Which team has the best top-six forward group in the NHL[1]? That's not an easy question to answer. Do you look at the six most productive scoring forwards regardless of what line they play on, or do you note how many minutes they suit up for? Does power-play time count, or do we just look at five-on-five play? So many questions. The way we approached the answer was to break down each team's top two lines at full strength, as determined by LeftWingLock[2], with a few judgement calls along the way. Included are the total goals scored by the six players, which in the cases of those who are new to their teams as of the trade deadline also include what they'd done previously. But this isn't a straight ranking of the total goals. In some cases, the numbers may be skewed by injuries. In others, new additions subjectively strengthen the group. Star power is not more important than balance, which is why the Anaheim Ducks are absent from this list. Interestingly enough, if this were a look at top-nine forward groups, they might rank at the top. Click ahead to read one writer's take on the best top-six forward groups in the NHL. The players: Carl Hagelin, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel; Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby, Patric Hornqvist. Total goals: 111 Summary: When it comes to star power, the Pittsburgh Penguins have arguably the best top three in Crosby, Malkin and Kessel. But the chemistry hasn't been there consistently this season, and the result is a fight for a wild-card position the team didn't expect coming into the year. That said, the top six is still worthy of mention here thanks to the collection of top-caliber players who, when healthy, can take over a game. Hornqvist, Hagelin and Kunitz aren't bad as complementary players, either. Kunitz has always been at his best with Crosby, and Hornqvist scored 25 goals in his first year with the Pens last season. Hagelin has .62 points per game[4] since joining the team midseason. The players: Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikkel Boedker; Jarome Iginla, Matt Duchene, Mikhail Grigorenko. Total goals: 104 Summary: The goal total is not where you might expect a collection as talented as this one to sit this late in the season, but you can't argue with the raw skills of the Colorado Avalanche's group. Future Hall of Famer Iginla is going to finish with at least 20 goals for the 17th time in his career. The speedy Duchene is going to crack 30 for the first time and has some competition for fastest skater thanks to the addition of former Arizona Coyotes winger Boedker. MacKinnon is flirting with a second 60-point NHL season in three years and is just 20 years old. And Grigorenko, who arrived from the Buffalo Sabres as part of a package for Ryan O'Reilly last summer, has overcome some inconsistencies to get his shot in the top six despite averaging under 13 minutes per game so far and seeing some time as a healthy scratch. At 21, he's a nice weak link to have because of his tremendous upside. His points-per-60-minute total (1.70) is third on the team[5], according to Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com. The players: Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov; Alex Killorn, Steven Stamkos, Ryan Callahan. Total goals: 100 Summary: Things haven't gone perfectly for defending Eastern Conference champs the Tampa Bay Lightning this season, but they've overcome injuries to some of their top players to reunite The Triplets (Palat, Johnson and Kucherov) and have enjoyed some strong periods from the second unit to remind the hockey world just how talented their top six is. The Lightning may lose Stamkos at the end of the year, but until that happens, this team has elite and emerging talent capable of competing with any of the top groups. The players: Tomas Hertl, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton; Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Joel Ward. Total goals: 105 Summary: The San Jose Sharks are likely going to finish this season with five 20-goal scorers. That would have been six if not for Logan Couture's injury troubles. But Couture is back and further rounds out an older but phenomenal group that features two players—Pavelski and Thornton—flirting with point-per-game seasons. Marleau may have seen better days, but he's capable of getting hot. Hertl is an extremely gifted scorer who is second on the team in goals per 60 minutes (.87), according to Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com, landing in the league's top 60 in that category. The players: Patrick Maroon, Leon Draisaitl, Taylor Hall; Nail Yakupov, Connor McDavid, Jordan Eberle. Total goals: 84 Summary: Five of these guys were first-round picks. Three of them were drafted first overall. A fourth was taken in the top three. Yet the Edmonton Oilers might be adding another first overall pick in 2016 thanks to another disappointing season. It's almost impossible to understand why this group isn't better statistically, but the organization is making changes to add size and grit to the extreme skill. The big-bodied former Anaheim Ducks winger Maroon has meshed well with his new linemates since a trade brought him to the Oilers in February. He has four points in four games with this group. McDavid is a generational player who would have padded these totals much higher if not for his time lost to injury earlier in the season. Eberle has benefited greatly from the presence of a healthy McDavid. Only Maroon is over the age of 25, so barring a big trade that shakes up the core, these guys have time to grow together. Notably absent is center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins—another first overall pick—who may be stuck in a third-line role because of the respective emergences of McDavid and Draisaitl. GM Peter Chiarelli might want to deal Nugent-Hopkins for help on defense in the offseason. The players: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Patrick Sharp; Valeri Nichushkin, Mattias Janmark, Jason Spezza. Total goals: 127 Summary: If this were a slideshow ranking the NHL's top line, the Dallas Stars might have been No. 1 thanks to the stellar star power and balance provided by Benn, Seguin and Sharp—who are all equally as likely to snipe a goal as they are to draw an assist on any given play. The second trio has been in flux, but youngsters Nichushkin and Janmark are exceptionally talented and have found some chemistry with the veteran Spezza to provide ample secondary scoring for the Stars. The players: Lee Stempniak, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand; Matt Beleskey, David Krejci, Loui Eriksson. Total goals: 130 Summary: The Boston Bruins didn't mess around at the trade deadline. Not only did they hang onto pending UFA Eriksson despite their inability to sign him to an extension, they added a rental in Lee Stempniak from the New Jersey Devils. This group has a great deal of size, grit and defensive awareness to go with the considerably underrated offensive skills of top centers Bergeron and Krejci. They aren't blazing fast, but the hockey intelligence as a group more than makes up for that. Stempniak has a goal and six points since joining the Bruins amid what is going to be a career year[8] for him. Beleskey is challenged by youngsters such as Ryan Spooner, Brett Connolly and David Pastrnak—who have all taken spins on the top lines this season—but gets the nod because of his recent play on the second line. The players: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie; Marcus Johansson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Justin Williams. Total goals: 133 Summary: Ovechkin and Backstrom have formed one of the NHL's most dynamic duos for years this term, and the Washington Capitals made a massive effort to offer more support to their superstars. The additions of T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams via the trade and free-agent markets respectively has given the Caps the boost needed to become the early playoff favorite in the Eastern Conference. The amount of pure offensive skill these guys boast as a group is hard to believe, and Kuznetsov's rapid rise to stardom is one of the league's most incredible stories. Either line could be considered a top trio for most clubs. The players: Patrick Kane, Artem Anisimov, Artemi Panarin; Andrew Ladd, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa. Total goals: 135 Summary: The addition of winger Andrew Ladd at the NHL trade deadline solidified this Chicago Blackhawks group as the class of the league's most formidable top-six forward groups. While Toews, Hossa and Ladd can physically shut down any team's most challenging line, Kane, rookie standout Panarin and the underrated, big-bodied Anisimov at center can offensively feast on other matchups. The Ladd line is capable of big nights on the scoresheet as well. The Blackhawks have the best balance of beef, slick skill and accountability—anchored by two of the game's elite in Kane and Toews. All stats via NHL.com[9]. Line combinations via LeftWingLock[10].
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References
- ^ NHL (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ LeftWingLock (www.leftwinglock.com)
- ^ Sidney Crosby (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ .62 points per game (www.nhl.com)
- ^ third on the team (stats.hockeyanalysis.com)
- ^ second on the team (stats.hockeyanalysis.com)< /li>
- ^ top 60 (stats.hockeyanalysis.com)
- ^ career year (www.nhl.com)
- ^ NHL.com (www.nhl.com)
- ^ LeftWingLock (www.leftwinglock.com)
