Is Connor McDavid truly a generational talent?

[mister_mcgoo]

This is the second WJC tourney we've seen him in now so most folks have seen enough of his game to start making some projections I figure...

How good will he be? Is he a true generational talent and elite scoring star like Crosby or something less than that?

Personally, I don't quite see it...not yet anyway, I think he'll be VERY good but not great. He reminds me more of Tavares than he does Crosby. Not saying that's not still a great asset to own, I just that I feel the hype on him will lead to many GMs overvaluing him as a 120-140 pt C instead of the more likely 80-100 pts. He's got great wheels and great hands and skill to burn but he doesn't drive the net like Crosby does (unless he has a clear path to it) and he's not as strong on the puck either, there were several times in the tourney when the defender was able to knock him off the puck....he's a peripheral player who likes to float around the outside much more looking for a hole, he operates well in space but struggles in traffic or when he has to win physical battles. Now to flip the coin over for a moment this could be in large part because of his age (he's 17 for another 10 days), he is 6'1 so as he fills out and adds upper and lower body strength his game may change and become more well-rounded. Also a point to consider is that he broke his hand back in early November so it was not a lot of time for him to heal and get into the tourney so his play may have also reflected him being careful with the hand.

What were your impressions of McDavid this year?

[Axeman33]

It's hard for me to answer as I have only seen him play on TV and not in person. I would love to get Brendan Ross' opinion on this topic as he has seen him play numerous times live and in person.

If we believe the "hype" then he certainly has the pedigree to be a generational talent but it's hard to just throw that term out there. How many around here the past year has called MacKinnon a "generational talent"? Plenty.

I reserve my judgement on that term for McDavid until I either see more of him or he proves it to me in the NHL. Until then, he's just another possible 1st overall pick with tremendous upside.

[Mr. Guru]

If you are just judging McDavid off both WJC you are making a crucial mistake.

Generational talent? For sure. But I can't see him posting 120-140 points. He reminds me of a better MacKinnon. I wouldn't say he's on Crosby's level either. Not yet anyway.

[JagrBomb]

no one is going to be as good as Crosby this generation. when our grandkids are watching hockey there will most likely be one, but at this point Crosby is just on another level. he has insane skill and insane work ethic, which is hard to find in players.

I haven't watched mcdavid enough but I'm going to put him in the same tier as mackinnon/Tavares.

edit: to clarify, 100 point upside. could possibly get 105, 110 if the stars align. but 120+ is malkin, 130+ is Crosby.

[VintageVibe]

I think he will fall somewhere in between Geno and Sid.

His speed and IQ are on par with Geno. His shot is arguably better than Sid's. But it's his speed for me that separates him from Tavares and IQ that separates him from MacKinnon.

[Pengwin7]

I don't think I've seen McDavid enough to put a point projection on him.

I do have faith in professional scouting & most main-stream hockey media.
If they are calling him "The Next One" with the likes of Lindros, Crosby, and Tavares... then I'm buying on him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Next_One

If a league started a brand-new Dynasty keeper draft... a great question would be Crosby or McDavid.
Hmmm...
That'd be a tough choice.

[mister_mcgoo]

If you are just judging McDavid off both WJC you are making a crucial mistake.

You're not making any sense at all. Who said I was just judging him based off that? I'm not. My point was that many people don't get to see him in action outside of the WJC so that's their only exposure to him. Since I'm trying to be inclusive with my question and get feedback from all this seemed an opportune time to ask the question.

Besides which though, even if your comment made sense, how is the WJC not an excellent measuring stick for this? The WJC pits him against the best players in the world all the way up to 20 yr olds and players who currently play in the NHL...basically as close to him playing in the NHL as we are able to see at this point in his career.

[blayze]

I haven't watched enough of him to really be able to give a qualified assessment, but what I saw at the WJC didn't exactly blow me away. Having said that, it's a very small sample size, and I also think it's unfair to compare him to Crosby today (unless you're comparing him to the 18 yr old Crosby, in which case I sincerely applaud the vividness of your memory).

I will say that I believe the days of 120+ points are over, and 100+ will soon be the new "120".

[Big Ev]

Wasn't Spezza a Next One as well?

[havanablast21]

Wasn't Spezza a Next One as well?

Don't remember this kind of hype for Spezza.

[Excelsior]

I think he will fall somewhere in between Geno and Sid.

His speed and IQ are on par with Geno. His shot is arguably better than Sid's. But it's his speed for me that separates him from Tavares and IQ that separates him from MacKinnon.

Like most I have never seen him play live, but I think this will be his upside ( between Geno and Sid ). VintageVibe gave a pretty good comparison of his talents compared to some of today's best. Does that equate to "generational" talent, if I had to bet I'd say no.

[2014olympicgold]

His tight turns really remind me of Duchene actually, except McDavid is more creative with his. His 0-top speed is MacKinnon like, I can’t comment on his shot, his passing is good, his vision is up there, his balance is incomparable, but his weight needs to get up a bit (but that’s with everyone). I don’t think anyone can comment on him being the next one yet. His junior career says so, but so did many others. It’ll be his guidance on a team that would push him from good to great. Hard to expect 102pts from a rookie like what Crosby did. Cool fact, Crosby’s most penalized yr was his rookie yr with 110PIMs.

[Mr. Guru]

You're not making any sense at all. Who said I was just judging him based off that? I'm not. My point was that many people don't get to see him in action outside of the WJC so that's their only exposure to him. Since I'm trying to be inclusive with my question and get feedback from all this seemed an opportune time to ask the question.

Besides which though, even if your comment made sense, how is the WJC not an excellent measuring stick for this? The WJC pits him against the best players in the world all the way up to 20 yr olds and players who currently play in the NHL...basically as close to him playing in the NHL as we are able to see at this point in his career.

because its just one tourny.....meh

[Big Ev]

Don't remember this kind of hype for Spezza.

he played OHL at 15 and WJC at 16 like McDavid

[Axeman33]

he played OHL at 15 and WJC at 16 like McDavid

Are you sure about that? I thought you had to be granted "exceptional status" to play in the CHL at 15 years old, and there have only been three people so far that has been granted that (Tavares, McDavid and Ekblad). Wait, Sean Day too. Four people.