LCS Hockey Player Ratings: Top Left Wings

LCS Hockey Top Rated Left Wings
By Michael Dell, editor-in-chief

1. John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers: We are proud converts to the church of LeClair. The conversion started at the World Cup, where the mammoth Flyer winger was a one-man wrecking crew for Team USA. After doing the stars and stripes proud, LeClair returned to Philly and started busting heads. Eric Lindros was still out with a strained groin, but it didn't matter much to LeClair. He just went about his business of scoring goals and finishing checks. The end result was a second straight 50-goal season. The combination of the early season success and the memorable World Cup proved once and for all that LeClair is a great player even when number 88 isn't around.

John LeClair after hearing
he was rated #1... honest

Which brings up an interesting question. Who's better: John LeClair or Eric Lindros? Some might scoff at such a comparison, but the idea that LeClair is the superior player is not at all far-fetched. He actually stacks up quite favorably to his more famous center. Both guys own overpowering, almost scary, shots. A goaltender that gets in the way of either guy's slap better have his estate in order. Granted, Lindros is the better passer, but LeClair actually has better hands around the net. The skating department is all LeClair. Most people don't realize just how fast he is. He can also change direction better than anyone else his size. Both LeClair and Lindros are solid defensively, but LeClair is the more consistent in his defensive effort. That league-leading +44 was no accident.
Where Lindros has it all over LeClair is in aggressiveness. It's not that LeClair won't run a guy through the boards, because he will... oh, he will, it's just that he's too nice a guy. Lindros is flat out mean. This shows up it their penalty minute totals, where LeClair mustered just 58 in 82 games while Lindros compiled 136 in only 52 contests. However, that info leads us to another important point. LeClair is much more durable. Over the past two seasons, Lindros has missed 39 games due to injury. Meanwhile, LeClair has gone 82 strong both times out.
Choosing between the two stars is extremely difficult. Lindros will get more points, since he's the better playmaker, and his fiery temper also makes him more of an impact player, since he can take over a game with his physical beatings. But on the other hand, LeClair is going to be there every night working like a champ at both ends of the ice. Aw, they're both pretty good.
Even though LeClair is tight with Lindros, he didn't run away with the top spot among left wingers. He received some fierce competition from Paul Kariya. But LeClair won the honor of being placed number one on the strength of one argument. If the two guys go into the corner together, LeClair's comin' out with the puck and Kariya's getting a seat in the third row. For all of Kariya's amazing talents, LeClair could still squash him like a bug. Case closed.
2. Paul Kariya, Anaheim Mighty Ducks: This kid's got all the skills. He could very well be the most exciting player in the game today. Kariya's skating is so explosive that he can break into the open at any moment and score one for the highlight reel. He's a superb playmaker, a brilliant stickhandler, and a natural goal scorer. Hmm ha, can't ask for much more than that.

Not Paul Kariya

There are two areas of concern when discussing Kariya. The first is obviously his size. The mighty Duckling is listed at 5-11, 175, but that's a bit generous. Whenever he takes the ice it's hard not to fear for his life. Luckily, Kariya is such an incredible skater that few players can even keep up with him let alone rub him out. While similar in size, Kariya will never be confused with good ol' Theo Fleury. The only checks Kariya likes are the kind he cashes on the first of the month. And forget about him stirring things up physically. He had just six penalty minutes last season. Staying out of the box is good and all, but six minutes? It might be time to check for a pulse.
Kariya also needs to step it up a bit more defensively. He finished last season at a +36, so it's kind of hard to complain, but that number is a little misleading. Anytime a dominant scorer plays for a defensive club like the Ducks, his +/- is going to be up there. Kariya did, however, improve his defensive play a great deal from the previous season. That's always nice to see. Great players recognize their weaknesses and improve them. So Kariya's on the right track. He just needs to keep workin' at it.
3. Keith Tkachuk, Phoenix Coyotes: The first year in Phoenix was a rousing success for Tkachuk. He got his captaincy back, he led the league in goals with 52, and he got to wear some of the wackiest duds since the road company production of "The Wiz".

Keith Tkachuk

The 52 goals were a career high and marked his second straight 50-goal season, having hit the half-century mark exactly the previous year. While the goals were up, Tkachuk's 86 points were a 12-point drop off, but that old tune was heard all over the league. The important thing to remember is that he did score more goals than anyone else. Although, to be honest, his total was padded a bit by a league-leading eight empty-net goals. Al Iafrate once said, "Empty-net goals are for sissies." That may or may not be true, but just remember one thing... Trix are indeed for kids. Anyway, Tkachuk's scoring carried over into the playoffs where he notched six goals in seven games. That's some nice work. It wasn't enough to clip the Ducks, but he did his part.
At 6'2, 210 pounds, Tkachuk is the prototypical power forward. He plays a bruising, physical game and doesn't back down from any challengers. He was one of only two NHLers to lead his team in both scoring and penalty minutes, compiling a substantial 228 minutes in the box. Tkachuk can change the flow of a game with his aggressive play. He proved it at the World Cup when he beat the hell out of Claude Lemieux in the opening minutes of a preliminary round matchup with Team Canada. The fight got him the gate, but he sent a message to the favored Canadians that the younger American squad wasn't about to be intimidated. Without that fight, and what it represented, it's hard to believe the US would have won the tournament. Only a great player would be capable of seizing the moment and performing such a heroic action. That fight is when Tkachuk became a great player.
But Tkachuk has plenty of flash to go with his bash. Just when defenses prepare to get run over or beaten to a pulp, Tkachuk switches gears and waltzes around them with his speed and stickhandling. He has the best hands of any of the league's big men and can put on the ritz while in full flight. His soft touch also shines through in front of the net, where he's the absolute best at picking shots out of the air. There's just nothing the guy can't do.
4. Brendan Shanahan, Detroit Red Wings: Shan the Man was number one on our list last season. He definitely put up the numbers to defend his crown, scoring 47 goals and 88 points. If that wasn't enough, he even went out and helped lead the Red Wings to their first Stanley Cup in 42 years, coming through with nine goals and 17 points in 20 postseason outings.
Hmm, that all seems pretty good. Then why isn't Shanny back at the top? Let's see... what could it be? Oh, I don't know... was it his personality? Nope, Shanny was still his old affable self. Did he turn yella? Not at all, he had six fights and 131 minutes. Wait a second, I remember now... Shanny fell to the four spot because HE TURNED WEASEL AND STABBED THE WHALE IN THE BACK LIKE A TWO-BIT PUNK!
The Whale were looking for a leader, someone to rally the city behind the team and keep the mighty sea mammals swimming in Hartford. All eyes turned to Shanahan. He was the charismatic star the club had so desperately needed. He was their last hope. But apparently the "C" on his sweater stood for "cop out". Instead of trying to make a difference, Shanahan jumped ship and demanded a trade. He ended up in Detroit carrying the Stanley Cup and the Whale ended up in Carolina. That's just not right.
The Whale were looking for help and Shanahan responded by plunging a harpoon right in their blow hole. Et tu, Shanny? He might as well have stabbed us in the heart, as well. There just aren't many heroes left out there. Well, there's Shaft... but that should really go without saying.
5. Adam Graves, New York Rangers: Graves bounced back from a 22-goal disappointment in 1995-96 to post 33 this past season, cracking the 30-goal mark for the third time in his career. Among his red lights were ten power-play tallies, four short-handers, three game-winners, and a league-leading five game-tying goals. As those numbers clearly show, Graves excels in any and all game situations. He has the tenacity of a bulldog when it comes to working the front of the net on the power play. No one does it better. And while he lacks the speed of most premier penalty killers, his intelligence and hockey sense always has him in the right place to bust up opposing man-advantages.
Graves gets most of his goals from within ten feet of the net. He's all about rebounds and deflections. But that doesn't mean he can't score from the outside. After all, you can't score 52 goals, as Graves did in 1993-94, by just collecting garbage. His slap is heavy, but his main weapon is a quick, accurate wrister.
While the goals are nice, they're really just icing on the cake. Or, if you prefer pie, the icing on the pie. Graves could go pointless for the entire season and still be an all-star for the work he does without the puck. He always thinks defense first. He probably saves as many as he scores. Which brings up the obvious question of how come Graves is never mentioned in Selke talk? He really should be, ya know. And if they gave out an award for the best pound-for-pound hitter in the league, Graves should win that one, too. His checks are solid, clean, and more bountiful than the Fall Harvest. When hits alone aren't enough to settle down the opposition, Graves will drop the gloves and learn 'em old school.
Graves is a natural leader that always puts the team ahead of himself. If someone has a problem with one of the Rangers, they also have a problem with Graves. And it's not a good idea to get on his bad side. He's just the ultimate team player. Whether it's standing up for his mates or moving to center to anchor a checking line, Graves will do whatever it takes. And he never takes a night off, both literally and figuratively. Graves played in all 82 last season and has only missed one game in the past five years. That's incredible considering that most nights he's playing with a bad back. But what else would you expect form Graves? He isn't going to let the team down. Adam Graves is just everything a hockey player should be.
6. Valeri Kamensky, Colorado Avalanche: There's an old hockey axiom that states "No one asks how you score them, just how many." Well, an exception has to be made for Valeri Kamensky. He may never get 50 or 60 in a season, but one Kamensky goal should be worth four or five from an average player. Every Kamensky goal is a work of art. A masterpiece for the senses, created with care by perhaps the most skilled hockey player on the planet.

Valeri Kamensky

He has so much talent that it's almost unfair. He's an excellent passer that moves the puck extremely well, but it's the aspects of his individual game that are so magnetic. He's a threat to go the distance every time he touches the puck. His skating is as swift as it is effortless. Combine that with his wizard stickhandling and Kamensky can weave through the tightest of defenses with the greatest of ease. Once into the open, he can unleash one of the most lethal slap shots in the game or simply pick a goaltender apart with an accurate wrister. And good luck to any netminder left one-on-one with the lanky Russian magician. He'll turn 'im inside out faster than a bottle of malt liquor disappears around the offices of LCS: Guide to Hockey.
Kamensky has the ability to dominate games, but he really doesn't do it as much as he should. Sometimes it seems he's willing to just stand in the wings and allow Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg to grab the spotlight. A more dominant showing each time out would move him up in the rankings. As it is, he's still a one-of-a- kind offensive talent and a proud member of the best line in hockey. So that's pretty cool.
7. Adam Deadmarsh, Colorado Avalanche: Valeri Kamensky isn't the only standout left winger on the Colorado Avalanche. Adam Deadmarsh is quickly movin' up the charts thanks to his blazing speed and fierce intensity. Deadmarsh, 22, enjoyed a breakthrough season in 1996-97. With Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg each missing extended periods of time due to injury, Deadmarsh stepped up and became the go-to guy for the Avalanche. He ended the year leading the team with a career high 33 goals. See, right there, that would be enough, but Deadmarsh also led the club in the emotion department. He plays an extremely fast-paced, aggressive style, taking the body on every occasion and always getting mixed up in the rough stuff. He was second on the club with 136 penalty minutes, even boasting a healthy 12 fighting majors. Aw, that's just good clean fun.
Deadmarsh has the potential to be a major player on the left wing scene. He's definitely on his way to superstardom. Unfortunately, his performance during this past postseason was, shall we say, weak? Shall we say embarrassing? We shall say embarrassing. Deadmarsh had just three goals and nine points in 17 playoff games. As sad as those numbers are, they could have been overlooked if he was his usual physical presence. But sadly, Deadmarsh picked the absolute worst time of his career to show his youthful inexperience. The kid was just flat out invisible against Detroit. His team needed him for a spark and he was AWOL. That just doesn't cut it when you're trying to repeat as champs. The good news is that Deadmarsh should have ample opportunity to redeem himself this season. Here's hoping he does.
8. Vincent Damphousse, Montreal Canadiens: Damphousse played center last year for the Habs, but left wing is so shallow these days in the NHL that Vinny got drafted to fill out the ranks. The fact that the former port-sider could make such an effortless transition to the middle says a lot for Damphousse's overall game. He's most well known for being a sniper, but Damphousse is quite the competent playmaker. He's had at least 51 assists in each of the past five full seasons. He skates all knobby-kneed, but has decent speed once he gets rollin'. Damphousse is one of those guys that can't be a club's marquee player, but he can fill out a team's top line all swell like. That's why he really belongs on left wing. He's more of a complimentary player than a focal point.

Geoff Sanderson

9. Geoff Sanderson, Carolina Hurricanes: For a while there it seemed as if 1996-97 was going to be the year Sanderson broke through to the big time. The Whale started the season off in first place in the Northeast Division and Sanderson was one of the main reasons why. In his first 44 games, Sanderson racked up 24 goals and 44 points. That's some quality stuff. But the second half of the season hit Sanderson and the Whale harder than a drunken sailor's rusty harpoon. As the Whale beached themselves and ended up out of the playoff hunt, Sanderson could produce no more than 12 goals and 23 points over his final 38 games. Hard to get happy after that one. There are a number of reasons for the collapse, what with the team leaving town and all, but if Sanderson were a great player he wouldn't have allowed his team to fold.
Sanderson has all the tools to be a dominant performer. He has one of the most powerful skating strides in the game. When he hits full speed he's solid gone. And no one can score from the wall like Sanderson. When he's truckin', his slap shot is almost unstoppable. He's a 50-goal scorer waiting to happen. Unfortunately, he's been waiting for some time now. Sanderson appeared destined for superstardom when he bagged 46 goals in 1992-93, just his second season in the league. He followed that up in 1993-94 with another solid 41-goal outing, but it's been downhill ever since. He put up a measly 18 goals in the lockout- shortened 1994-95 season, 34 in 1995-96, and then 36 this past year. The only way Sanderson is going to reach 50 is through hard work, dedication, and desire. The potential is definitely there, whether or not he'll ever reach such lofty heights is entirely up to him.
10. Ryan Smyth, Edmonton Oilers: Normally we don't pay attention to one-year wonders. We like to see a guy put up the numbers for at least two seasons before we include them in the rankings. But the left side is in some serious need of fresh blood. And it's kind of tough to overlook the year Smyth had with the Oilers. The 21-year-old, second-year winger exploded for 39 goals and 61 points, a dramatic improvement over the two goals and 11 points he put up during his 48-game rookie campaign. Smyth also tied Brendan Shanahan for the league lead with 20 power-play goals. It's impressive for a youngster to assert himself on the man-advantage like that. The most encouraging thing about Smyth's season, though, was his work during the playoffs, where he finished second on the club in scoring with five goals and 10 points in 12 games.
HONORABLE MENTION
Niklas Sundstrom, New York Rangers: It's tough to find a 22-year-old player that's even serviceable defensively, let alone one that truly enjoys playing it. Yet that's exactly what the New York Rangers were lucky enough to find in the form of Niklas Sundstrom. The second-year Swedish winger has already earned a spot on the NHL's short list of great defensive players. He has a tremendous intelligence for the game and naturally thinks defense first. That's pretty much a coach's dream. Sundstrom also has enough offensive skills to become a serious two-way threat in the future, as demonstrated by the 24 goals and 52 points he bagged last season for the Blueshirts.
Don't look now, but Sweden just continues to crank out some of the most complete hockey players in the world. Sundstrom is a proud member of the Great Swedish Invasion that also includes such standouts as Peter Forsberg and Daniel Alfredsson. Not only can these guys all play hockey, word is they also make some real wizard modular furniture.
MOVIN' ON UP
Martin Gelinas, Vancouver Canucks: After years of disappointment, Gelinas is finally starting to deliver on the potential that made him a first-round Draft pick (7th overall) of the Los Angeles Kings in 1988. Before Gelinas ever had a chance to debut with the Kings, he was shipped off to Edmonton in a trade for some guy named Gretzky. He spent a little over four seasons with the Oilers and was a member of the "Kid Line", along with Adam Graves and Joe Murphy, when the Oil won the Stanley Cup in 1990. But overall he was a major bust. After a brief stint with the Nordiques, Gelinas was claimed off waivers by Vancouver in January of '94. Canuck GM Pat Quinn has been wearing a smile ever since.
In 1995-96, Gelinas recorded 30 goals and 56 points, both career highs at the time. He followed that up this past season by leading the Canucks in goals (35) and finishing second on the club in points (68), doing his best to make up for the disappointments of Pavel Bure's lackluster return and Trevor Linden's knee injury. While the numbers are impressive, Gelinas brings more to a game then just stats. Speed is a major part of his game. And he doesn't just zip around making pretty designs in the ice. Gelinas loves to hit. He plays a physical, gritty game, while also having the hands of a skilled player. That's a nice combination. The only reason it wasn't nice enough to crack the top ten is that those years of underachieving are hard to forget. It's also easier to put up the points when you're not the marquee player. Gelinas might have been catching a few teams by surprise. He won't this season. Another strong year and he'll make the charts.
NOW I GOT WORRY
Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings: Somebody needs to hook Luc up with a four-leaf clover or somethin', because he ain't lookin' so lucky these days. Robitaille could muster just 24 goals and 48 points in 69 games last season, this while playing on a team with Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Brian Leetch. How does that happen? Well, Luc's got worry. He scored no fewer than 44 goals his first eight seasons in the league, averaging a mighty .61 goals per game. It's been a much different story the past three seasons. Over that time Luc's clicked at just .36 goals per game. Hmm ha. Times they are a changin'. Maybe the move back to L.A. will help. It certainly can't hurt.
WHICH WAY DO I GO, GEORGE?
Martin Rucinsky, Montreal Canadiens: It's not that Rucinsky had a terrible season last year. He did score 28 goals and 55 points in 70 games. That's not bad. But it's not that good, either. When he arrived in Montreal from Colorado last season Rucinsky appeared ready for superstardom, finishing the season strong with 25 goals and 60 points in 56 games. Now see, that's some good stuff... being a over a point a game and all. But this past season Rucinsky was more like the third-liner he was with the Avalanche and Nordiques and not the main attraction he appeared to be his first year with the Habs. His work this coming season will define his true place on the NHL's evolutionary ladder.
Kevin Stevens, New York Rangers: Artie, as he's known in LCS circles, could enjoy a rebirth with the Rangers this coming season. If playing with Wayne Gretzky can't resurrect his scoring touch, nothing will.