Most of our lists only have 11 players, but this list needed an extra spot to fit in a dirty dangler who could not be left off the list:
11. B) Anze Kopitar
Anze Kopitar does not have the speed of most the players on this list but he sure has the moves to put him on it, playing similar to a Malkin-Lite with his shoulders and dekes (I was gonna say Mini-Malkin before realizing he has over 20 pounds on Malkin) he makes highlight reals everywhere and almost every night, even when Anze has a goalless night you have been entertained, here's to Slovenia's best and only.
11. A) Alexander Semin
Alexander Semin is "The Other Alex" in DC and "Alexander The Great" wherever he goes in free agency this summer, and hopefully he goes back to his dangling ways for whoever drops a ridiculous amount of money on him this year, Semin is a great talent but doesn't seem to care (kinda like Alexei Kovalev not to long ago, and Alexander Mogilny before that, hmmmm I'm definitely not naming my kid Alex...) If he can get it together he will stay one of the dirtiest danglers and funnest players to watch.
10. John Tavares
Tavares is one of the best danglers in the league after only 3 years, and with his lack of speed (as opposed to super speedy dangler from the same draft class as Tavares) he needs to have some slick moves to score his goals this year, and it helped him make the leap from good player to great player this year, with him deking players left and right the Isles have something to have fun with.
9. Rick Nash
Tell me Rick Nash does not deserve to be on this list, I DARE you... Rick Nash is on this list and for good reason, he would be way higher if not for his obvious slowing down lately and others speeding up in terms of deking, but he still has some great moves and once he is rejuvenated he will be up there once again.
8. Tyler Seguin
Tyler Seguin made a living in the WHL by deking then passing to an open man for a wrister, but now that he's in the NHL he is making a living off of his burst of speed, then undressing the last defender and goalie (or his beauty wrister which makes goalies look just as bad, or his one timers). Seguin has deked many in just two years on his way to a cup, and become the Bruins best offensive contributor, not to mention he has a great shootout percentage after taking many shots in his career so far.
7. Patrick Kane
Patty Kane has been spinning defenders and showing off his sick hands since the day he came to the show, and had recently surfaced as everyone's choice for best hands (as they were tired of saying Datsyuk) and still is the choice for many (Well until number two on this list emerged).
6. Claude Giroux
Giroux emerged this year as a franchise player and picked up where he left off last year turning defenders inside out, with his very very quick dekes from side to side, and many other moves.
5. Alexander Ovechkin
Ovechkin has done everything from a simple quick deke to an off the boards pass to him self in the middle of a spin move to scoring while rolling over on the ice after deking a defender, what more is there for him to do.
4. Sidney Crosby
"Sid the Kid" isn't really a kid anymore, in fact should be entering his career peak, but injuries have held him back a little bit, despite the injuries he has remained a flawless skater and amazing dangler, putting top d-men to shame regularly and then doing it all over again.
3. Evgeni Malkin
Malkin is a great deker and as close as anyone to number 2, too bad it's still not very close but whatever... Back to Malkin, Malkin goes to the net with an aggressive mix of shoulders and dekes (in a similar way to how Peter Forsberg did back in the day), and it seems to work amazingly, if I had to have a shootout with players in the league right now Malkin would be in my top three picks for sure.
2. Matt Duchene
The day Datsyuk retires Matt Duchene is the "Dangling King" and it doesn't seem like it will be close, Matt Duchene has faked more defenders in his 2 and some change years than most players do in a lifetime, having more than 3 goals up for goal of the year talk and some of the dirtiest dekes I have seen in a while.
1. Pavel Datsyuk
Datsyuk is widely considered the greatest dangler of all-time, and to even be considered that you have to be close, and even if he wasn't he is untouchable in the game today.
11. B) Anze Kopitar
Anze Kopitar does not have the speed of most the players on this list but he sure has the moves to put him on it, playing similar to a Malkin-Lite with his shoulders and dekes (I was gonna say Mini-Malkin before realizing he has over 20 pounds on Malkin) he makes highlight reals everywhere and almost every night, even when Anze has a goalless night you have been entertained, here's to Slovenia's best and only.
11. A) Alexander Semin
Alexander Semin is "The Other Alex" in DC and "Alexander The Great" wherever he goes in free agency this summer, and hopefully he goes back to his dangling ways for whoever drops a ridiculous amount of money on him this year, Semin is a great talent but doesn't seem to care (kinda like Alexei Kovalev not to long ago, and Alexander Mogilny before that, hmmmm I'm definitely not naming my kid Alex...) If he can get it together he will stay one of the dirtiest danglers and funnest players to watch.
10. John Tavares
Tavares is one of the best danglers in the league after only 3 years, and with his lack of speed (as opposed to super speedy dangler from the same draft class as Tavares) he needs to have some slick moves to score his goals this year, and it helped him make the leap from good player to great player this year, with him deking players left and right the Isles have something to have fun with.
9. Rick Nash
Tell me Rick Nash does not deserve to be on this list, I DARE you... Rick Nash is on this list and for good reason, he would be way higher if not for his obvious slowing down lately and others speeding up in terms of deking, but he still has some great moves and once he is rejuvenated he will be up there once again.
8. Tyler Seguin
Tyler Seguin made a living in the WHL by deking then passing to an open man for a wrister, but now that he's in the NHL he is making a living off of his burst of speed, then undressing the last defender and goalie (or his beauty wrister which makes goalies look just as bad, or his one timers). Seguin has deked many in just two years on his way to a cup, and become the Bruins best offensive contributor, not to mention he has a great shootout percentage after taking many shots in his career so far.
7. Patrick Kane
Patty Kane has been spinning defenders and showing off his sick hands since the day he came to the show, and had recently surfaced as everyone's choice for best hands (as they were tired of saying Datsyuk) and still is the choice for many (Well until number two on this list emerged).
6. Claude Giroux
Giroux emerged this year as a franchise player and picked up where he left off last year turning defenders inside out, with his very very quick dekes from side to side, and many other moves.
5. Alexander Ovechkin
Ovechkin has done everything from a simple quick deke to an off the boards pass to him self in the middle of a spin move to scoring while rolling over on the ice after deking a defender, what more is there for him to do.
4. Sidney Crosby
"Sid the Kid" isn't really a kid anymore, in fact should be entering his career peak, but injuries have held him back a little bit, despite the injuries he has remained a flawless skater and amazing dangler, putting top d-men to shame regularly and then doing it all over again.
3. Evgeni Malkin
Malkin is a great deker and as close as anyone to number 2, too bad it's still not very close but whatever... Back to Malkin, Malkin goes to the net with an aggressive mix of shoulders and dekes (in a similar way to how Peter Forsberg did back in the day), and it seems to work amazingly, if I had to have a shootout with players in the league right now Malkin would be in my top three picks for sure.
2. Matt Duchene
The day Datsyuk retires Matt Duchene is the "Dangling King" and it doesn't seem like it will be close, Matt Duchene has faked more defenders in his 2 and some change years than most players do in a lifetime, having more than 3 goals up for goal of the year talk and some of the dirtiest dekes I have seen in a while.
1. Pavel Datsyuk
Datsyuk is widely considered the greatest dangler of all-time, and to even be considered that you have to be close, and even if he wasn't he is untouchable in the game today.
