Best player in the NHL(currently)

[Spectre32]

If i had to attach a name with the best player int he NHL i would be forced to pick my buddy from across the great state of PA.... #21 Peter Forsberg


Anyone else wish challange my belief?

[Rodja]

If i had to attach a name with the best player int he NHL i would be forced to pick my buddy from across the great state of PA.... #21 Peter Forsberg


Anyone else wish challange my belief?

Regardless of where he plays currently, Foppa will always be an AV...but I cannot pick him as the best player in the NHL today. He has not had a healthy season since 02-03 and the injury risk is way too high. The best player in the NHL right now is(again) Jaromir Jagr. He finally found his spark again and he is dominating the ice. In 3 years the great debate will be Crosby, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, or Malkin.

[Spectre32]

While this is all true, I think Jagar is only excelling b/c of the new NHL style of play. No one can hook him like in the olden days. Forsberg, is still kciking strong, reguardless of the new/old rules.

[Sunder]

While this is all true, I think Jagar is only excelling b/c of the new NHL style of play. No one can hook him like in the olden days. Forsberg, is still kciking strong, reguardless of the new/old rules.

Not sure I understand what you mean here. Do you mean that Jagr is only the best because people aren't able to get away with stopping him illegally like they may have in the past? I think that if the only way to slow a guy down is having to resort to illegal moves, then that guy is pretty darn good.

As for the old/new rules, I'm not so sure Forsberg was necessarily better than Jagr before or after. I haven't checked the stats, but I don't ever remember Forsberg getting more points than him in any season.

As for who's the best this year - nobody stands out to me. Either the best have gotten worse, or the worst have gotten better. If I *had* to pick someone, I'd actually lean towards Ovechkin, but wouldn't argue against Jagr.

[Spectre32]

Not sure I understand what you mean here. Do you mean that Jagr is only the best because people aren't able to get away with stopping him illegally like they may have in the past? I think that if the only way to slow a guy down is having to resort to illegal moves, then that guy is pretty darn good.

As for the old/new rules, I'm not so sure Forsberg was necessarily better than Jagr before or after. I haven't checked the stats, but I don't ever remember Forsberg getting more points than him in any season.

As for who's the best this year - nobody stands out to me. Either the best have gotten worse, or the worst have gotten better. If I *had* to pick someone, I'd actually lean towards Ovechkin, but wouldn't argue against Jagr.

I'm just talking about the strickeness of the new rules, I mean before you could perform some "illegal" moves more frequently, but b/c of the crack down, its taken it to the other extreme. I guess i hate jagar too b/c i'm from Pittsburgh

[Rodja]

Not sure I understand what you mean here. Do you mean that Jagr is only the best because people aren't able to get away with stopping him illegally like they may have in the past? I think that if the only way to slow a guy down is having to resort to illegal moves, then that guy is pretty darn good.

As for the old/new rules, I'm not so sure Forsberg was necessarily better than Jagr before or after. I haven't checked the stats, but I don't ever remember Forsberg getting more points than him in any season.

As for who's the best this year - nobody stands out to me. Either the best have gotten worse, or the worst have gotten better. If I *had* to pick someone, I'd actually lean towards Ovechkin, but wouldn't argue against Jagr.

Forsberg had more points in 02-03 when he won the Ross and Hart Trophies.

[LuckyBoy]

if peter could stay healthy for an entire season he would run away with the scoring title every time. he may never win the richard trophy for most goals but he is by far the best set up man in the nhl. and i agree, when he goes into the hall of fame he better do it as an av. jagr has always been an extremely talented forward but has always benefitted from the talent around him. from being on a line with lemieux and francis in pitt to all his czech linemates in ny. from his days in washington i get the impression that his numbers wouldnt be as significant as they are now if he didnt play with such studs. not taking anything away from his talent tho. and i kno someone will chime in with the talent that surrounded peter with the avs and his linemates in philly but remember he was the 2nd line center on the avs.

[Spectre32]

Does he have an option to go intot eh HoF as a Av?

[Rodja]

Does he have an option to go intot eh HoF as a Av?

Yes; any player elected into the HoF has an option of which sweater to wear.

[Mulletsoldier]

Combination of speed, skill, and grit I put Jarome Iginla hands down..Granted he is having an off year, however this will be his fifth consecutive 30 goal season, and the past three he either took, or shared the league lead in goals. Another point, is barring once again, this years Olympics Iginla brings it in the clutch, I can't say the same for Jagr, or Forseberg

[Rodja]

Combination of speed, skill, and grit I put Jarome Iginla hands down..Granted he is having an off year, however this will be his fifth consecutive 30 goal season, and the past three he either took, or shared the league lead in goals. Another point, is barring once again, this years Olympics Iginla brings it in the clutch, I can't say the same for Jagr, or Forseberg

Forsberg not a clutch player...have you looked at his post-season stats. Some years he leads postseason scoring without even reaching the Stanley Cup Finals. Also, do the 1994 Winter Olympics mean anything...Forsberg won the gold for Sweden(they even made a stamp of an overhead caption of the goal).

Also, Iginla seems to alternate great and average seasons. I don't think he has ever had two awesome back-to-back seasons.

[Mulletsoldier]

Peter Forsberg has had more points in the playoffs then Iginla on two occasions, and never a better +/- ...Secondly, lets remember playing on a line with Milan Hejduk, Joe Sakic, Theoren Fluery (when he was good), or some of the other players Forsberg has played makes it alot easier to score thirty goals or one hundred points. It is alot easier to set up Joe Sakic then it is Daymond Langkow, or Chris Drury. It is also alot easier to score when there are three or four legitimate scoring options on the ice as was the case with virtually every Avalanche team he played on. Name one player who is as talented as any of three aformentioned that has played on a line with Jarome Iginla, barring the one year Fleury and Iginla were in Calgary. Forsberg isn't gonna fight when a spark is needed, he isn't going to grind it out. He is going to come down with a stomach virus and leave you dry in the playoffs

[LuckyBoy]

ok, youre officially nuts. forsberg is one of the most physical forwards in the game. have you ever seen him in the corner with the puck? HE hits the defenseman!! you mentioned drury in reference to someone that wasnt clutch when he has been nothing but clutch his entire career, especially with the avs and he is now the captain of the sabres. joe sakic and peter only played on the same line during desperate scoring times and power plays. the biggest majority of forsberg's avs career was played on the same line with the likes of valeri kamensky, claude lemiuex, adam deadmarsh etc it seemed like he was out there with superstars bcuz peter makes everybody on the ice with him that much better. iginla is a great player but nowhere near the caliber of forsberg. you mentioned the olympics where i dont remember iginla doing much of anything, or team canada for that matter. where as sweden struggled in its early games without peter and ended up winning gold with him. dont remember how many points he had but they were up there. i think you may be a little bitter from all the years that peter took it to the flames j/k

[Mulletsoldier]

forsberg is one of the most physical forwards in the game. have you ever seen him in the corner with the puck? HE hits the defenseman!! you mentioned drury in reference to someone that wasnt clutch when he has been nothing but clutch his entire career, especially with the avs and he is now the captain of the sabres. joe sakic and peter only played on the same line during desperate scoring times and power plays. the biggest majority of forsberg's avs career was played on the same line with the likes of valeri kamensky, claude lemiuex, adam deadmarsh etc it seemed like he was out there with superstars bcuz peter makes everybody on the ice with him that much better. iginla is a great player but nowhere near the caliber of forsberg. you mentioned the olympics where i dont remember iginla doing much of anything, or team canada for that matter. where as sweden struggled in its early games without peter and ended up winning gold with him. dont remember how many points he had but they were up there. i think you may be a little bitter from all the years that peter took it to the flames j/k

1)Never said he WASN'T PHYSICAL I said he IS NOT going to start a fight when the time is needed to spark his team.
2)Are you nuts?You seriously are going to argue that any player Iginla has played with has compared to some of the players that Forsberg has been paired with?You need to check your lines dude. And let's muse that for most of his career he was paired with Valeri Kamensky, having the previous line being Sakic/Hejduk/Tanguay, or a similiar combination is going to make it alot easier to score.
3)I never said Drury wasn't clutch, I was talking about his consistent offensive output being nowhere near that of Forsberg's previous linemates
4)I actually mentioned how Iginla didn't produce in the Olympics, citing that as one of the times he did not play well...But, if you remember 2002 and Canada winning the gold, Iginla was a huge part of that.
5)You seriously, seriously, cannot tell me you think it is just as easy to put up numbers on perennially offensively challenged, defense minded Calgary teams as it is on the star-studded teams of the Avs, pre-CBA.

[LuckyBoy]

well you said he wasnt going to grind it out also so thats why i said what i did. he does throw a big hit when the team needs it tho which can be on the same level as a fight. im not attacking iginla in any way, i was cheering as hard as anybody for him in 2002 with canada since sakic is my hero and they were on the same line. drury was actually one of the better linemates peter had on the 2nd line. he had pretty good numbers from what i remember. and systems do have a lot to do with offensive output, like i said im not downplaying iginla's achievements but i just dont consider him to be on the same level as forsberg. most teams would match their number one d men against foppa's line even tho he was a 2nd line center in colorado. that tells you the respect he commands around the league. like i was saying before tho, he made everybody around him look like an allstar. i dont think deadmarsh or claude wouldve had the offensive numbers they did without peter centering the two. the avs have always had amazing talent up front. peter didnt always play with the best they had and thats where a lot of people get confused.

[Mulletsoldier]

I see what you are saying, Forsberg can be a dominant force in the league, but if you ever happen to check out a Flames game, watch the D as Iginla comes into zone, they start checking him tight at the point, and completely disregard his linemates. Cause like I said he never really gets the chance to play with an offensively-gifted line-mate. But all this being said I am glad they play that way, you may beat Calgary on a given night, but they are meant to beat you in a seven game series..

[outlawtas]

dunno whos the best, but theres lots of new potential

[Rodja]

I see what you are saying, Forsberg can be a dominant force in the league, but if you ever happen to check out a Flames game, watch the D as Iginla comes into zone, they start checking him tight at the point, and completely disregard his linemates. Cause like I said he never really gets the chance to play with an offensively-gifted line-mate. But all this being said I am glad they play that way, you may beat Calgary on a given night, but they are meant to beat you in a seven game series..

Here are just a few of the players that Forsberg has made great: Chris Drury, Steven Reinprecht, Adam Deadmarsh, Ville Nieminen, Valeri Kamensky. When he played w/ Hejduk, Milan lead the league in goals. Very seldom does Forsberg play w/ the best linemates in Colorado or Philly. Besides, if he was just an average player, then he would not be 4th in all-time assists per game. Bottom Line-Iginla is one of the best power forwards of his era, Forsber is one of the best players of all-time.

[Dwight Schrute]

Agree with that. I don't even think its a close comparison when looking over the last 10+ years.

[Mulletsoldier]

Here are just a few of the players that Forsberg has made great: Chris Drury, Steven Reinprecht, Adam Deadmarsh, Ville Nieminen, Valeri Kamensky. When he played w/ Hejduk, Milan lead the league in goals. Very seldom does Forsberg play w/ the best linemates in Colorado or Philly. Besides, if he was just an average player, then he would not be 4th in all-time assists per game. Bottom Line-Iginla is one of the best power forwards of his era, Forsber is one of the best players of all-time.

Yeah, true that..But the thread is the best player in the NHL right now..Not who was better