Penguins are a two man offense. If you think Sykora and Satan are top end forwards, you are sadly mistaken. They are products of having two of the top players in the world on their team.
My vote goes to the Sharks. Not only are they stacked at forward, but they have guys like Blake, Boyle, Vlasic, and Erhoff moving it from the back end.
As a Flyers fan, I'd have to say they have one of the best groups of forwards in the league, but besides Timonen theres a huge gaping hole in terms of back end production.
Bruins deserve more love here, especially if you start talking upside because most of our key players (minus Savard and Ryder) are young and promise to play better in 2 years than they're playing right now.. Ahh well, there's time.
crosby + malkin = 90 ... more than half of your 12 best players added together, thats probably why montreal isnt in this poll
Yea but the problem is that the Habs are underachieving at the moment.
The PP is 27th in the league, Kovy has not score in 18 games, Latendresse and S Kost are dangerously underperforming, Higgins has been injured twice, Plekanec is not even the shadow of the player he was last year, A Kost had a major slump of at least 15 games after his concussion.
It amazing how many problems the Habs had. And now Koivu is injured too.
I think that the Habs can still be a offensive powerhouse but as we speak, they are not.
The main two reasons why the Habs have the third best record in the east is our defensive unit (minus O'Byrne) and Carey Price who has been amazing so far this year.
Pens are still a team of two players. If even one of them misses an extended period of time, I guarantee their GF gets cut in half. That is not the making of the most offensive team in the league.
Sharks are basically still being driven by Thornton (just ask Devin "The new Cheechoo" Setoguchi).
Wings are have more even scoring, but they still have their "haves" (ie. Hossa, Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Holmstrom and Franzen) and their terrible "havenots" (ie. Filpulla, Hudler, Cleary, Maltby, etc).
Caps have Ovechkin and an overachieving Semin.
My guesses are going to be off the board, mainly being in terms of scoring by committee.
You pick a team that is 14th out of 15 teams in the conferance in goals scored as the 4th scariest offence? They don't have a single player in double digets for goals scored. They aren't in the top 20 let alone the top 5.
Pens are still a team of two players. If even one of them misses an extended period of time, I guarantee their GF gets cut in half. That is not the making of the most offensive team in the league.
Sharks are basically still being driven by Thornton (just ask Devin "The new Cheechoo" Setoguchi).
Wings are have more even scoring, but they still have their "haves" (ie. Hossa, Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Holmstrom and Franzen) and their terrible "havenots" (ie. Filpulla, Hudler, Cleary, Maltby, etc).
Caps have Ovechkin and an overachieving Semin.
My guesses are going to be off the board, mainly being in terms of scoring by committee.
Sharks leaders 08-09
Thornton- 32 points (on pace for 93)
Marleau-31 points (on pace for 90)
Setoguchi-31 points (on pace for 90)
Boyle-24 points (on pace for for 72)
Clowe-23 points (on pace for 68)
Pavelski-23 points (on pace for 68)
Blake-21 points (on pace for 61)
Michalek-18 point (on pace for 52)
Vlasic-18 points (on pace for 52)
Ehrhoff-16 points (on pace for 46)
Grier-11 (on pace for 35)
Cheechoo-8 (on pace for 34-but will likely go on his mid season tear)
Goc-5 (on pace for 20)
Top 4 D expected total=231 (should go down)
Top 9 F expected total=550 (granted this will almost certainly go down)
Top 4 D total=106 (including ~40 from Campbell while on Buffalo)
Top 9 forward=368
So Thornton is on pace to have less points, the Sharks D looks to be increasing their points by over 100. And the forwards are magically getting nearly 200 more points off the back of Thornton, even though his points are going down?
Get a clue. It amazes me when people say things when they really have no idea. Do some research or even better, watch a game.
To be fair these totals are likely to go down, but by what, 10%? Even so the Sharks will put up at least an extra 200 points over last years team.
As a side note, Setoguchi has been excellent. Are his totals inflated by playing with the teams two best forwards, and guys who are top 3 (or top 15 in Marleau's case) at there positions? Absolutely, but to think he is leeching off Thornton is ridiculous. I would say Marleau has been in on more of Setoguchi's points than Thornton has.
I voted for the Wings, but I'm not sure why the Pens are being bashed for being a "two man team" on offense.
Firstly, if those two can tear teams apart on separate lines by making their linemates better - which they obviously can - what does it matter?
Second, how many other teams have a 3rd line center with production like Staal, or when healthy, a defense corps that can boast productive blueliners like Gonchar, Whitney, Letang, and Goligoski?
Depth at forward is important, but so are elite, game-breaking superstars, formidable 3rd line centers, and an uncommonly mobile and gifted set of offensive defensemen.
Please.... its the Wings.
They've absolutely sucked by their standards and apparently forgot to play D. Yet they're still second in the NHL, and they're just stacked with players who not only produce numbers now, but have been for more than a little while, not least in the playoffs.
We haven't even seen what the Wings can do yet this season. I still have them as a goal tending meltdown away from a repeat cup.
Pens are still a team of two players. If even one of them misses an extended period of time, I guarantee their GF gets cut in half. That is not the making of the most offensive team in the league.
Sharks are basically still being driven by Thornton (just ask Devin "The new Cheechoo" Setoguchi).
Wings are have more even scoring, but they still have their "haves" (ie. Hossa, Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Holmstrom and Franzen) and their terrible "havenots" (ie. Filpulla, Hudler, Cleary, Maltby, etc).
Caps have Ovechkin and an overachieving Semin.
My guesses are going to be off the board, mainly being in terms of scoring by committee.
This is perhaps the worst list that I've seen in any thread, by any poster.
To you, the Oilers have a better offense than the Sharks, Pens, Caps, Blackhawks and Red Wings. I seriously hope that this was some lame attempt at humor.
Yea the second I clicked on this I expected to see the Flyers as one of the options and I wouldve voted for them right away. Not because Im a homer, but because not only do they produce on even strength and the PP, but they are equally as dangerous on the PK.
