My Top 10 Forwards In The Atlantic Division With Poll
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The Atlantic Division, while not the best division in terms of teams, has some very skilled players. Some of which I would consider top 10 in the entire league. A few of the decisions I made were tough in selecting the top 10 players in the division but I feel like these players are worthy of the title. Here we go:
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10. Milan Lucic
-What can’t Milan Lucic do? He scores, fights, hits, irritates the opposition… he’s everything you wan’t in a hockey player wrapped into one. Well…. maybe not everything.
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9. Bobby Ryan
-Ryan had a bit of a rough season this past year as he only put up 48 points in 70 games for the Senators. He may have an even tougher season now that Jason Spezza is no longer on the team. Why did he request a trade from Anaheim again? When he’s on his game he is hard to stop as he has the perfect blend of size and offensive skill.
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8. James van Reimsdyk
– van Reimsdyk is an unbelievable presence down low. He’s 6’3” and weighs 200 pounds and almost all of his 30 goals from the past season were deflections or great chances from right in front of the net. And at the young age of 25 we still haven’t seen him in his prime.
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7. David Krejci
– Krejci has elite passing abilities and is one of the leagues best play-makers. Last season he dished out 50 assists to go along with 19 goals. His offensive ability is underrated IMO.
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6. Henrik Zetterberg
– Zetterberg is another of the leagues great two-way players. He had a rough year last season with injuries as he missed 37 games but that still doesn’t take away from his great passing and defensive skills.
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5. Max Pacioretty
– Max is an absolute threat when he touches the puck. He has great speed for a 6’2”, 217 pound player and he possesses a wicked wrister that resulted in him scoring 39 times last season. With the Habs on the upswing I would expect bigger and better things from him next year.
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4. Patrice Bergeron
– Bergeron is an unbelievable player at both ends of the rink and IMO is one of the most underrated players in the league. He posted 62 points this season and was +38 in the +/- stat category. His great season resulted in him winning the Selke Trophy which is awarded to the forward who displays the most skill in the defensive aspect of the game.
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3. Phil Kessel
– Perhaps the best sniper in the division is Phil Kessel. He possesses unbelievable speed and agility to go along with his terrific shot. Last year he scored 37 times and added 43 assists for 80 points which was the most points scored by any player in the division.
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2. Pavel Datsyuk
– Maybe the most skilled player in the entire league is the Russian born Pavel Datsyuk. He owns some of the most slickest hands and is a magician with the puck. Don’t discount his defensive play either as he has won the Selke trophy three times.
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1. Steven Stamkos
– And you all probably saw this coming before you started flipping through the slides but is there really any other choice here? IMO, Stamkos is the second best goal-scorer in the league behind Alex Ovechkin and is one of the most electrifying players to watch in the game. He’s only 24 and has won the Rocket Richard Trophy for the leagues top goal-scorer twice. He’s the top player in the Atlantic Division.
Here are some players that just missed the cut: Tomas Plekanec, Brad Marchand, Ryan Callahan, Kyle Turris, Matt Moulsen, Jussi Jokinen.
What do you think of my rankings? Did I miss anyone? Let us know in the comments section as your input is appreciated. Thanks for reading and come back soon for the top 10 D-men in the Atlantic Division.