Poll of nearly 500 NHLers reveals who the players think is the world's best goal scorer

The NHL Players Association (NHLPA) has released its annual anonymous player poll in which the players are asked a variety of questions about their peers like:

Who is the best defenceman?

Who is the best goaltender?

Who is the most complete player?

Who is the best stick-handler?

Who is the best passer?

What I'm most interested in though is who NHL players think is the best goal scorer in the world?

The top two choices may not surprise you, but chances are the order of #1 and #2 just might.

46% of NHL players polled chose Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews as the league's best goal scorer, while 33% chose Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. Boston Bruins sniper David Pastrnak and Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid split about 10% of the remaining ballots. 

Check it out:

I've got to say that that's a bit surprising to me.

Not because Matthews isn't a supreme talent, but because I would have guessed with 100% certainty that the players would have chosen Ovechkin. By the pure numbers this season Matthews is the NHL's best goal scorer and it's not even close. He managed 41 goals in 52 games. Ovechkin, by comparison, managed just 24 goals in 45 games. For what it's worth McDavid had 33 goals in 56 games and Pastrnak had 20 in 48 games. 

So, it's not exactly like Matthews pulled off an upset with this vote but it's not exactly a secret that the players tend to go with historical data and "go with their gut" on decisions like this, and that's why I figured Ovechkin would win out. I mean, the guy is arguably the greatest pure goal scorer in NHL history. He's 6th all-time leading goal scorer in NHL history and will almost certainly move into the top 4 or maybe even top 3 this next season. He's just 11 goals shy of Brett Hull for 4th all-time and 26 goals shy of Jaromir Jagr for 3rd all-time. The watch is on for Ovechkin to potentially pass The Great One Wayne Gretzky as the all-time leader in goals scored. Ovi is 164 goals shy of Gretzky for top spot and could conceivably pass him if he keeps up his current level of production for the next five years.

Matthews looks to be on a similar trajectory and I'm excited to see the heights that he can reach, but he's got a long way until he's in the conversation with names like Ovechkin, Hull, Jagr and Gretzky.