The 2021-22 Stanley Cup Playoffs have been making or breaking reputations – and creating new ones. We won't soon forget the all-world performances by Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Nathan MacKinnon, or the rise of Cale Makar, or the spirit-crushing performances by ... well, they know who they are.
Either way, you just know the players will remember. After all, watching McDavid wheel past you over and over again is the kind of thing that burns itself into a defenceman's nightmares for a long, long time.
Which brings us to the NHLPA's annual player poll, which canvasses its membership to find out who's the consensus top clutch player, goalie, etc., in the league. A quick look back at the 2020-21 NHLPA and the 2019-20 NHLPA player polls tells us, in some cases, the playoffs can influence opinions more so than the regular season. But not always.
With that in mind, through three thrilling rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, we're looking at the 2021-22 NHLPA player poll to extrapolate who has made a good case to be the big winners in next season's survey. With this exercise, we're going full-on for a recency bias.
Let's go.
Which goalie would want on your team to win one game?
2021-22 winner: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning; Runner-up: Carey Price, Canadiens
2022-23 predicted winner: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning (with a caveat); Runner-up: Igor Shesterkin, Rangers
Let's start with an easy one: You just know Vasilevskiy is going to win this honour again – and he deserves it. The caveat? More like a bonus, actually: Not only is the dude the goalie to turn to for a big game, he's a lock to win after he's lost. Which, in the playoffs, is the very definition of clutch. Shesterkin, meanwhile, faced the most shots and made the most saves of any goalie in the playoffs. Sure, that might be a backwards way of proving you can win, but there's no denying his .929 save percentage amid the barrage (even with up to four of his teammates screening him on goals). Carey Price was last year's runner-up, and Canadiens fans are hopeful he'll bounce back into contention again.
Which skater would you want on your team to win one game?
2021-22 winner: Connor McDavid, Oilers; Runner-up: Sidney Crosby, Penguins
2022-23 predicted winner: Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche; Runner-up: Connor McDavid, Oilers
MacKinnon has been a man on a mission this season, his playoffs clearly having started in October. He is not to be denied – and is a Conn Smythe candidate because of his determination to get this done for the Avalanche. His play on the national stage has been not so much a reputation-changer but a reputation-enhancer. His intense focus comes out even during post-game media conferences; the dude is all business. Early on in these playoffs, it looked like McDavid was going to strap the Oilers on his back and carry them all the way to the Final, setting himself up with a Game 7 performance for the ages and a Conn Smythe. But the Avs brought him down to earth in the conference finals and crushed his dreams, relegating him to No. 2 in our crystal ball.
Who is the best stick-handler?
2021-22 winner: Patrick Kane, Blackhawks; Connor McDavid, Oilers
2022-23 predicted winner: Connor McDavid, Oilers; Runner-up: Everybody else.
You've seen McDavid in warmups, right? Sure, there are great stick-handlers who bumped it up in the playoffs – Johnny Gaudreau, Nikita Kucherov, Mika Zibanejad, to name a few – but no one was able to stick-handle through the tight confines of playoff coverage quite like McDavid. His ability to work his way up the ice at high speed, popping the puck over and around sweeping sticks without breaking stride still discombobulates defencemen skating backward. You just know the highlights of those dashes through the five-man units of the Kings and the Flames in these playoffs will be played during his retirement ceremony.
Who is the best passer?
2021-22 winner: Leon Draisaitl, Oilers; Patrick Kane, Blackhawks
2022-23 predicted winner: Leon Draisaitl, Oilers; Runners-up: Nikita Kucherov, Lightning; Adam Fox, Rangers; Cale Makar, Avalanche
If anything, Draisaitl further established his reputation as one of the premier passers in the game with his no-look dishes, his ability to see openings a fraction of a second before they happen and his tape-to-tape prowess. And don't listen to critics who say he benefits from occasionally playing alongside McDavid – this guy can dish. Props as well to Kucherov, who mixes it up every now and then by adding the bait-look to the no-look pass, and to Fox, whose always-scanning approach means he rarely tips off to who he's passing to. Future Norris winner Makar will win this category at some point, considering his vision and accuracy.
Which player do you wish you could shoot like?
2021-22 winner: Alex Ovechkin, Capitals; Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs
2022-23 predicted winner: Alex Ovechkin, Capitals; Runners-up: Chris Kreider, Rangers; Mika Zibanejad, Rangers;
Ovechkin will get the nod because that one-timer from the circle is hard to forget, but of the players who went deep into this year's playoffs, you've got to give a tip of the helmet to Kreider, whose range, accuracy and opportunism make him one of the best of the bunch. Remember, this is not just about the big slapper; you've got to hit the net, too. Kreider's linemate and fellow iPad liability holder Zibanejad is virtually unmatched here as well, making these guys a lethal combination to defend against when firing on all cylinders.
Who is the most complete player?
2021-22 winner: Sidney Crosby, Penguins; Aleksander Barkov, Panthers
2022-23 predicted winner: Connor McDavid, Oilers; Runners-up: Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche; Johnny Gaudreau, Flames
Both McDavid and MacKinnon rounded out their games even further this year, which was clearly apparent during the playoffs. Not only were these superstars doing the expected superstar things in the offensive zone, they were also essential to their team's success with extra hustle to get back when the rush turned (which it often did for their respective run-and-gun teams), putting the body on players to force turnovers, winning key faceoffs, dishing to opponents, etc. Neither will completely bump Crosby until they win a few Cups, of course, but they are both well on their way to becoming multi-tool players. Gaudreau continued to take his game up a notch and has quietly worked his way into the two-way conversation over the last couple of years, and his star turn in the playoffs help further that reputation.
Which player do you least enjoy playing against, but would like to have on your team?
2021-22 winner: Brad Marchand, Bruins; Connor McDavid, Oilers
2022-23 predicted winner: Nazem Kadri, Avalanche; Runner-up: Evander Kane, Oilers
Let's be very clear: Like him or not, Kadri's performance in Game 4 against the Blues, while playing under death threats, has to be considered among the gutsiest efforts in recent memory. To reiterate: He scored a hat trick. On the road. In the playoffs. After receiving death threats. His hat trick broke the spirit of an experienced and fast team while putting the Avalanche up 3-1 in the series (which they eventually won in six games). And Kane's off-ice baggage should not be discounted, nor his play alongside the league's best player, but his combination of scoring and crashing during the playoffs were unmatched and his in-your-face bluster and antics to fans were just enough to get under an opponent's skin. And who doesn't want a heavy scorer on their team?
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