Currently Crosby and Stamkos are the only centers I would say are better than Giroux. Sequin is pretty damn close but I'd call it a wash between the two of them. Giroux has been more dominate in the faceoff circle this season as well, a result of his wrists finally being back to 100% I would say. I don't think he has yet to hit full stride this season yet either. We've all seen how much fun it is when Giroux shows Crosby how to hockey in the playoffs

I think Giroux could net you Subban - but that's a deal I wouldn't make. There's no way we could get Doughty for just Giroux.
- kcm57

Getzlaf, seguin, kopitar, toews are better.

Can argue krecji, sedin, Tavares, p Bergeron, Malkin, johannsen also

stamkos has really improved me with his overall growth. i think this postseason will be telling for him, to see whether he has really arrived or not as the total package.
- stayinthefnnet

I mean look at all the talent Stamkos has had around him his whole career.... Has yet to hit 100 pts....Giroux is also out scoring/pacing him so far again. Stamkos is not the complete package.... maybe one day but I doubt it. To me he is like Brett Hull which is nothing to balk at.....

Getzlaf, seguin, kopitar, toews are better.

Can argue krecji, sedin, Tavares, p Bergeron also
- Just5

Have you been sniffing glue?

Getzlaf, seguin, kopitar, toews are better.

Can argue krecji, sedin, Tavares, p Bergeron also
- Just5

i was a huge believer in JT going into this year as being ahead of giroux. however, as of now, Giroux is clearly ahead of him for me.

Love bergeron, but i just think giroux's ability to put up points places him over him as well.

it take him over krejci and sedin as well. Seguin's rise has been meteoric. if youre a believer in his long term sustainability, then yeah id take seguin. Kopitar and toews are the best two way guys in the league to me, so id agree with them there as well. Getzlaf is pretty even to me.

I mean look at all the talent Stamkos has had around him his whole career.... Has yet to hit 100 pts....Giroux is also out scoring/pacing him so far again. Stamkos is not the complete package.... maybe one day but I doubt it. To me he is like Brett Hull which is nothing to balk at.....
- GOA88

how you currently view stamkos is how i pretty much viewed him before this year. he isnt all the way there yet in his total development, but i do think he has made strides to become more well rounded. he is always going to be more of a shooter than a passer, making it harder for him to get to a higher point total than an assist driven guy.

i know he had marty before, but to me the lightning are just now starting to take the overall leap as a team.

I wouldnt even make that deal. Flyers would have no offense.....

For me its real close between Stamkos and Giroux. Stamkos is a great goal scorer and skater but in literally everything else, Giroux is better. Giroux is also a proven playoff performer.
- GOA88

I think it's tough to say we would have zero offense without Giroux. It certainly wouldn't be as potent, but there's still Simmonds and Voracek leading the offense. B Schenn could very well continue to improve along with the recent return of Read and Coots to the offensive zone. We've also proven that we're perfectly capable of drafting impact centers, we have yet to see if we can develop our own Dmen.

Could you imagine Doughty, Sanheim, Morin, Ghost, Hagg, and Streit/Amac/Coburn as our top 6 in a couple years (assuming all of the prospects pan out)? I think that wins you a cup even if we don't score 3 goals a game.

There are days I would agree that Giroux is better than Stamkos though. Let's hope tonight is one of them

i was a huge believer in JT going into this year as being ahead of giroux. however, as of now, Giroux is clearly ahead of him for me.

Love bergeron, but i just think giroux's ability to put up points places him over him as well.

it take him over krejci and sedin as well. Seguin's rise has been meteoric. if youre a believer in his long term sustainability, then yeah id take seguin. Kopitar and toews are the best two way guys in the league to me, so id agree with them there as well. Getzlaf is pretty even to me.
- stayinthefnnet

If Seguin continues to develop like this. Yeah I would say Seguin is it. Giroux is obviously superior to Toews and Kopitar on offense but they are both superior on defense so.... pretty good argument. The rest.... yeah dont think so.

Getzlaf, seguin, kopitar, toews are better.

Can argue krecji, sedin, Tavares, p Bergeron also
- Just5

#myopinion

Getz - no.. he's a better overall power forward, but not the better center in regards to scoring.

Sequin - has yet to prove himself over multiple years. G has established himself year in and year out. Once Sequin does the same for a few years, then I'll count him as good, if not better than Giroux.

Kopitar - again, maybe a better all around forward, and better on D, but not the better scoring center.

Toews - that, I can agree on. Good all around center..

Krecji - no

Sedin - In his prime, yes.. not anymore. I think his best days are behind him..

Tavares - Hard to say.. I think he COULD be on par with being at, or above G.

Bergeron - Good at faceoffs and a solid power forward, but the scoring isn't there...


Again, just my personal opinions... but I still say G is definitely top 5..

#myopinion

Getz - no.. he's a better overall power forward, but not the better center in regards to scoring.

Sequin - has yet to prove himself over multiple years. G has established himself year in and year out. Once Sequin does the same for a few years, then I'll count him as good, if not better than Giroux.

Kopitar - again, maybe a better all around forward, but not the better scoring center.

Toews - that, I can agree on.

Krecji - no

Sedin - In his prime, yes.. not anymore. I think his best days are behind him..

Tavares - Hard to say.. I think he COULD be on par with being at, or above G.

Bergeron - Good at faceoffs and a solid power forward, but the scoring isn't there...


Again, just my personal opinions... but I still say G is top 5..
- WarriorHockey21

My problem with the Tavares talk is.... he is consistantly under a ppg player and he is not some great defensive center or faceoff guy and he is a minus player on a 20 win team at this point, so.... unless he can even sniff Giroux numbers that argument is not even valid.

Vegas listed them with the worst odds in baseball to win the World Series
- PhillySportsGuy

Sounds about right

Getzlaf, seguin, kopitar, toews are better.

Can argue krecji, sedin, Tavares, p Bergeron, Malkin, johannsen also
- Just5

I'm not a fan of Getzlaf so I can't really comment there. Seguin is a better goal scorer but isn't nearly the playmaker Giroux is in my opinion. The only argument for Kopitar and Toews are their recent team success. If you replace either one of those players with Giroux though, do you really think LA and Chicago lose those stanley cups? Definitely not.

Krecji? No. Sedin? Maybe four years ago. Tavares? He's looked worse this year on a much improved Islanders team. Bergeron? You could make the argument. Malkin? Let's see how many points Giroux puts up against second defensive pairings and on a PP unit with Crosby. Johannsen I haven't seen play very much.

My problem with the Tavares talk is.... he is consistantly under a ppg player and he is not some great defensive center or faceoff guy and he is a minus player on a 20 win team at this point, so.... unless he even can sniff Giroux numbers that argument is not even valid.
- GOA88

That's why I threw in the big "could"... I still think the dude has tremendous talent in him... he's shown glimpses over the years, he just isn't consistent at it. Idk if the islanders ruined him or what.. lol

But as it stands now, sure.. G blows him out of the water.. hands down..

That's why I threw in the big "could"... I still think the dude has tremendous talent in him... he's shown glimpses over the years, he just isn't consistent at it. Idk if the islanders ruined him or what.. lol

But as it stands now, sure.. G blows him out of the water.. hands down..
- WarriorHockey21

Well it seems we have come to a general consensus that Giroux is absolutely top 5 and probably even top 3.

I'm not a fan of Getzlaf so I can't really comment there. Seguin is a better goal scorer but isn't nearly the playmaker Giroux is in my opinion. The only argument for Kopitar and Toews are their recent team success. If you replace either one of those players with Giroux though, do you really think LA and Chicago lose those stanley cups? Definitely not.

Krecji? No. Sedin? Maybe four years ago. Tavares? He's looked worse this year on a much improved Islanders team. Bergeron? You could make the argument. Malkin? Let's see how many points Giroux puts up against second defensive pairings and on a PP unit with Crosby. Johannsen I haven't seen play very much.
- kcm57

as for the malkin argument, malkin without crosby is usually just as good, if not better. and like crosby, other than some time with neal, he really hasnt had much help in the line of wingers at even strength throughout his career. certainly nothing close to voracek.

Well it seems we have come to a general consensus that Giroux is absolutely top 5 and probably even top 3.
- GOA88

Without a doubt... at least on our end..

as for the malkin argument, malkin without crosby is usually just as good, if not better. and like crosby, other than some time with neal, he really hasnt had much help in the line of wingers at even strength throughout his career. certainly nothing close to voracek.
- stayinthefnnet

All valid points. I think if you swap G and Malkin though you would easily see Giroux putting up 120 points year to year facing lesser competition behind Crosby. Giroux/Voracek have also been saddled on a terrible defensive team compared to the Penguins. You can't score when your defense can't clear the zone.

Without a doubt... at least on our end..
- WarriorHockey21

There's no bias here right?

All valid points. I think if you swap G and Malkin though you would easily see Giroux putting up 120 points year to year facing lesser competition behind Crosby. Giroux/Voracek have also been saddled on a terribly defensive team compared to the Penguins. You can't score when your defense can't clear the zone.
- kcm57

honestly, from a purely offensive standpoint, i think i would take malkin if you give them similar planes of operation to work from.

giroux gets the edge from me in a lot of the smaller attributes, that admittedly add up.

giroux is one of the best faceoff guys in the league. malkin, one of the worst. while giroux isnt toews, he provides more consistent adequate effort in his own end. he is also much less prone to stupid or irrational penalties. he is also a more durable player.

How dominant? Here's a look at the Flyers' all-time point-per-game leaders among players who played 100 or more games as a Flyer:

1. Eric Lindros 1.36
2. Peter Forsberg 1.15
3. Tim Kerr 1.08
4. Brian Propp 1.07
5. Bobby Clarke 1.06
- bmeltzer

man, this makes me feel DOUBLE sad.

One, that Forsberg wasn't a Flyer for his entire career ... and two, considering how gaudy Lindros' PPG was, that the Big E couldn't have had an injury-free (or turmoil-free) Flyers career.

honestly, from a purely offensive standpoint, i think i would take malkin if you give them similar planes of operation to work from.

giroux gets the edge from me in a lot of the smaller attributes, that admittedly add up.

giroux is one of the best faceoff guys in the league. malkin, one of the worst. while giroux isnt toews, he provides more consistent adequate effort in his own end. he is also much less prone to stupid or irrational penalties. he is also a more durable player.
- stayinthefnnet

Any clue as to why Geno is so bad on draws?

honestly, from a purely offensive standpoint, i think i would take malkin if you give them similar planes of operation to work from.

giroux gets the edge from me in a lot of the smaller attributes, that admittedly add up.

giroux is one of the best faceoff guys in the league. malkin, one of the worst. while giroux isnt toews, he provides more consistent adequate effort in his own end. he is also much less prone to stupid or irrational penalties. he is also a more durable player.
- stayinthefnnet

Major homer glasses on both sides in play

I feel like Giroux is also prone to playing with a chip on his shoulder due to his slightly smaller size. I think we all know the look he gets when he's about to just go and win a game.

I've never liked Malkin, but I can't deny how good he is. Brought me so much joy seeing Coots play against him in '11-'12.

There's no bias here right?
- kcm57

Honestly, I try to look at things objectively.. I hate when people constantly wear their team colored glasses and can't see anything else. Every team says they have the best player in the league. But the fact of the matter is, I truly believe Giroux is a top 5 forward in the league, let alone center. He's proven over multiple years now that he's a solid playmaker, and fancy scorer. I think it's hard to debate him not being up there, unless you straight up don't like him... which is some people's arguments from other teams.

But I try to give credit where credit is due... I would truly rather have Toews on my team if it came right down to it... He and Kopitar both have solid defense... and Getzlaf is a winner, no doubt... but I still think G deserves that top 5 spot, being as unbiased as I can possibly be..

Getzlaf, seguin, kopitar, toews are better.

Can argue krecji, sedin, Tavares, p Bergeron, Malkin, johannsen also
- Just5

I'd take Kopitar over G. JT is really close. Johansen, too.

The rest... meh. Toews is overrated, IMO.

Any clue as to why Geno is so bad on draws?
- Tomahawk

zero idea.

he is definitely a weird player mentally.

he used to be god awful at shootouts too.

If Seguin continues to develop like this. Yeah I would say Seguin is it. Giroux is obviously superior to Toews and Kopitar on offense but they are both superior on defense so.... pretty good argument. The rest.... yeah dont think so.
- GOA88

I honestly would say Giroux has improved a lot this year in terms of his defensive play. Giroux has 34 pts and is a +9 on a mediocre Philly team while Toews has 25 pts and is a +7 and Kopitar has 13 pts and is a -4 (I understand there's been injuries), both on stellar puck possesion/defensive driven teams.

I don't think either of them come close to G this year.