@@TheJama64 I dont get why people are crediting Russia on him at all. Althought his dad is Russian, he played very long time in Finland. Barkov was born and raised in Finland, went trough the same Tappara hockey academy as Laine later. He has nothing to do with Russia except some blood in his veins. (If you meant only that, then ok) Big part of his early years and training was not only his dad, but also his mentor Stanley Cup winner Ville "Nemo" Nieminen. Who he trained with a lot.
@@Kuutti_original Well both of his parents are Russian, they speak Russian at home, he also has a Russian citizenship, so he certainly has very strong Russian roots. Think about yourself, you are apparently a Finn. Now let's say you marry a Finnish girl, move to Sweden, have a child while living in Sweden, you raise your child in Sweden, but you and your wife just speak Finnish at home, you raise your child as Finns... are you saying your child has nothing to do with Finland? In general this is kinda irrelevant discussion... Barkov is what he is, a great and humble guy and one of the best hockey players in the world. What does it matter if he is a Finn, a Russian or even Floridian...
Look at the guys he is playing with, Verhaeghe and Duclair! Without Barkov they would have around 20 points less per guy. Barkov makes players around him better.
He has really grown in your organisation. While I do not follow hockey that much, I really think you have done a fantastic job to keep your key players and growing little by little to a team you are today. It makes me happy that your organisation (team) is where it is today :)
Sasha could win Norris Trophy if coach all of a sudden starts to play him as a defender, he is THE most versatile and complete hockey player today. Great mentor for future Selke contender Anton Lundell as well.
honestly i believe barkov would have way more goals but both him and huberdeau are super humble players and attempt to give other players chances to score over them and i find that really respectable!!barky is a super huge asset to the panthers though and I don't think we would be nearly as great of a team as we are without him and his skill.
I’ve literally have been saying this for the last couple of months. He has really grown this year to be so formidable on the ice. You can’t take him of the puck, but if you’re sound him and you have the puck! It’s over, son.
Barkov isn't media sexy, that's why he is criminally overlooked. Just like Lundell will be. Barkov is easily top 5 players in the league. He can play it all from the offence to defence.
Barkov. Huberdeau. Duclair. And probably 3-5 others that aren't just having career years but putting Florida on the map as a hockey super power. Doesn't hurt that Bobrovsky and Knight are both excellent at filling the gaps that their defense miss or that their top defensive pairings have stayed healthy for most of the season. It's not like it's happened overnight though. This has been years of building and rebuilding 🤷
Someone said it, if the team leads you want Barkov, because when team leads Barkov is more relaxed and go to more offense. He just want to win in first hand then score alot of points.
Five minute video and you spend 1:40 just introducing the player while repeating yourself several times. Coupled with the monotone congested voice it's enough to turn off at 1:41. Waste of time.
Top5 includes McDavid, Barkov, Matthews, MacKinnon and Draisaitl imo. 6-10 i would say are Kucherov, Crosby, Point, Marchand and Huberdeau. 11-15 Rantanen, Marner, Ovechkin, Bergeron and Kaprizov. 16-20 Stone, Panarin, Kreider, Aho and Stamkos. Just my opinion, those are not in order inside those fives, i didnt check anything those are just from head, i may have forgot someone and it has only forwards as you can see. Its hard enough to value centers against wingers so i dont include defencemen or goalies to this. Ofc Makar, Josi, Hedman, Vasi and Shestyorkin would be in top20 atleast. Edit: Forgot Gaudreau, Tkachuk and Kane.
@@highwaymaintainer No, russian parents but born in Finland. I wouldn’t argue with a finn, we all have heard his stories growing up in Finland. His dad played in the finnish Liiga
@@highwaymaintainer Barkov didn't move. He was born in Finland and never lived in Russia. He is technically half-Russian, but identifies as an Finn. So it doesn't really matter what he is in your book if he says he is Finnish.
@@peltimies2469 I'm completely happy to have been proven wrong. Our team make up and philosophy from two years ago is light years behind where we're at now. Did this comment age badly? Absolutely. Do I care? Hell no, let's get that Cup!
I remember after the first few times Sideny Crosby played against him how Crosby was impressed with his skill level and how much he reminded him of Datsyuk.
The technique and skill of Russian players but with the massive heart of a Finn rather than the ego of Russian stars. Barkov is amazingly skilled but he's also such a likable hardworking team player. The ideal captain.
@@anonymanonym6236 Yes, ego. That's why the Russian national team fails so often despite them having some of the greatest stars and most skilled players in the world. Even when they undoubtedly have the best team on paper, they don't play as a team because most of them have such big egos it's always "me, me, me" rather than trying to work as a unit.
@@jm-holm I remember IIHF championship a couple of years ago when Znarok managed to put them in line. They were an absolute machine, not losing a single game, and most by a big margin. Then the next year, they weren't as good.
@@DropthePuckHockey Yes he is a real beast! On my list he is the most complete and skilled player of all active hockey players. I hope they win Cup this year!
It really is a matter of opinion but most unbiased hockey experts rank Barkov at the top 3 forwards in the world. He’s out there with McDavid and Mackinnon and even before this season was often recognized as the very best out of the three. News broadcasters sure don’t write about him him enough. Maybe after his first cup + Conn Smythe?
@@karvakasiedward4002 I disagree. Matthews is a goal scorer, but he is not a complete player. He doesn't make plays on his own. 80% of his goals are tic-tac-toe passes in the slot. He has one of the best shots in the game-NO doubt. Very few goals he sets up on his own, very little defense, not great shootout percentages. When Mackinnon and Mcdavid have the puck; you know it's going into the offensive zone, and you know there is going to be a shot on goal. Very few players in the NHL are that dominant with the puck. Mcdavid does it with speed, Mackinnon does it with explosive movement and direction change. Barkov on the other hand is one of the best 1v1 players in the game. Nearly 50% on shootouts with more than double Mcdavids attempts, one of the best defensive, offensive players in the game. Draisaitl on the other hand is a Matthews, with better positioning, better defense, just not great speed or stickhandling. Very high IQ player though. Mcdavid- Mackinnon- Barkov- Draisaitl- Matthews-- No doubt.
@@Kgsoloman-ou6wm When was last time you watched Matthews play? That sounds like Matthews two years ago. This season he has been great overall. He defends and makes tons of takeaways. In fact he is second in league only behind Pietrangelo. He also loses pucks rarely (he has 44 giveaways when Draisaitl has 82 and McDavid 65). There has been talk about he being in Selke conveesations aswell and im sure he will be atleast in top10. Your facts are outdated.
@@Kgsoloman-ou6wm I would also like to add couple stats. Faceoffs 56,4% and Corsi 64%, second in league behind M.Tkachuk. Are you still saying, he is only goal scorer?
Barkov isn't the fastest but he's got size and does whatever he wants with the puck. Its difficult to stop him, he's so smart and quick to react to pressure. Top 3 player in the league and the BEST 2 way forward since Bergeron IMO. We love him and this team as a whole here in SoFLo (all 12 of us) Go Cats 🐀
With respect to Crosby, who is Top5 all time and still very effective, but Barkov is #2 right now behind MacKinnon. Really hope the Cats go on a run this year so people see how damn good this guy is
Thank you for the video. Sasha is truly one of the best today and deserves the exposure to mainstream sports media, despite that being the last thing he seeks. And although he is incredibly skilled I give much of the credit to Jagr for both Sasha's and Huby's development and confidence. As a huge fan of the Panthers I watched the transformation first-hand game after game. When those three played on the same line they were truly dominant and little by little Sasha and Huby established their own identity. Let's hope there is a deep run this year and perhaps all the way!!
As a huge Datsyuk fan, that comparison is high praise. His prowess one on one definitely reminds me of Datsyuk. There is no doubt Barkov gets less attention being in Florida, and not being in the top ten of scoring means many casual fans think of Huberdeau when they think of Florida. This years playoffs may well be a coming out party for Barkov as he gets more eye balls on his play. Florida is going to go deep this year, and as the top seed in the east will get lots of attention - as they should. They are a ton of fun to watch. Offensively, they remind me of the oilers of 80s. For other teams, no lead is ever safe. Maybe they play a bit uninspired for a couple periods, and it looks like they are going to lose? Once the Panthers decide to turn it on, they are deadly.
@@DropthePuckHockey They put on a show! Being on the west coast, I don’t get to see them as much as I would like. I get to see some of their games when they leave their time zone. Mostly I wind up watching the RU-vid highlight packages which are decent, but no substitute for watching the broadcasts. Not enough to get the full picture of the various players all around game the way people on the east coast would see. I am looking forward to catching some playoff games.
because his size he might become better. he's only 26 atm. not as flashy, but both were/are good 2 way players. good stealing pucks magical shoot out and break away goals. they both dominated their shifts. pavel was more cunning and flashy, but barkov might get better with help of his size and 12feet long stick he has
Generally speaking "Russian" means two things. Ethnicity and citizenship. Taking this into account, he is most certainly 100% Russian. Both his parents are Russians. And he has Russian citizenship. Moreover, Russian is also his first language and language he uses at home with his family and with his girl-friend who is also Russian (if they are still together). Is he a Finn? I have no idea what considered to be a Finn in Finland. If holding a citizenship is enough then he is also a Finn. But you make a mistake telling people he is not Russian.
@@hint1k If we talk in hockey terms, then yes he is a Finn. He played his junior years in Finland and represents the Finnish national team. Oh, also, he was born in Finland and has never lived in Russia. So I'm gonna say he's one of ours ;)
@@markopuranen5910 It makes him a Russian who plays for team Finland. There are plenty of Brazilians who play for different countries in football. The place of birth does not mean anything in Europe. It is not USA where person who born in USA is automatically considered American. There are plenty of Russians who born and live outside of Russia, for hundreds of reasons. The most common one for example is the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
@@hint1k What makes it a russian then? speaking russia, having russia gf? In finland there are many swedish talking people who dont speak finnish very well, still they are finnish. He is finnish, he can still have russia passport but he has finnish passport too.
Worlds best player, hands down. No one else is as complete as a player. He doesn't score the most point, even if his PPG this season is top10 in the league. But when you put him against players like McDavid and Matthews he always comes out first.
"World's best player". lmao. It's literally his 2nd year on a playoff team, Florida was terrible for his first 6 years in the league. Made the playoffs one time in that span. Now Florida emerges as a fairly new contender, and now he's the best player in the world. I find it comical casual fans call McDavid and Matthews 'bad at defense'. Auston Matthews leads the league in takeaways (a defensive stat), goals obviously; and what's a primary stat when describing a 'two way player'...faceofffs. Ya, Matthews is also ahead of Barkov in faceoff wins % this season. Connor McDavid led the league in takeaways his first 3 seasons, which has never been before in NHL history. Both McDavid and Draisaitl have more takeaways than Barkov this season, and obviously they're dominating the league offensively, again. Their defensive games are actually quite elite, but people rub it off just because they're so gifted offensively. The stigma automatically becomes, oh, then they must be bad defense. Such a simpleton train of thought
@@gambl0r Maybe next time watch the games and read less statistics. McDavid has a elite defence game? :D how many times he loses puck in a game? 5? 10?
You just have to look at the play and pass he made yesterday (4/17/22) against Detroit short-handed. Steals the puck in the neutral zone, out muscles the defender, drives to the net with the defender harrassing him and makes a between the legs, back pass to Lundell who scores. Absolutely insane and elite-level play. Check it out here at the 4:54 mark ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oDPf6N5qI5k.html
I've been saying this for months now. The worst place to be in hockey is as a d-man with the puck in your own end when Barkov comes at you. He's snatching pucks like it's nothing. I'm really, really hoping the Panthers win the cup. Then Barkov would already make a case for HOF.
You are absolutely right. Bobs last games have been horrendous to watch. I mean his mind and focus really aren't in the game. I truly hope he gets his shit together.
He is that kind of a player that wins you cups. Matthews isn't like that. Ryan O'Reilly was kind of similar player when Blues won the cup and therefore ROR>Matthews to this day. Let's see if Barkov or Matthews can carry their teams in the playoffs this year.
Lol comparing Ryan O'Reilly to Matthews is just hillarious. Matthews is the best player itw and has played a lot better overall game than Barkov. His defensive stats are higher and just look at the points he produces... And this is coming from a Barkov fan.
@@SuperAwesomeEdits :DDDD how many cups has Matthews got on a stacked leafs team? I see only chokes. Cups are the only thing that matters. But you saying that Matthews' overall game being better than Barkov's just proved you are completely biased.
@@stidudiiduri lmao yea, gpg, ppg, takeaways/giveaways -ratio, advanced stats all favor Matthews against Barkov. Lol you say that only cups matter so at the moment both, Sasha and Matthews are worse players than Alex Steen (1cup) for example. The cups are 0-0 between the two I believe. If you want to say that the cups in a team sport are the determining factor, then why are you comparing their teammates? Doesn't really make sense does it?
@@SuperAwesomeEdits yeah because you sounded like points are the only thing that matters. Like 90% north americans. You get what i mean with the cups. I mean star players that carry their team in the playoffs like ROR did. Point is a another example of that kind of a player. Barkov - Matthews 0-0 atm, lets get back to this conversation when playoffs are over and see if other player takes an advantage.
Caps fan here… series is 2-1 as i comment, but barkov seems like the biggest threat on the ice of all players. His size makes him hard to push off the puck, his skill makes him a poor choice to reach with a poke check, and his wrist shot looks deceiving and lethal. Definitely deserves a top 10 in league mention for forwards
attention from who though? I don't understand what people mean by this. Like the NHL network tv channel? I see plenty about Barkov on youtube and forums.
Best player in Florida AINEC. He is elite in both sides of ice. Not just another elite defensive guy with solid point production, but elite offensive and elite defensive in the same package. So yeah datsyuk in that mind is definitely the right comparasion, plus barkov has great hands as well like Datsyuk had. But he has better size and strenght than Datsyuk. He can just protect the puck and not fall in so many situations. And he has maybe also better speed than datsyuk but at least the same
Listen here the Florida Panthers haven't drawn that much until this year the Tampa Bay Lightning has drawn more fans and years that they even haven't made the Stanley Cup a built-in fan base is what it's all about bafora Panthers don't have that luxury
Great video, well done. The whole team has really come into their own. Mason Marchment is diamond in the rough. Lots of talent, great goaltending, and most of them are young and still getting better! Let's go Panthers!
Just came across your channel and as a fellow finn like barkov, content and recognition like this brings me joy! Great stuff and keep it up, you deserve a bigger audience
he'll never get the respect he deserves unless he leaves florida (which i don't think he wants to do). he's so much more well-rounded a player than players like matthews, mackinnon, etc. plus he seems like such a stand-up guy in the way he deals with the media and fans.
@@DropthePuckHockey he gave an interview once and talked about how in boca raton, being the captain of an NHL hockey team doesn’t impress the ladies much 🤣
Amazing hands and skill. But looking at the number of games he plays each season... playing only 80% in the season and not showing up for 20% of all the games means that he will never make as big an impact as healthy superstars do.
I still don't think there will ever be another pavel. All his goals were high light reels. Dude had a magnet stick to that puck. It was insane to watch.
"And while he's no longer underrated, he still deserves more recognition..." So while he's no longer underrated, he's still underrated? And he is. But I don't understand this narrative around the word "underrated". He has always been underrated, and he continues to be underrated. The fact that he's slightly less underrated now doesn't change that fact. He's one of the best players in the league, but never gets mentioned as such. So by the very definition of the word, he's underrated.
The guy literally doesn’t take open net goals even if he’s wide open by himself. He will pass it off to his teammates. He’s openly said he wont take an empty netter. He passed one off a few games ago wide open. That says all you need to know about him.
As a leaf fan I would absolutely take Barkov over Tavares or Marner. Not Matthews thou that dude is fire. I've told people for years Barkov is a absolute beast.
It's so difficult to compare players who are similar in some ways but different in others. I think the video was generally on point, but of course you have to remember that Datsyuk is over four inches shorter than Barkov, and many of the moves he makes seem a little flashier and more agile as a consequence. I agree that Barkov still has some way to go before we can truly compare him to a legend like Datsyuk, but the similarities are there. And Sasha still has plenty of time to establish himself as a legend in the league.
