It’s what he did in the half-decade after that, when his Penguins era seemed to have run its course, the captain turning trade chatter into back-to-back Stanley Cups, and back-to-back Conn Smythe trophies. And over the past two campaigns, it’s what Crosby’s done again, putting up a pair of 90-point seasons — and the third-best goal-scoring effort of his career — as he approaches his 40s. He’s upped the ante even more of late, growing into peak form over the past two seasons with a pair of 100-point campaigns and 97 goals over that span, too. In that two-year stretch, only two wingers in the league have managed to outscore Rantanen, and only one’s managed to rack up more goals than the Colorado stalwart. Now, entering the final year of his contract, all eyes will be on whether the Avs and the veteran Finn can agree on a deal that keeps him in Denver long-term. There is a legitimate argument to have Auston Matthews as high as number two on this list.
Fantasy hockey rankings, picks, 2024 season simulation
Skinner was even benched for two games during Edmonton’s second-round meeting with the Vancouver Canucks. Apparently, that time to clear his head worked because Skinner was exceptional in the Western Conference Final, boasting a .922 save percentage and 0.45 goals saved above average. With former Bruins star Patrice Bergeron out of the league, you can easily argue that Barkov is the best two-way center in the game. He’s dominant down low, he excels in the faceoff dot, he’s incredibly skilled offensively, and he is an absolute pain to play against defensively.
- At one point, he was looked at as a fairly good scoring center who was horrible defensively, but under Rick Tocchet, his game has become very well-rounded.
- He also has great puck skills and can make great passes or dekes while at his remarkable top speed.
- After getting his first full season under his belt, Byfield’s 55 points and his superstar projections earned him a big contract that will allow the LA Kings to plan ahead and have him as a staple in their top-six group.
- It’s becoming increasingly common to see NHL defenders succeed through puck skills and clever positioning rather than simply through physicality and I think Buium could fit that mold.
- He absolutely tore up the top junior league in Russia and was excellent in the second-tier professional league in Russia as well (VHL).
- Despite missing nearly all of his draft-1 season to injury, Michael Hage has established himself as a high end prospect, and was drafted 21st overall.
- Unger Sörum is an excellent playmaker, regularly feathering passes to teammates through traffic.
Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers
He’s a massive power forward (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) who is incredibly quick and difficult to knock off the puck. His size advantage is part of what makes him a nearly immovable object in the WHL, but he also has great hands, a strong shot, and really good puck protection instincts. His defensive game has looked significantly improved over the years and I think his offensive totals would have earned him a bit more attention this season if he hadn’t dealt with consecutive finger and back injuries. Logan Stankoven is a fearless competitor who is willing to make tough, physical plays and isn’t shy about throwing his body around either. He played full time in the AHL last season for the Texas Stars and looked dominant as a first year pro. Not only did he scoring more than every other top prospect in that league in his time there, but he was actually the leading scorer for the entire league in January before earning a run of play in the NHL.
Jake Guentzel, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins
He has all the talent and the résumé to prove he can have a breakout year and become a core piece of the Flames’ future. Throughout Florida’s Stanley Cup run in 2023, Matthew Tkachuk constantly rose to the occasion, and nothing has changed this time around. Tkachuk currently leads the Panthers in points (19) during the Stanley Cup Playoffs with five goals and a team-high 14 assists. The veteran forward has thrived on the power-play throughout the postseason with a team-high six power-play assists thus far. Tkachuk plays with an ample amount of physicality, and will likely do his best to get under the skin of the opposition. He also has no problem making his living around the net on the offensive end of the ice.
Wild, Sabres among potential breakouts
No, for Pastrnak, it was never a question of how high he might reach — it was simply whether his success was a product of his environment or whether that environment was a product of him. In one sense, it’s no surprise Sidney Crosby remains among the game’s best, even after all these years. In another, it is a signature achievement, one more in an absurdly long line of them, that the Pittsburgh Penguins captain has managed to stay at this level for this long. No. 87 has made a habit of authoring resurgent campaigns just when the hockey world begins to write him off. It’s what he did when injuries threatened to derail him early in his big-league tenure, Crosby eventually returning with a century season that earned him his second Art Ross.
- He has a strong physical presence, and over each of the past five seasons, has earned votes for the Norris Trophy.
- If they’re a solid defensive team and have a robust and deep offense, average goaltending should get this team into the NCAA Tournament.
- This feels like the right level of competition for him right now, challenging enough that he’s not going to score two points each night but manageable enough for him to be one of the best players on his team.
- On top of that, Noah Dobson led the Islanders defense in scoring by a significant margin of over 40 points.
- Last season, Makar became the second-fastest defenseman to reach 300 career points, and he did so in just 280 games.
- It’s not just that he can walk in, square up, and wire pucks past the league’s best like it’s nothing.
Owen Power, D, Buffalo Sabres
He is a very intelligent offensive player and can make these great reads and plays at full speed. Catton was phenomenal for Team Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup a year ago as well where he scored 10 points in just five games while captaining Canada to the gold medal. I think his offensive versatility and his potential while attacking off the rush will make him an excellent addition for the Kraken.
McDavid, MacKinnon lead top 10 players
As great as the Oilers are on offense, they do need to play some defense to win the Stanley Cup. Since joining Edmonton ahead of the 2023 trade deadline, Ekholm has provided some much needed stability on defense, and he has elevated his game in these playoffs. In his 321 minutes of ice time at five-on-five, the Oilers have controlled 57.2% of the expected goals and outscored opponents 19-11, per Natural Stat Trick. Those numbers are even more eye-popping when you consider Ekholm is tasked with slowing down the opposition’s top forwards. It’s probably safe to assume that Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe will get a heavy dose of Ekholm in this series. Artyom Levshunov has an incredibly exciting toolkit as a big, right-handed defender who skates incredibly well.
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
He can break up plays, make a brilliant break-out pass, carry the puck on his own, and work wonders in the offensive zone. There is an argument for the best defenseman behind Makar, but after the season he just had, having Hughes here makes sense. Adam Fox is one of the best defensemen in the game, and on top of his offensive skills, he has great defending skills as well.
Ranking NHL’s Top 50 players for 2023-24 season
He’s still incredibly young, having been born just two days before the cutoff for the 2024 Draft, so there’s a ton of runway for him to develop into an effective player. David Pastrnak seemed destined for greatness from the jump, making his presence known with a 35-goal campaign just three years into his NHL career. At 23, he took it one step further, winning the Rocket Richard with a 48-goal, 95-point outburst, and earning the first Hart Trophy votes of his career, too. Just a few years after that, he was sniping 60 — joining one of the most exclusive goal-scoring clubs in the modern NHL — while topping 100 points for the first time and collecting his first Hart nomination.
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Florida will no doubt try to lay the lumber on Edmonton’s stars, but Draisaitl has a unique knack for getting the puck in the net one way or another. Demidov isn’t quite at the same level as top 2023 Draft prospect Matvei Michkov, but he is a legit top-end talent who has clear top-line potential in the NHL. One thing he and Michkov have in common is a difficulty earning minutes in the KHL as a draft eligible player. Demidov sat out many games to start the year and played full time in the MHL for the rest of the season.
He is among the best wingers in the league, he has the skating and speed to compete with anybody and adds a physical element to his game to help with puck retrievals. In his very young career, Jason Robertson wasted no time getting himself on the award ballots. In just four seasons in the NHL, he has a second-place finish in Calder voting and has already earned votes for each of the Hart, Lady Byng, and Selke Trophies twice. He is a goal-scoring winger with high-end defensive play and has been one of the most important players on a Dallas Stars team with high aspirations. After his time in Buffalo came to an end, his fresh start with the Golden Knights has been very promising.
- The young trio of Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund, and Smith will give Sharks fans a really great view at the bright future the team is building, especially at forward.
- The combination of his skating, shot, and quick hands makes him a really fun offensive weapon.
- When the Florida winger is on the ice, his team is the one generating the chances, as he carries a +14 goal differential.
- Reinhart, who is in line for a big payday this summer, is someone that Edmonton’s defense will need to keep track of at all times during this series.
- Reinbacher is looking like a potential top-four mainstay in the NHL with exciting defensive potential despite a bit of an underwhelming season back in the NL.
- A huge breakout year for Sam Reinhart propelled him up this list, and if he can replicate this kind of season and prove it isn’t a one-and-done kind of year, he will continue to shoot up the list.
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- After all, Barkov won the Selke Trophy this season as the best defensive forward in the NHL.
Draft breakouts for 2024-25
There may be an adjustment upsizing to a starter’s workload if they want him to play 35 games but I like that get for the Nittanys. PSU’s high-event, high-scoring style really rests on having a good goalie so if they can get this right, that’s a huge boost. Glass, but certainly not least (especially with the other Sharks on this list), we have the newest addition to the Sharks in Yaroslav Askarov. Following the theme of young prospects who want out of their current situations, Askarov asked to be traded out of Nashville after Jose Saros’ extension was signed this offseason. He proved that last season in the AHL for the Milwaukee Admirals and has the power and reaction speed to command his crease at a high level. He will undoubtedly be fighting for the starting job against Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood, but his ceiling as a goalie is one of the best out there.
The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers both have plenty of star power, and those marquee names will go toe-to-toe for hockey’s ultimate prize. Back during the Oilers’ dynasty in the 1980s, those Wayne Gretzky clubs had the great Paul Coffey. There’s a clear path for Celebrini to become an excellent first-line center in the NHL and the San Jose Sharks are counting the days until he can show what he’s made of at their training camp in a few short days.
Ranking the 10 top NHL players in 2024 Stanley Cup Final
Reinhart, who is in line for a big payday this summer, is someone that Edmonton’s defense will need to keep track of at all times during this series. Tkachuk leads the Panthers in points with 19 in 17 contests, which is good for sixth among all https://gambibet.org/ players. His 14 assists are tied for fourth in the league, and his six power-play helpers slot him in the same spot. When the Florida winger is on the ice, his team is the one generating the chances, as he carries a +14 goal differential.
- You’ll see some rookies who aren’t even guaranteed to make their teams ranked higher than them.
- That’s not to knock his offensive skillset at all, as the Senators captain exploded for 35 goals and 83 points last season.
- Dahlin is only going to get better, and as he improves, so will the Sabres’ success.
- Helenius is level-headed under pressure and makes remarkable passes look routine, setting his teammates up for success.
- Cristall managed to increase his scoring pace last season in the WHL, scoring 111 points in 62 games making him the league’s fifth leading scorer.
- Moldenhauer, Hallum, Eernisse, Werner, Humphreys could all reasonably chip in something in that range and then you’re hoping to get from Hughes and Schifsky based on their production last season.
- The veteran netminder also thrived during the regular season with a 2.37 goals-against-average and .915 save percentage.
- The Nashville goaltender led the league in goals saved above expected, finishing with a rate of 46.7.
- Rehkopf’s goalscoring is high-end, and his speed makes him a dangerous threat in transition.
His red-hot start in the Finnish Liiga in his draft year had NHL scouts salivating at his goal scoring potential, and while he ultimately cooled off quite significantly, that potential hasn’t disappeared. Kemell had some inconsistent play in the Liiga since, but has largely been effective in the AHL in parts of two seasons there. I’m still a big believer in his shot and skill, which are strong enough to give him a chance to become a top-six winger in Nashville. Owen Beck is an incredibly reliable and versatile two-way centerman who has increased his stock considerably ever since being selected in the 2022 NHL Draft at the beginning of the second round. He is smart, skates well, wins faceoffs, back-checks hard, and has already begun to grow into more of his offensive potential. Beck is going to be a player that coaches love because he works hard and has tons of skill.
Ivan Demidov is an incredibly talented offensive player, with great hands, a zippy shot, and some sneaky-good playmaking instincts. He spent last season in the MHL, Russia’s top junior league, where he was dominant as a 17-year-old rookie, scoring 64 points in 44 games (third most points in the league). Stankoven’s offensive skills have translated incredibly well to the pro game and the Dallas Stars are going to need to find a permanent spot for him in the lineup very soon.
Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Calgary Flames
Once viewed as a questionable pick in the 2020 NHL draft, Shakir Mukhamadullin’s stock has consistently risen ever since. He possesses great physical qualities, but his game was very raw and needed to be refined. At 6-foot-4, 194 pounds, he’s extremely mobile and has a very smooth stride in transition, not to mention he can make a strong breakout pass to start a play. Mukhamadullin joined the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL last year and has been an excellent two-way player, one who looks more than capable of cracking the Sharks’ lineup very soon.
If one of their two goalies pans out, I expect ND to be annoying and defensively sound enough to scrape towards .500. Either way I don’t really see an NCAA path here because this roster looks even more questionable than the one that wasn’t close to the tourney last year. Your Lucius and Whitelaw types are out the door and are replaced with old, experienced college hockey transfers from Minnesota State-esque schools. From RIT they snagged the likely goalie for this season (Tommy Scarfone) and 1st Team All-AHA forward Cody Laskosky.
Had Makar played a full season last year, there’s a chance he would be entering this year as a back-to-back Norris Trophy winner. Nonetheless, Makar enters this season as the league’s best defenseman and a top-three player in the league. He missed 22 games last year with injury, but still managed to finish top-10 in defensemen scoring (66 points) and one of only two blue liners to put up a point-per-game (1.10). He absolutely torched the MHL this year (2 points per game) and scored 28 points in 17 playoff games. I’m confident he’ll score a ton of points in the NHL, it’s just a question of how effective of a player he can be at even strength given his smaller frame and strange skating stride.
Many point to his ice time with McDavid as the reason, but it is clear that he is an elite talent in his own regard. With 81 playoff points over his last three seasons, Draisaitl is not only one of the best playoff producers in the NHL but one of the best in history. In the same season he was named captain of the Canucks, he had the best season of his career which ended by taking home the Norris Trophy. Hughes has been among the best defensemen in the league since breaking in, and with a previously established elite offensive game, the development in his defensive play over the last five years has been outstanding.