Talent Level in the NHL

[flexraid]

I admit I am a football guy. I coach football and think about football all the time, Im not a well rounded person. I am getting more and more into hockey. Ive always liked hockey but havent been able to get into it until the last two years.

My question is this. I am fully aware there is not a very high talent level in the NFL right now, and all but maybe 5-6 teams are totally unwatchable, and there are MAYBE 6 good QB\'s in the NFL, everyone else is average to below average.

If you follow baseball at all you know that there has been a decline in pitching in recent years for a number of reasons.

So my question is, what is the current talent level like in the NHL right now? Is it slow, is it fast? Are there a glut of goal scorers, are defensemen really advanced? Are we in a period with great goaltending? etc etc etc. What is the current state of NHL talent like?

Thanks

[jL67s]

I personally think the talent level is escelating. We are seeing quite a youth movement occur.

Players are cracking line-ups at 18 & 19 years of age now, and impacting their respective teams right out of the gate.

Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Johnathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Jordan Staal, Sam Gagner, Dion Phaneuf, so many more to name. They are all major contributors to their teams and have been right from their 1st seasons.

Since obstruction is now being called alot, defencemen have to rely more than ever on positioning, skating and active sticks to impede their oponents resulting in skill levels increasing.

Goaltenders are getting better all the time. I don\'t know all that much about the intricacies about the position, but watching games from the late 80\'s & 90\'s to now, positioning and technique are pretty much down to a science.

Getting tough on hooking and holding, removing the red line for long breakout passes, and the speed some of these guys have now, have definately sped the game up.

One thing that does take away speed from the game are the few teams that employ the trap system by just clogging up the neutral zone and waiting for their oponent to make a mistake. This makes for some pretty boring hockey to watch. Even worse is when two teams that play this same style face off against each other.

Kids destined to have a pro career in the NHL are now working out, in shape and focusing on skills begining from a very young age. Overall, I can only see the skill level increasing more and more as time goes on.

[Dobber]

The talent level is stretched thin in this league too. Each team boasts 1-4 elite players...with most teams having just one or two. When there was 21 teams, most teams had 3-4 elite guys.
Defensive defensemen are in abundance, however. Goaltenders are also strong and deep. It\'s the offensive forwards where the talent level is high only for a select few. Most superstars have nobody to play with.
B)

[lightning]

agreed with dobber on this one. however, i truly wonder how some of today\'s goalie\'s would perform if their equipment was downsized to those used in previous era\'s. i suspect that strictly positional goalies would be shell shocked. so, goalie talent is deep, but with the size of equipment i think this is partly illusory.

[lockedge]

I\'ll agree with jL67s here and say that the talent level is increasing. This is due in part to the fact that the NHL has moved away from the size>talent mindset in recent years.

Is it stretched thin right now? Yeah, there are a couple of leeches on the top lines on some teams, but those are still pretty good players for the most part. We\'re not looking at the Islanders and Oilers from the 80s, but then again I don\'t think anyone but islander or oilers fans wants that again...where a few select teams rule the league and all the other teams basically wait and hope they stumble upon a good draft pick. I know I don\'t. I think the NFL was like that too, with the 49ers, the bears and...the Steelers? My brother\'s always going on about those days.

[ultrawhiteness]

talent level definately increasing. more and more kids are getting into minor hockey programs, both in canada and in the states. remember when the russians use to be the ones with superior skills in international tournaments? not no more..

sure, goaltending is a science now, and the one part that no one seems to talk about is how far coaching has come. defensive positioning is a mandatory subject for players on all the best teams, something that will only spread until every player in the league is held accountable to it.

with expansion, sure the talent got spread a little thin among 30 teams. but the new kids being drafted now are slowly starting to change this.