Hockey fans are constantly involved in arguments over who the best player in the league is, or which player has the best shot, but according to math, the Chicago Blackhawks have the best shooter in the entire league.
That math, done by Travis Yost of TSN, shows that Patrick Kane is the most deadly shooter in the entire league. The Blackhawks star, long known as having one of the league’s best and most accurate wrist shots, best combines shot volume and shot accuracy, making him the best shooter in the league according to Yost’s analysis.
Incredibly, Kane outpaces the league by quite a bit. In data pulled from the last three seasons, Kane has 29.19 goals above expected, outpacing Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov by over 10 goals. St. Louis’ Vladimir Tarasenko, San Jose’s Brent Burns, and Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos round out the top five in the rankings.
The statistics were compiled by combining how many shots a player averages at even strength per game, and how many goals they score per every 100 shots that they take. Kane doesn’t take a lot of shots at even strength, not even landing in the 15 on Yost’s ranking, but he’s incredibly accurate, scoring 3.91 goals per 100 shots that he takes.
Only one other Blackhawks player appears on any of the lists, as Patrick Sharp averages 3.17 even strength shots per game, placing him in a tie for 14th in the league.
