Kane, Pastrnak, Burns choices for top current player to wear No. 88

Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 is retired throughout the NHL not only because he is considered the greatest player in League history, but because the number and his name are synonymous.

Though there is no debate over the best player to wear that number, there are 98 other numbers with more than one worthy candidate. That is where the "NHL's Who Wore It Best?" comes in.

NHL.com writers and editors have cast their votes, each selecting his or her top three for each number, with the top vote-getter receiving five points, second place getting three points and third place one point. Candidates will be debated, and the winners revealed, in a weekly, five-part series first airing on Sportsnet, NHL.com and League platforms each Friday at 5 p.m. ET, and re-airing each Tuesday on NBCSN (5 p.m. ET) and NHL Network (6:30 p.m. ET). NHL.com will provide the list of winners each Friday at 5:30 p.m ET following the premiere of each episode, beginning this week.

Each Tuesday on NHL.com, selected writers will each make his or her case for which player in the history of League wore a certain number best. Each Friday, in a companion piece, the debate will center on current players.

Today, the discussion focuses on the best current player to wear No. 88.

Tracey Myers, staff writer

After watching Patrick Kane in person since the start of the 2010-11 NHL season, I'm a bit biased here. When I think of No. 88, I think of the razzle-dazzle, the ability to make plays from anywhere and the spin-o-rama (even though Kane doesn't do it as much as he used to) that all combine to define the Chicago Blackhawks forward. And of course, I also think of those three Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015, and the fact that Kane was voted the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as Stanley Cup Playoff MVP in 2013 and the Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP in 2016.

Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

If you're looking for razzle-dazzle, Tracey, have I got a No. 88 for you! It's not Kane, it's David Pastrnak. Though the 23-year-old Boston Bruins forward, in his sixth NHL season, doesn't have the career stats or legacy of Kane, he does have 379 points (180 goals, 199 assists) in 390 games. Through Kane's first five seasons (399 games), he had 369 points (126 goals, 243 assists), making the two players roughly equivalent at the same point in their NHL careers, though Kane already had one Stanley Cup championship to his name. So I'm taking the future bet: Pastrnak is my No. 88.

Tim Campbell, staff writer

I'll see your razzle-dazzle and raise you a flatten-you-in-the-blink-of-an-eye in our game of who measures up in the No. 88 debate. I'm advocating for the only defenseman in the mix here, Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks, so it's not apples to apples if we're going to examine the numbers. But what Burns has done for the Sharks since the start of the 2011-12 season, when he started wearing 88 after a run with No. 8 at the start of his NHL career with the Minnesota Wild, is an elite blend. At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, he moves about the ice with ease. Burns can lean into a shot as easily as he leans into an opponent, and sometimes you can't tell which he'll do next. The 35-year-old can have a huge impact on an entire game.

Benjamin

I think we can agree that all three players are great. But I'm going on potential. Two years ago, I spoke with Petr Klima, a fellow Czech who played in the NHL. He told me of Pastrnak, "I think he's going to be the next [Jaromir] Jagr if he continues [like this]." And Jagr's name is not dropped lightly by those from Czech Republic. Two years later, Pastrnak -- tied for the NHL goals lead (48) with Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals when the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus -- is making good on all that potential and all that talent, and he's truly poised to be one of the best scorers in the League for a long time, especially as he continues to work on his defensive game.

Campbell

Potential is cool with me, but I'm going to stay in the present for the best 88 in the game today. I believe the unique abilities Burns brings qualify him for that honor. He has 511 points (155 goals, 356 assists) in 660 games wearing No. 88, a total topped only by one defenseman in that span: teammate Erik Karlsson (532). Burns has averaged more than 25 minutes per game in three of the past four seasons and is at 25:25 this season. He's hard to game-plan against because he's unpredictable, and his talent is well documented: he was voted the Norris Trophy winner in 2016-17 as the NHL's best defenseman, and has been selected to the NHL First All-Star Team twice (2016-17, 2018-19) and the Second All-Star Team once (2015-16).

Myers

Absolutely, this is a debate featuring three great 88s, but I'm staying in the present too. Kane has 1,022 points (389 goals, 633 assists) in 973 NHL games, all with the Blackhawks, all wearing No. 88. At 31, he is showing no signs of slowing down, having scored 84 points (33 goals, 51 assists) in 70 games this season. He's still a constant threat on the ice. Defensemen can't play too close or he'll go around them, and they can't give him space either because he'll beat you that way too. With all due respect to others wearing 88, Kane is still the best.