NHL Top Players: Top 20 Wings

The ability to score thrilling goals, make eye-popping passes, and go to the net with superb skating are the hallmarks of an elite wing. NHL Network producers and analysts chose the top 20 wings in the League right now, and they were revealed Sunday in the second of a nine-part series. Here is the list:

RELATED: Top 23-and-under wings in 3 seasons | Top 20 Centers | Top centers in 3 seasons

20. Patrick Kane, free agent

Kane had 57 points (21 goals, 36 assists) in 73 games with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers, including 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 19 games after he was traded to New York on Feb. 28, and six points (one goal, five assists) in seven games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 34-year-old had hip resurfacing surgery June 1 and was expected to need 4-6 months to recover, but Kane's agent, Pat Brisson, said the expectation is for him to play at some point this season.

"He made the list, snuck in here on this list," NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp said. "I'm interested in seeing when he is back healthy, what he can be. Because there is a lot of unknown right now, but a ton of credit and love to Patty Kane for what he has done."

19. Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights

Stone had 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists) in 43 games, but missed the final 39 games after having back surgery Jan. 31. He recovered in time to start the Stanley Cup Playoffs and was third on the Golden Knights with 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 22 games to help Vegas win its first championship. The 31-year-old also is one of the top defensive forwards in the NHL, with his 3.38 takeaways per 60 minutes of ice time fourth among forwards last season (minimum 35 games), the fifth straight season he's finished in the top four.

18. Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes

Keller returned from a fractured left femur and six months of rehabilitation to have his best NHL season with 86 points (37 goals, 49 assists) in 82 games. It was the most goals in a season by a Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets player since Keith Tkachuk scored 40 in 1997-98. The 25-year-old also was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

17. Johnny Gaudreau, Columbus Blue Jackets

In his first season with the Blue Jackets, Gaudreau led Columbus with 74 points (21 goals, 53 assists) in 80 games. It was the fifth-most points by any player in Columbus franchise history, and the most since Artemi Panarin had 87 points (28 goals, 59 assists) in 2018-19. It was also the fifth time in 10 NHL seasons the 30-year-old has had at least 70 points.

"You knew it was going to be a bit of a drop off (in points from 2021-22 when he had 115)," Rupp said. " ... [The Blue Jackets] are not a playoff team. That's a good amount of production I think still from Johnny Hockey ... Now I am interested to see who they are able to put with him and kind of take that next step."

16. Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins

Guentzel led the Penguins for the second straight season with 36 goals, after he matched his NHL high with 40 in 2021-22. The 76 goals he's scored the past two seasons are tied for 14th in the NHL. The 28-year-old has scored at least 36 goals three times in the past five seasons, one of seven NHL players to accomplish that (Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes, Leon Draisaitl, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin, David Pastrnak).

"You've got to have unique skill to play with [Sidney Crosby]," NHL Network analyst E.J. Hradek said. "First of all, you have to have the ability to do it and then you have to have the brain and the understanding of where to be and what that player expects of you and I think that's where Jake Guentzel really is a really talented guy. Gets maybe overlooked just how smart a player he is and his ability to fit in with a high-end talent like Sidney Crosby."

15. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers

In his 12th NHL season, Nugent-Hopkins set career highs in goals (37), assists (67), points (104) and power-play goals (15), and he was third in the NHL with 53 power-play points. The 30-year-old also had 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 12 playoff games. With an assist against the San Jose Sharks on April 13 in his final regular-season game of 2022-23, he moved past Video: Kane, Stone, Keller lead off top 20 wingers countdown into eighth place on the Oilers all-time points list with 632. He is one assist away from 400 in the NHL.

"He obliterated his previous (career) high of 69 points so I mean, what an improvement point-wise," Hradek said. "A lot of it came on the power play, 53 power-play points, more than half of his points came on the power play. … They have (Connor) McDavid on that power play, they have (Leon) Draisaitl, I think [Nugent-Hopkins] has a lot to do on that power play because his brains and his ability to read off McDavid is really important. What a year for 'RNH'."

14. Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators

Tkachuk continued to mix top-end scoring skills with physical play. He had NHL-bests in goals (35), assists (48) and points (83) while playing all 82 games for the first time in his five seasons. He was fourth in the NHL and set a Senators record with 347 shots on goal, and Ottawa had 56.2 percent of the shots on goal at 5-on-5 when Tkachuk was on the ice, tied with Claude Giroux for the Senators lead. The 23-year-old also led the Senators with 126 penalty minutes and 242 hits. He was smart about his physical play however, drawing 40 penalties to give him a plus-1 penalty differential.

"I love the way he plays, I could watch him all the time," Rupp said. "One of two players in the League that had 30 goals and over 100 penalty minutes (last season) and the other one, was his brother Matthew. But that's what he brings to the table. Whatever you need, Brady will be the man to do it."

13. Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets

Connor had an NHL-best 49 assists last season while scoring at least 30 goals for the fifth time in the past six seasons. He also led the Jets with 80 points and 29 power-play points, a personal high, and had four points (three goals, one assist) in five playoff games. The 26-year-old has scored 207 goals since 2017-18, seventh in the NHL.

"He is such a consistent goal scorer. It's really incredible to watch him year in and year out," Hradek said. "Over the last six seasons, only four guys have scored 25 or more goals in each of those seasons. He's one of them. The other guys: McDavid, Matthews, Draisaitl."

12. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs

Nylander was second on the Maple Leafs with 87 points and tied Auston Matthews for the Toronto lead with 40 goals in 82 games last season. He also had 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 11 playoff games. The 27-year-old scored 31 even-strength goals to lead the Maple Leafs and tie for seventh in the NHL. He's the second Swedish player to score 40 goals for the Maple Leafs, along with Mats Sundin (1996-97, 2001-02).

11. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

It was a season of milestones for Stamkos, who scored his 500th NHL goal (Jan. 18), got his 500th assist (Nov. 15), his 1,000th point (Dec. 1) and played his 1,000th game (April 6). He's the first player with 500 goals and 1,000 points for the Lightning and the second to play 1,000 games (Video: Kane, Stone, Keller lead off top 20 wingers countdown, 1,037). The 33-year-old was third on the Lightning with 84 points (34 goals, 50 assists) last season and had four points (two goals, two assists) in six playoff games.

10. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins

Marchand missed the first two weeks of the season recovering from surgery on his hips, but was second on the Bruins with 67 points (21 goals, 46 assists) in 73 games, and tied Tyler Bertuzzi for the Boston postseason lead with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games. The 35-year-old scored at least 20 goals for the 10th straight season, which tied former Bruins teammate Video: Kane, Stone, Keller lead off top 20 wingers countdown for the second-longest active streak in the NHL before he announced his retirement on July 25. Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals has the longest active streak (18).

"I have him up there honestly with Connor McDavid, Matthew Tkachuk as far as the most impactful player to his team on a nightly basis," Rupp said. "... He came off a major surgery, was supposed to miss a significant amount of time, he only missed seven games ... Brad Marchand to me, he's an absolute gamer, at 35, a lot of miles on him. This guy impacts the game so much for the Boston Bruins."

9. Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

Panarin led the Rangers with 92 points (29 goals, 63 assists) in 82 games and had two assists in seven playoff games. The 31-year-old reached at least 90 points for the third time in four seasons with the Rangers. His 341 points (100 goals, 241 assists) are fourth among all players during that span, behind Edmonton Oilers forwards Connor McDavid (478) and Leon Draisaitl (432), and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon (341).

8. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Ovechkin became the third player to score 800 goals when he completed a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 13, and he passed Gordie Howe for second on the all-time list when he scored his 802nd goal, against the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 23. The 37-year-old scored 42 goals last season, and with 822 in his career is 72 away from tying Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894. It was a League-record 13th 40-goal season for Ovechkin, passing Gretzky. Ovechkin also led the Capitals with 75 points; it was the 14th time in his 18 NHL seasons he's led Washington in scoring.

"Alex Ovechkin continues to get it done," Hradek said. "Last year with the Capitals, there were a lot of injuries. He was missing some guys that really support him a lot during the season and he still ended up with 42 goals."

7. Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild

Kaprizov led the Wild with 75 points (40 goals, 35 assists) in 67 games and scored one goal in six playoff games. The 26-year-old became the first Wild player with back-to-back 40-goal seasons; he set a Minnesota record with 47 in 2021-22. Kaprizov's 87 goals the past two seasons are tied with Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars for eighth among NHL players. Kaprizov, who was born in Novokuznetsk, Russia, has averaged 1.15 points per game in his three seasons, second to Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins (1.16) all-time among NHL players born in Russia (minimum 200 games).

"He's been incredible," Rupp said. "He's established himself in such a big way, got 100 points a year ago and then all of a sudden, everyone is game planning for you. ... He was a little dinged up in 2022-23 in the season playing 67 games but he got 40 goals still."

6. Mitchell Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs

Marner led the Maple Leafs with 99 points (30 goals, 69 assists) in 80 games, his best NHL total, and led them in the playoffs with 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 11 games. The 26-year-old was a finalist for the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL after he finished tied for second in the League with four short-handed goals and led the NHL with 104 takeaways. He also was a plus-18 in 21:17 of ice time per game, fifth among NHL forwards. He had 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) in 2021-22; he's one of four active NHL players with back-to-back seasons of at least 97 points (Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Matthew Tkachuk).

5. Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars

Robertson led the Stars in goals (46), assists (63) and points (109), and was the left wing on the NHL First All-Star Team. It was the most goals by a Dallas/Minnesota North Stars player since Video: Kane, Stone, Keller lead off top 20 wingers countdown scored 50 for the Stars in 1993-94, and the most points since Video: Kane, Stone, Keller lead off top 20 wingers countdown had 114 for the North Stars in 1981-82. Robertson, who scored 41 goals in 2021-22, is the first player since the team moved to Texas in 1993 with consecutive 40-goal seasons. The 24-year-old had 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 19 playoff games to help Dallas reach the Western Conference Final.

4. Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche

Rantanen was third in the NHL with 55 goals and eighth with 105 points, each the most he's had in his eight NHL seasons. He also had 50 assists, making him the fourth ever Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques player with a 50/50 season (Video: Kane, Stone, Keller lead off top 20 wingers countdown, Video: Kane, Stone, Keller lead off top 20 wingers countdown, Video: Kane, Stone, Keller lead off top 20 wingers countdown). It's the most goals any player has scored for the franchise since Goulet had 55 for the Nordiques in 1984-85. The 26-year-old played wing and center, averaging an NHL-best 22:15 of ice time in 82 games. Rantanen led Colorado in the playoffs with 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in seven games.

"With that size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and skillset that he has, I mean this is what makes him kind of one-of-a-kind in my book" Rupp said. "He's part of that 50-50 club (50 goals, 50 assists). And for me, that's something big. ... Usually if you're getting 50 goals, you're not the type of player who is going to get 50 assists and vice versa. Well, he did in this season with his 55 and 50. He's world class."

3. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

Kucherov tied for third in the NHL with 113 points (30 goals, 83 assists) in 82 games. He had the second-most assists and points in a season by a Lightning player, behind the 87 assists and 128 points he had in 2018-19. He was fourth in the NHL with 50 power-play points, a Tampa Bay single-season record. The 30-year-old reached 100 points for the third time in the past six seasons, the third-most in that span behind Connor McDavid (five) and Leon Draisaitl (four), and his 495 points are fifth among all players during that stretch despite a hip injury keeping him out of the 2020-21 regular season.

2. Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers

In his first season with the Panthers, Tkachuk tied for sixth in the NHL with 109 points (40 goals, 69 assists) in 79 games and was third in voting for the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player. He was even better in the playoffs, setting Panthers records for goals (11), assists (13) and points (24) in 20 games to help Florida reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1996. The 25-year-old scored four game-winning goals in the postseason, including the series-clinching goal in the final seconds of the third period of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes.

"He is the total package on the wing," Hradek said. "He gets into the battle when things are not going the way for the Florida Panthers, he bangs into somebody, gets under the skin of the goaltender, gets under the skin of the defenseman. ... He went to a new team this year and just picked up right where he left off in Calgary the year before."

1. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

Pastrnak was second in the NHL with 61 goals and tied for third with 113 points in 82 games for the Bruins, who set NHL records for wins (65) and points (135) in a season. It was the sixth time in the past seven seasons he's scored at least 34 goals, something accomplished by one other active NHL player (Auston Matthews, seven). He finished second in voting for the Hart Trophy and was the right wing on the NHL First All-Star Team. The 27-year-old is the second player to score 60 goals in a season for the Bruins, joining Video: Kane, Stone, Keller lead off top 20 wingers countdown (four times), and the first since Esposito scored 61 in 1974-75. It also was the most points by a Boston player since Video: Kane, Stone, Keller lead off top 20 wingers countdown had 142 in 1992-93. Pastrnak was just as productive during the playoffs, scoring five goals in seven games.

"If it wasn't for the season Connor McDavid had, this is the Hart Trophy winner for me," Rupp said. "... When you're game planning for the Boston Bruins, you're game planning for (No.) 88 and he still performed. That's greatness."