I think Geno is the better Overall Player in terms of Hockey IQ, skater, skater w/ puck, passer, Defensive player (when he wants too, lol) ....
BUT Ovi is a much better scorer bc Ovi is the best scorer ever IMO.

Agreed but nobody fills that half better than Ovi, hes getting older yes but nothing like that shot on clutch games his experience gives him the edge

Lol damn your gonna have a hangover tomorrow

Oh he's a great player. But Ovi is a 700 goal scorer, and still not slowing down much. He scored 48 this season, shortened.

Thanks bud. I couldn't agree more. The fact that Ovi is the best ever(debatable) at something gives him the edge for me.

Just looking at his scoring rates from this season and was surprised at what I found: he's still an elite scorer at 5v5 but NOT top in the league on the PP. If you ran a poll here I bet most people would have said it was the other way round.

5v4 scoring rates among 122 forwards with at least 140 minutes this season (basically every team's 1st unit):

1.94 G/60 - 49th best (#1 was Zibanejad at 4.63)
2.33 P/60 - 116th best (#1 was McDavid at 10.15)

5v5 scoring rates among 185 forwards with at least 780 minutes this season (basically every team's top-6):

1.65 G/60 - 2nd best (#1 was Kubalik at 1.70)
2.27 P/60 - 37th best (#1 was Malkin at 3.43)

Interesting that Ovechkin scored basically the same number of points per hour at 5v5 as at 5v4, and his goal scoring was barely better. So much for the fabled "Ovi spot"...

just means hes getting more versatile which is a good thing cause its unpredictable, still won the Rocket Richard (tied) for the most goals in the NHL a pure goal scorer cant always rely on the same tricks, cause they get countered and shut down, they gotta continuously adjust (something Laine learnt the hard way)

Probably just a naturally occurring anomaly. His 5v5 G/60 tied a career high, while his 5v4 G/60 was the lowest in 9 years. I wouldn't put money on either being a trend.

Crosby, I don't know how anyone could ever say otherwise.

Hell it doesn't even have to be based on skill or production or anything else. He'd simply out work the other 3. The whole rest of that list has been called something Crosby has never been called. LAZY.

Ask yourself this question.
If you dropped OV in the penguins system how would his play be.
then reverse it.
If you dropped Malkin in the Caps system how would his play be.

OV has better production. But Malkin is clearly a more skilled versatile player. No one build a whole system to work around Malkin. There has never been a need to.
Props to the Caps organization though for a commitment to get the most out of their player.
OV will break the record because of the system he's in and his role in it just as much as his skill set. Malkin got where he got based on his skill set. Playing multiple different systems and still producing.

I’m not going to argue that Crosby is really good. Also doesn’t hurt having Malkin backing you up. Like I said you can’t go wrong with any of these players. Ovechkin maybe lazy but he also has 9 rockets. Each player adds a lot and shouldnt have accomplishments diminished for any reason. Crosby also has been injuried a lot hard to be a franchise player if you don’t play. lucky for him and Pittsburgh malkin is also generational. Let’s not play this game and just appreciate the greatness of all these players

Geno is better but Ovi will be remembered more when he beats the record

Definitely agree that in 30 years, no one will care about Malkin, but Ovi will still be well loved because he either broke Gretzky’s record or came very close.

i think its also important to state that in the last 15 years Malkin has been better than 99% of the league. people on this site like to pretend Malkin is a 2nd rate hockey player. you could argue that Malkin was better than Crosby at times.... i hate when people make it seem like being compared to malkin is an insult. the guy is a FREAK. on that note OVECHKIN might be the most loved player in the league. with age his popularity grew.

Personally, I’d go with Ovie but it’s very close. I think in terms skill with the puck, they’re equal. Both have excellent hands & can undress the best defenders. Skating, I’d give the edge to Ovie. In his prime his acceleration was unreal yet it often goes under the radar. Both have good agility & balance, but for me Ovie’s speed edges it. Both players are physically intimidating to play against, but Ovie seems to use his body more often, especially on the forecheck. Malkin has better playmaking & vision, but Ovie has the better shot. Neither players are known for their defensive play but based on the numbers malkin is slightly better. You could have a case for either player, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that Ovechkin was MVP 3 times & has 8 goal scoring titles.

9 scoring titles now. yeah i agree both are amazing players. i like Ovechkin for scoring and durability. Malkin is great but Ovechkin is an all time great. i value goals over 2nd assist.

You’re one of the few people outside of Pens fans who acknowledges Geno as one of the top players of this generation. Most people don’t even put in their top 10 list. They’re nuts!

OVI > Malkin
>

people on this site aren't exactly the brightest. Malkin is elite. easily a top 5 center in todays NHL

Malkin at his peak might be the best player in the world, dude just takes over games. His only problem is that he's inconsistent.