Best power forward in the NHL today?

[ron_duguays_hair]

Also is Wayne Simmonds in the top five?

[mikey287]

There are power forwards in the NHL today? Besides Iginla and Lucic, I'm struggling to think of them really...

Simmonds is a grinder with skill, but you can knock his 180-pound frame off the puck pretty easily, is he really that dominant along the boards? So...no, if Simmonds is a power forward (is he?) then that opens the door for a bunch of others, so no, he's not top 5...

But it depends, if your definition of power forward is watered down to anyone that's big then even a hosehound like Blake Wheeler is a power forward...even though he's not at all...

[Pitts]

David Clarkson? 30 goals last year, top 10 in PIMS, 8 PP goals.

[mikey287]

David Clarkson can barely stand up on the rink...he's not power anything...more of a pest, agitator type...

[columbia]

I don't lament the lack of power forwards in the game, as I value skills like back checking, passing, shooting accuracy/velocity and skating. Are they more prevalent in the AHL (which I never watch)?

[Kraftster]

Yeah, there aren't many that fit the bill. How bout Jamie Benn? Dustin Brown? Ryan Callahan? Martin Hanzal? David Backes? Ryan Getzlaf? Brendan Morrow is broken at this point.

Those are the best names I can come up with to go with Iginla and Lucic.

And no, not Wayne Simmonds.

Edit: Evander Kane?

[Zach6668]

Jagr!

[tfrizz]

I know we all hate him because he's a Flyer, but Scott Hartnell is the best in the NHL right now IMO.

[Gaucho]

James Neal.

[Idoit40fans]

I don't really know who qualifies. Lucic, Malone...Hartnell? I guess Iginla fits. I guess if you go be the definition from 10-15 years ago, i'd say Ovechkin would be the close if he ever spent time working in front of the net.

[canaan]

I would say Hartnell, Lucic are pretty much the tops.

[pugilist13]

David Clarkson? 30 goals last year, top 10 in PIMS, 8 PP goals.

I'd take Clarkson in a minute.

[brwi]

No love for Dustin Brown here? Does a power forward have to be a fighter too? My definition is different I guess.

My list would be Brown, Hartnell, Lucic.

[Gaucho]

Clowe.

[sniper]

clearly it's Eric Tangradi

[profpolisci]

Brown, Hartnell, Iggy, Lucic, Perry, Simmonds

Pick two- Hartnell or Perry

[KG]

I'd say it's Perry. He's scored 50 goals and 100pims...The days of Stevens/Tocchet/Shanahan/Tkachuk are over.

[mikey287]

See, it's weird, I don't even consider Perry a power forward...the PIMs are agitation related, he's like a agitating sniper...and even then, he's not the pest that he was when he first came into the league I don't feel...

Maybe I should re-calibrate my power forward criteria...but it's more accurate to say that they don't exist than to call David Clarkson one, IMO...

[tfrizz]

Maybe I should re-calibrate my power forward criteria...but it's more accurate to say that they don't exist than to call David Clarkson one, IMO...

Fair enough. I feel like the speed of the game has gotten to a point where your traditional power forward simply can't exist in it anymore.

[mikey287]

That might be true as well...no one hangs off of players like they did to, say, Jagr back in the day...a penalty would be called without batting an eyelash...I think there's a spot in the game for the big power forward types certainly, but I don't think anyone is really brought up to play that way anymore...not a lot of Cam Neely's running around, not that there ever was really...

[MRandall25]

Mike Lange called James Neal a "power forward".

Not saying he's right or not, just food for thought.

[mikey287]

Does he call Jack Daniel's a rum?

[columbia]

Does he call Jack Daniel's a rum?

<insert obligatory Lange drinking joke here>

[Idoit40fans]

No love for Dustin Brown here? Does a power forward have to be a fighter too? My definition is different I guess.

My list would be Brown, Hartnell, Lucic.

Brown is a little fast guy that throws his body around. He is not a power forward. Hitting a lot does not a power forward make.

[Rylan]

Power Forward has too many potential definitions IMO