SAN JOSE, Calif. —- Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals. What else is new? Nikita Kucherov leads the league in both assists and points.
However, neither player's name came up often when I asked a few of this year's All-Stars who they thought is the best player in the league. Not surprisingly, the two players whose names did come up were Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby.
A compelling argument could be made for either, though Crosby might have furthered his credentials Saturday night by recording four goals and four assists to lead the Metropolitan Division to an All-Star Game victory at the SAP Center, where he won the Conn Smythe and the Stanley Cup three years ago.
Does that mean that the 31-year-old Crosby is still the best?
“I’m happy to be in the conversation still,” the captain was saying after the game with a laugh. “As long as I’m in the conversation, it must mean I'm doing something right.”
This scene is worth seeing, too. Listen for the question:
Fueled by leafy greens, lean protein... and humble pie. pic.twitter.com/j64pBp0quf
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 27, 2019
Anyway, a few players weighed in on the debate over the weekend, and here is what they said:
SEBASTIAN AHO, Hurricanes right winger
“I don't know. Good question. There’s many players. McDavid, Crosby, Kucherov, Patrick Kane, all those guys. I don’t know who's the best but they are all great players.”
CLAUDE GIROUX, Flyers center
“I don't know. Hard to choose … Connor McDavid. Just the way he skates faster than anyone else. His hands kind of follow his feet. He makes a lot of plays that not a lot of guys can make.”
SETH JONES, Blue Jackets defenseman
“McDavid's obviously been a great player. Kucherov with the points he's putting up right now, we haven't seen that in a long time. Crosby, obviously, can't go wrong. I see him a lot just being in my division. Crosby is a guy who plays on both sides of the puck every night. When he gets an opportunity offensively, he's either going to put it in or put it on his teammates’ stick. He's tough to play against.”
RYAN O’REILLY, Blues center
“There's so many good players. I think it's Sid or McDavid. Both of those guys. It’s tough to pick one. With McDavid's speed, the way he gets the puck and every guy on the ice and everyone in the building is like, ‘Uh-oh, what's he going to do?' Sid's a guy that every play is a level above. He just finds a way to always impact the game, a little thing here or there. The way he handles the puck, the way he's above and beyond everyone else. It's tough to play against.”
KYLE PALMIERI, Devils right winger
“I think Connor McDavid. He’s one of the most dynamic players, and you see the things he does well and how fast and what speed he does it at, it’s pretty incredible to watch him and play against him. I hope we'll see that for years to come.”
ELIAS PETTERSSON, Canucks center
“McDavid. The things he does, especially with the speed he has, the way he skates ... It’s just fun to see.”
