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Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Winnipeg Jets rookie Patrik Laine should compete out west for years to come. Andy Devlin/Getty Images

The individual rivalries the NHL should promote

By Yardbarker Staff | Last updated 11/25/16

For the past decade, NHL marketing has thrived on the individual rivalry between superstars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, and rightfully so. It began from day one in the league for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals captains, dueling it out for Rookie of the Year and continuing to chase Stanley Cups and Hart Trophies between them. Yet, the NHL recently stated it will no longer market individual rivalries because hockey is a "team sport."

To that, we say, "Bah, humbug!" (Yes, it's that time of year now.) Welcome to the final Yardbarker NHL roundtable of the week, where our panelists take the time to share the individual matchups the NHL should promote.

In defiance of the NHL's decision on marketing individual rivalries, what head-to-head matchup would you promote if you were the NHL, outside of Crosby-Ovechkin?

Chelena Goldman: Bah humbug, indeed. With so much great talent in the league right now, and plenty of players that want to take a swing at each other, there should be head-to-heads galore getting promoted.

I've personally been over the Crosby-Ovechkin hoopla for some time now. I'm looking forward to many years of Patrik Laine vs. whatever-other-youngster, since Laine is both an explosive player and engaging personality to watch. I also want to see the next several times that the Leafs and Canucks get pushed as the goalie-on-goalie matchup as an homage to Frederik Andersen skating the length of the ice to take on Ryan Miller.

Laura Saba: There are so many options nowadays with the NHL's younger players. You could take any two of, say, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Patrik Laine or William Nylander, and promote a rivalry between them. Well, maybe not Matthews and Nylander, but you get the idea. It's just an absolute joy to watch them all play. You could probably still include players like Nathan MacKinnon in that group as well — slightly more experienced but still with his prime ahead of him.

Joe Boland: It's easy to say Patrik Laine-Auston Matthews, but I'm going in a completely different direction. If I had my druthers, the NHL would market Radko Gudas vs. Phil Kessel. Why? Because neither looks like a hockey player, which could potentially cause people who look just like them to pick up a stick and learn how to play puck.

Jason Clinkscales: On its face, the concept around this idea is absurd, but there is a challenge in that recent player movement has leveled out some rivalries. So Matthews vs. McDavid will be a popular pick, and rightfully so. Yet, I’d love to see a potential rivalry of P.K. Subban versus anyone his former team in Montreal deems to be "the guy" as long as Subban plays in the league. Sure, Shea Weber has been fantastic for the Canadiens, but the bond that Subban forged with that fan base was so strong that even non-hockey fans were angry about this summer’s trade to Nashville. He may not directly admit to wanting revenge, but a ticked-off Subban would be a great watch when he makes his return to Montreal on March 2 and could be for years to come, if the scheduling gods allow.

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