The late great sage of the Montreal Canadiens, Sam Pollock, always said the team that got the best player won the trade.
Pollock won more than his share of deals as Montreal GM in the 1960s and '70s, and in most cases it was pretty obvious given the players involved. These days, it's not quite as clear cut, particularly when it comes to determining who the best player in hockey is.
To some, he's the one who is most talented and electrifying, to others he's the most dominant. And many tend to look at the best player as the one who has the most positive impact on his team, which is why the Hart Trophy for most valuable player often causes great debate.
"There's a difference between being the best player and the most valuable player," Senators coach John Paddock told the Ottawa Citizen. "You can be the best player on a team that doesn't make the playoffs."
So while Paddock believes his own captain, Daniel Alfredsson, is the league MVP, his choice for the best player is Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby. New York Islanders coach Ted Nolan supports that notion, calling Crosby the "real package," but Tampa Bay Lightning GM Jay Feaster begs to strenuously differ on behalf of his own Vincent Lecavalier.
"If he played in a major media market or God forbid Canada, they'd be building monuments in his honor, that's how good he is," Feaster said. Maybe they'd do the same for Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, who are both playing as such an elevated level these days that Red Wings coach Mike Babcock can't decide which one he thinks is best.
"Pavel, if you want to just bring someone out of their seat, and then for just doing everything right, day in, day out, mistake free, it's Zetterberg," Babcock said.
You can say many of the same things about Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk, Calgary's Jarome Iginla and probably a few others.
Who's the best? That's for you to decide. Check out this list and see who you want to find under your team's tree on Christmas morning.
-- Compiled by Wes Goldstein and Erin Brown
| Wish List | |||
| Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa | Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh | ||
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The Senators captain ranks sixth in points (45) ... is third among forwards in average time on ice (23:22) ... is currently riding a 10-game points streak in which he's netted four goals and 11 assists ... has 12 multiple-point games, including three three-pointers and one with four ... has not gone more than two games without scoring a point ... recorded two goals in three shootout attempts. |  |
The 20-year-old is tied for fourth in the league with 46 points ... ranks second in power play points with 19 ... has played a role in 46 percent of his team's goals ... began the season with a 19-game point streak (11 goals, 19 assists) ... has 14 multiple-point games, including one four-point and two three-point ... has points in all but six games ... has won at least 50 percent of his draws in 18 games. |
| Jarome Iginla, Calgary | Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta | ||
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The Flames captain is third in goals (24) and points (49) ... has at least one point in all but seven games ... Has 12 multi-point games, including five with three points and two with four ... Calgary is 8-1-1-2 when he registers a multi-point game ... Has earned first-star honors seven times and second-star honors six ... recorded a hat trick on Dec. 13 vs. Tampa Bay ... had an eight-game points streak in which he tallied five goals and five assists. |  |
The former first-overall pick leads the league in goals (28) ... ranks fourth in points with 46 ... leads Atlanta in third-periods goals with 14 ... has 14 multi-point games, including four with three points and two with four ... recorded back-to-back hat tricks on Nov. 1 and 3 ... has three shootout goals in four attempts, including two game-deciding goals ... earned first star of the month award in November. |
| Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay | Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit | ||
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The former Richard Trophy winner leads the league with 53 points ... is tied for second in assists with 30 and fifth in goals with 23 ... has 20 multiple-point games, including four with three points and one with five ... put together an eight-game points streak (seven goals, 14 assists) in which he recorded at least two points in each ... has played a role in 49.5 percent of Tampa Bay's goals ... netted a hat trick on Nov. 11 vs. the Hurricanes. |  |
Detroit's leading scorer ranks second among league leaders in goals (25), shots (185) and is second in points (50) ... has 16 multi-point games, including three three-point efforts ... netted a hat trick on Dec. 7 vs. Minnesota. ... recorded a 27-game home scoring streak dating back to last season in which he registered 22 goals and 23 assists ... opened the season with a 17-game scoring streak, posting 13 goals and 14 assists. |
| Honorable Mentions | ||||
| Pavel Datsyuk, DET | Alex Ovechkin, WAS | Paul Stastny, COL | Joe Thornton, SJ | Sergei Zubov, DAL |
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| Recorded a pair of nine-game scoring streaks this season and is tied for second in assists (29). | The former Calder winner has points in all but six contests and his 24 goals account for 27 percent of the team's. | Is a dominant player at home, recording 29 of his 40 points this season at the Pepsi Center. | The center has the Sharks sitting atop the Pacific, thanks to chipping in on 46 percent of their goals. | The league's top d-man is sixth in assists (28) and two points shy of the Stars' team lead in scoring. |
