r/NHLHUT•10 yr. ago

Base Toews Review

Other

So I've decided to make this a weekly Friday thing(next week might be tough though) just got a break between studying for Finals so with the most votes on my last post Toews is gets the nod for this week.

Line: Seguin-Toews-Kane

Skating 9/10 Toews is a faster skater than you'd expect, and moves very well for bigger guy at 6'2. I'd say that his speed is a notch below Seguin around the Datsyuk area. What puts him at a 9, despite lacking the speed of Seguin is his strength, very similar to Datsyuk, he doesn't get knocked off the puck easily, his strength and size ensure that he doesn't get phased by little bumps, and that him getting lit up will only happen on a mistimed deke.

Shooting 8.5/10 Toews has a very solid shot, he gets a lot of power behind it and can be utilized both on the rush and in-zone. I find that his slapshot is less useful than his wristshot, he has a quick release which can be helpful when there isn't much space and you have a defender on you. His accuracy is what I notice the most, I find him to pick corners very proficiently, try to find him for short side snipes, but he can crank home a one-timer when he's in position.

Hands 9/10 Toews has very smooth hands, he can perform all the dekes in the game well without losing the puck. The one knock on his hands is that he doesn't execute as quickly as a Datsyuk or Kane, which isn't problematic if you are aware with what you're dealing with. his puck control is elite, it is tough to lose the puck when he has the puck, if a stick check isn't clean enough, or a hit doesn't land properly, he will maintain possession. His passing is very good, he can make the simple passes with ease and can occasionally thread through multiple players.

Checking 8.5/10 Toews is very good when facing contact, as said before his strength helps him a ton and his size gives him a boost in that regard, he's good at going after pucks in the corner because of this, and forechecks well because of this. He can force turnovers with his checking ability, and sometimes bully smaller players.

Defense 10/10 Probably the most complete defensive forward I've used in this game. His face-offs are very strong, he rivals Bergeron in this regard. His stick checking as a whole lands very often, he strips the puck and creates offensive chances in this manner. He takes some penalties, but not a noticeable amount by any means. I can always count on Toews to be in position, he will intercept the puck if he is in the passing lane at all.

Overall...Toews is the most complete player I've used in this game, he can do it all, he's offensively great, he's by no means a Kane, or Ovi, but he has the skating shooting and hands to to create multiple chances a game. His physical play is stronger than most with his offensive ability, allowing more maneuverability when it comes to dragging him into corners to fight for loose pucks. His defense is almost unparalleled in this game, I'd probably only place Datsyuk and Bergeron within his class, but I'd put Toews at the top for sure. His versatility gives you options, he can play on the first line just as easily as he can play on the 4th line of a super team, if you have the coin I'd highly recommend you give him a try.

Comment which of these guys you'd like to see next, I'd love to be able to make a concrete decision based on your input. I'll probably post it sometime next weekend because finals week, but I'm looking forward to it.

(All Base)

Kane

Malkin

Bergeron

Pavelski

Zetterberg

Kesler

T. Johnson

JVR

Keith

Subban

Suter