Top 5 Forward Duos in the NHL
On the latest edition of the Talking Point on TSN, Hockey Analyst Frankie Corrado lists who he thinks are the Top 5 Forward Duos in the NHL right now.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Frankie Corrado: “Today we’re taking a look at the top five forward duos in the NHL, and these two players don’t necessarily have to play on the same line exclusively. They will from time to time, but they play on the same team, and they are two players that the opponents do not want to see on a night-to-night basis.
So let’s take a look at number five coming in at number five; it’s Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Say what you want about playoff success eluding both of these players. They’re both Selkie finalists in their own careers. Matthews is a two-time 60-goal score, and Mitch Marner is one of the premier elite set-up players in the NHL, knocking on the door to 100 points. The Maple Leafs go as far as Austin Matthews and Mitch Marner will take them, and in the regular season, they have been phenomenal.
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At number four, it’s Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Brayden Point last two years ago, 51 goals, a player who’s knocking on the door to 100 points and Nikita Kucherov, one of the slickest passers in the NHL, probably the best half-wall player on the power play. And a lot of that success has to do with Brayden Point finishing those off in the bumper position: two players you don’t want to see, and two players who have had Stanley Cup success.
Speaking of Stanley Cup success, coming in at number three, it’s Sasha Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Two players that are extremely difficult to play against in their own right; Sasha Barkov, one of the best centermen in the NHL and he proved that when he won a Stanley Cup.
But a player that disrupts so much and is so difficult to play against and Matthew Tkachuk is a physical force. Both these guys have been dominant at different times throughout their playoff runs en route to a Stanley Cup, and to have both of these guys on different lines at five-on-five just makes the Florida Panthers that much more difficult to play against.
Coming in at number two, it’s Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Size, speed, skill, three of the attributes that describe both of these players when they are at the top of their game, which is very often, they are a nightmare for defenders. They’re too fast, they’re too big, they’re too hard to handle you are at the mercy of Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon.
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Coming in at number one. It seems very obvious, but it is true, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They combined for 238 points last season, in the regular season, and another 73 between the two in the playoffs, as they were one win away from winning a Stanley Cup. With Leon Draisaitl back in the mix long term for Edmonton, that is going to be nightmare situations alongside Connor McDavid for defensemen and other players alike in the Western Conference of the NHL.”