THE MOST COMMON CURVES IN THE NHL
Currently dominating the NHL, by far, is the P92/P29 curve. It is a staple of the game as it is the best all-around Passing, shooting and stick handeling. It does them all well. We see both forwards and defence using this curve. The fastest growing curve with the next generation of players is the P28. I will give an honourable mention to the new Zegras curve as we've been seeing a lot of players experimenting with it. The P90 and P90TM are seen fairly regularly but are still in the minority. The P88 is almost dead at this point so are the heel curves like the P91A and square toe curves like the P02.
WHY IS EVERYONE USING TOE CURVES NOW?
The dead-puck era is over. Goalie save% has fallen every single year. This can be attributed to stick technology directly. Flex I would argue was most important in this, as it greatly improved power and release speed. The curve changes were also crucial to this. A heel curve, you strike the puck at the heel. A mid curve, you strike the puck in the middle of your blade. A toe curve, you strike with the toe of your blade. The distance travel here matters. The more time that puck is on your blade, the slower your release, the more time a defending player can break up your play and the more time a goalie has to track and react. We do not advise anyone to use these old-school curves like the very flat P91A curve for this very reason. Your release will suck compared to using a modern curve. We still see some hold outs in the NHL using P88's but that curve dies a bit more each year and we see practically no up and coming stars using it.
SHOULD I USE A P28?
Don't be fooled by the name "McDavid Curve" he doesn't use it. He's used a custom variation in the past but not the retail version, he's also used a P29. Jack Eichel does use a P28 and rising stars on Team Canada like Gavin McKenna and Porter Martone are using it as well. Not many defence are using it but Morgan Reilly is. We advise the curve for players who are shooting in tight, looking for the absolute fastest release and looking to tuck it under the crossbar from in tight. Should you use this curve? If you're saucing the puck a lot, picking corners in tight, toe-dragging around the other team, sure, use it. It's a great option. For everyone else, I think there are better options.
SHOULD I USE A P29/P92?
Sidney Crosby, Mitch Marner and Connor Bedard all use this curve and Connor McDavid has a pro mod version he uses. It truly is the best across the board. Shots insight might be slightly less punchy than a P28 but a P28 suffers on passing, back hands and shots from distance. All things a P29/P92 excels at. Devon Toews and Charlie McAvoy are also using this curve. My answer us almost universal, yes, you should use this curve.
SHOULD I USE A HEEL CURVE?
Come on Peter Pan, this isn't Never Land. Let go of the past. This isn't Nick Lidstrom's golden era. Stop using PM9's, P91A's, P106, P02's or anything else that's a heel curve. The game has changed. Your passing, shooting, stick handeling are all suffering. To me it's like asking "Should I use a wood hockey stick?" of course you shouldn't. You can, but if you do you're holding your game back for absolutely no reason.
SHOULD I USE A P88 CURVE?
You can, I just don't recommend it. How's this, it's called the Kane curve and Patty Kane didn't even use it, that should be convincing enough. Every year in the NHL less and less players are using it. I'm actually shocked it's still being produced for retail and my prediction is that in a few years they will stop making the P88 retail and swap it out for a Zegras curve. A mid curve isn't as bad as a heel curve, but you're half way to a toe curve, just go all the way. You shed some of the negative attributes of a heel curve but you don't get all the benefits of a toe curve. It's not awful, but it's not great.
SHOULD I USE A CUSTOM CURVE?
So, if you want a reliable, consistent curve- don't buy a custom-pro-only curve. Why? Because when you inevitably break your stick, and when you do, good like finding the same curve again! Now, if you're either willing to buy them in bulk, are patient enough to wait for one to come back up on the market, or just aren't picky and don't mind changing specs slightly- no problem! Buy that crazy custom curve.
WHAT ABOUT P90, P90T, P90TM AND OTHERS?
Jamie Benn famously uses a P90T. Any mid-toe to toe curve should be fine. These curves share a lot of foundational elements with a P29 or a P28 so we're really talking about shades-of-grey here. If you like the small variation they off, totally fine.
SHOULD I GET A MAX HEIGHT BLADE?
I see lots of players switching to max height. A standard P28 is so short, a lot of pros I talk to say they like that extra bit of height to stop pucks from bouncing over their blade as well as for redirects and tipping. In general I'm seeing a lot of centre's wanting the extra height on face-offs and defence, such as Morgan Reilly, wanting the extra height for bouncing pucks coming to them on the point. Though they are not necessary, they can be a great option. Some players say they don't like the balance or the feel, but I usually find that to be the very picky players who are very dialled into exact specs. The max heights are certainly worth considering.
