Quoting: Radu47
He might be the best combination of playmaking and finishing (still nah tho) but I can think of many better playmakers from the past 15 years like...
Backstrom there ^
Sid
Geno
Barzal
Joey Thornts
Henrik Sedin
Getzlaf
Connor McDavid naturally
Foppa
Datsyuk
Mario was technically active 15 years ago lol 🤷♂️
😐
If we look at assists per game played, Kane is #32 all-time. Among active players only behind McDavid, Malkin, Crosby, Backstrom, and Panarin; Thornton is not far behind. Assists alone doesn't tell the whole story but it's a good starting point.
If we look at adjusted assists all-time Kane is #25 and among active players, Kane is #3 only behind Crosby and Thornton.
Now departure from stats which gives a good indication but not the full story, Kane is the most creative playmaker in the last 15 years. He literally changed the way scouts and coaches view size, creativeness, puck handling abilities, and being able to create something from nothing (playmaker). (McDavid and Matthews are doing that in this generation). Very few players are generational talents like Crosby, Kane, Ovy, etc. for different reasons as their games all very. I guess it boils down to what one's definition of playmaking is?
If you add to the fact he never had a dynamic duo on line with consistency for most of his career I'd argue Kane is in the discussion for the most effective playmaker in during that time. Example: Kane has played with 18 different centers in the league, most of which are average at best when he played with them...that puts a lot into perspective. On the opposite wing the biggest name he played with at any consistency was Panarin for 2 seasons, but outside of that nobody was consistent. Coach Q and now JC like(d) to pair Kane up with either budding stars to jump start their careers (Panarin, Debrincat), or average players to elevate their effectiveness.
Obviously Crosby is better then Kane as example, but is he a better playmaker when considering what I shared? Is Thornton? Hard to answer objectively but see objective arguments can be made for all these top guys over the last 15 years.