now, even though we're having success.
Of course, I didn't vote for him... picked Perron. :p
If you completely omit this year so far, over the past two seasons, he has scored at a 64 point pace if he remained completely healthy. Backes at 56, Oshie at 54, and Steen at 57. Sorry, seven to ten points just does not make up for the large gap in two-way play. McDonald is a great player, and I think the Blues do miss him, mostly because of how he gives their attack a different look. But he does not score at a pace that's so much greater that it matters. And that's pretending he's healthy. I don't think that's underrating at all.
There is something noteworthy about McDonald, though, and I think that on some other teams, with different linemates, we'd see his offense inflate a lot. There are probably insanely good linemate matches for the other guys elsewhere in the league, but for the most part, I don't think we'd see any of Oshie, Backes, or Steen's point totals grow like McDonald's might in another situation.
Maybe that's an argument in favor of McDonald in this poll, but I vote based on performance with the Blues, not theoretical play on another team.
I went all around potential, so I believe it's Oshie. I have also noticed Oshie is laying on the ice quite often this year, I believe it's because he 's not always in complete control and has nothing to do with his balance. I believe this won't be and issue as time goes on.
Perron is easily our most skilled and it's not close either. Backes may be the best all around, but Perron is by far the most skilled and best offensive player on the team.
i honestly thought stewart and berglund were gonna have a breakout year, but i don't know what happend. Backes is definitely the player who plays the hardest day in and day out. He deserved that new contract.
Man, I'm really really in love with your entire forward corps. It doesn't have much star-power, but it covers every single important forward category well and completely and the excellent bottom six makes up for any scoring deficiency in the top-6. I love to watch the Blues because every line has the ability to be an offensive threat. Just a couple good LHD away from being a contender IMHO.
I say Backes just based on his all around play, he's certainly not the most skilled player on the team. Love his heart. He's the kind of teammate that a teammate loves to have.
Purely on skill, I'd have to give it to Perron. What a joy to watch with the puck, so calm and confident.
Man, I'm really really in love with your entire forward corps. It doesn't have much star-power, but it covers every single important forward category well and completely and the excellent bottom six makes up for any scoring deficiency in the top-6. I love to watch the Blues because every line has the ability to be an offensive threat. Just a couple good LHD away from being a contender IMHO.
Maybe just one LHD. I think Ian Cole can fill the second pairing LHD for the future. But for now, I don't think it's a liability at all, especially the way Elliot and Halak are playing. Just wait until Tarasenko and Schwartz get here and add even more talent to the top 9. They are elite prospects. Tarasenko could step in and be our best player next year. He's that good. And Oshie, Perron, Berglund, Shatty, Petro, Cole will all be another year's worth of experience older. Bright future for sure.
Maybe just one LHD. I think Ian Cole can fill the second pairing LHD for the future. But for now, I don't think it's a liability at all, especially the way Elliot and Halak are playing. Just wait until Tarasenko and Schwartz get here and add even more talent to the top 9. They are elite prospects. Tarasenko could step in and be our best player next year. He's that good. And Oshie, Perron, Berglund, Shatty, Petro, Cole will all be another year's worth of experience older. Bright future for sure.
Of course you would say that, your his agent...
I think that is optimistic. I think it far more likely that he will take some time to adjust to the NHL and finish developing.
Have to go with Backes, Steen and Oshie are not far behind. If Oshie was as big as Backes he would be the most difficult player to play against in the league hands down.
I went Perron based on talent alone, but I feel as though Stewart could all of a sudden get back on track and dominate.
I just don't see it with Stewart. I doubt he will ever be even a 30 goal scorer because of his lack of effort and him being so inconsistant. He can't carry Backes' or Oshie's jock as a player.
I just don't see it with Stewart. I doubt he will ever be even a 30 goal scorer because of his lack of effort and him being so inconsistant. He can't carry Backes' or Oshie's jock as a player.
Maybe it really is a lack of effort, but that's not what I see. I see a lack of focus which is exacerbated by a lack of confidence. That doesn't mean he is a stupid player or that he cannot ever focus, but that it seems like he is prone to disappearing. Not because he's floating or cherrypicking, but because he'll move his feet and get to the right places on one play, but not get the puck, and then next shift he has the puck, but he tries something too fancy. That's not a lack of effort so much as a lack of intensity, if you will. As I said before, a lack of focus.
It honestly kind of reminds me of Tkachuk. Some games he would be unreal, carrying guys on his back every shift, making something out of nothing, and you could see how badly he wanted a goal; other games, he'd get caught flat footed and every pass to him would bounce off his stick. Not because he was lazy, but because of his head.
The difference at this point seems to be that Tkachuk was a much nastier player and Stewart has a nicer shot. As a result, it's easier for Stewart to get caught trying to make things happen from a distance; whereas, if he got involved, like Tkachuk did, he'd get his confidence back and he'd have more luck. Also, Tkachuk pretty much always had the benefit of playing with a good playmaker, and Stewart has not had that opportunity as frequently with the Blues.
I agree that as an overall package, Stewart doesn't bring what Oshie, Backes, and Steen bring. But if he starts to click with Perron or possibly Sobotka, I think we'll see more than frustrating flashes.
Perron has the most offensive skill/talent, but Backes is still best overall. Oshie, Steen (overall game) and Perron are just behind. Berglund and Stewart have a way to go to get there, especially in overall game.
