NHL Top Players: Nos. 10-1

NHL Network is getting ready for this season by ranking the top 50 players in the League. Researchers, producers and on-air personalities compiled the list, and players 10-1 were revealed Sunday in the ninth of a nine-part series. Here is the list:

10. Alex Ovechkin, F, Washington Capitals
Ovechkin scored 50 goals last season for the ninth time in NHL history, tying the NHL record also held by Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy. Ovechkin's 90 points were his most since he had 109 in 2009-10. He was second in the NHL in shots on goal last season (334) and averaged 20:34 of ice time per game. Named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017, Ovechkin is third in goals (780) and 20th in points (1,410) in NHL history. The 37-year-old left wing is the NHL all-time leader in power-play goals (285) and won the Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP in 2018.
"He baffles goalies the way an ace pitcher baffles batters," NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes said. "You know where he's shooting it from, you just don't know where he's shooting it to. ... He shoots from the 'Ovi' office typically, but he can score goals in a lot of different ways."

9. Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers
Barkov led Panthers forwards in average ice time (20:18) last season, was second in short-handed ice time (2:10), third in blocked shots (42) and tied for third in takeaways (59) despite being limited to 67 games. The 27-year-old also had 88 points (39 goals, 49 assists) and won 57 percent of his face-offs (tied for eighth in NHL, minimum 500 attempts) to help Florida (58-18-6) win the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the best record during the regular season.
"Game-changer Barkov is because of a combination of size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds), his defensive acumen, his reach, his range and his elite skillset." Weekes said. "He can make plays in any situation, he's great on both sides of the puck. He is a coach's dream, you just throw him over the boards in any situation and you're going to get productivity."

8. Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning
Hedman was third among NHL defensemen in points (85) and goals (20) and was second in assists (65) in 82 games last season. He was first at the position in power-play points (38), tied for first in game-winning goals (six), fifth in shots on goal (219) and had a plus-26 rating. The 31-year-old was 11th in the NHL in average ice time per game (25:05) and was a finalist for the Norris Trophy, voted as the best defenseman in the NHL, for the sixth straight season. He won the award in 2017-18 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2020, when he helped the Lightning win the Cup for the first of two consecutive seasons.
"This is a defenseman that you can play at any time," Weekes said. "... Outstanding skater, he's such a fluid skater ... He's a prototypical defenseman out of Sweden. ... Four straight years as a Norris Trophy finalist... it's unreal."

7. Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
Crosby tied for the Penguins lead with 84 points (31 goals, 53 assists) in 69 games last season. It was the 10th time he's scored at least 30 goals and the 11th time he has had at least 84 points. Crosby also led Pittsburgh in power-play points (30), game-winning goals (nine), face-off wins (760) and face-off attempts (1,450), and averaged 19:58 of ice time per game. The 35-year-old, who has won the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017) and the Conn Smythe twice (2016, 2017), is second among active skaters in goals (517) and points (1,409), and first in assists (892).
"This guy is all hockey all the time... he makes the right decisions. One of the best players in the history," Weekes said. "He's such a student of the game. … The best player in this era is a student of the game 24/7."

6. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning
Vasilevskiy, who has led the NHL or tied for the lead in wins each of the past five seasons, was 39-18-5 with a 2.49 goals-against average, .916 save percentage and two shutouts in 63 games last season. He won the Vezina Trophy, voted as the best goalie in the NHL in 2018-19, and has finished in the top five in voting in each of the past five seasons. Since 2015-16, the 28-year-old leads the NHL in wins (222) and is third in shutouts (27). Vasilevskiy helped the Lightning win the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons, playing every minute in the 2020 and 2021 playoffs. He was 16-7 with a 1.90 GAA, .937 save percentage and five shutouts in 23 games to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2021.
"I think all things considered, just because of his body of work as well, Andrei Vasilevskiy is literally a 'how to' guy to play the position," Weekes said. " … He's always on time or ahead of the shooters, his size (6-3, 225), his strength, his technique, his ability to handle the puck. Quite frankly, his game has no flaws in it. … he's going to go down as one of the best goalies in NHL history."

5. Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers
Last season, Draisaitl was second in the NHL in goals (55), power-play goals (24) and power-play points (41), fourth in points (110), average ice time among forwards (22:21) and tied for the lead in game-winning goals (11). The 26-year-old also took the most face-offs in the League (1,661) and ranks second in the NHL in goals (179) and points (409) over the past four seasons.
"He's so difficult to read for opposing defenders and opposing goalies for that very reason; the balance between his ability to score and his ability to dish, very unique," Weekes said.

4. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
MacKinnon tied for the NHL lead with 13 goals in the playoffs last season, helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2001. The 27-year-old also had 88 points (32 goals, 56 assists) during the regular season, ranking second on Colorado despite being limited to 65 games. Since the 2017-18 season, MacKinnon is tied for fifth in the NHL in assists (275) and is third in points (442).
"No matter which defenseman he's matched up against or which opposing forward, he can make them pay with his lethal agility and acceleration," Weekes said. "… He drives the culture out there in Colorado, he approaches the game properly."

3. Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
Last season, Matthews won the Hart Trophy, voted as NHL MVP, the Ted Lindsay Award, given annually to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted by members of the NHL Players' Association, and the Rocket Richard Trophy after becoming the first player to score 60 goals since 2011-12. It was the most goals in a season by a Maple Leafs player and the most by a United States-born player in League history. The 25-year-old was also tied for sixth in the NHL with 106 points, first in shots on goal (348), tied for third in power-play goals (16), and fifth in game-winning goals (10). Matthews has scored at least 34 goals in each of his six NHL seasons and leads the League with 259 over that span.
"This guy with every touch, he can score," Weekes said. "Auston Matthews, every time he gets the puck, he can score. … I think this year, if he is healthy for 82 (games), he's going to score north of 65, I'll take the over, he might even score 70; he is that great. … To me, Auston Matthews is the best Toronto Maple Leaf I've ever seen."

2. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche
Makar was voted the Norris Trophy last season after he scored 28 goals, the most by an NHL defenseman since Brent Burns scored 29 in 2016-17. He tied for first among defensemen in game-winning goals (six), was second in points (86), plus/minus (plus-48), even-strength points (52) and shots on goal (240), and third in power-play points (34). Makar also won the Conn Smythe Trophy; his 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 20 games was the fourth-highest total by a defenseman in playoff history, and the most since Brian Leetch had 34 points in 23 games in 1993-94. The 23-year-old is the first player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, Norris Trophy, Stanley Cup and Hobey Baker Award as the top men's player in NCAA Division I hockey.
"This guy is absolute dynamite," Weekes said. "He brings you out of your seats. … This guy is so fun, he's so dynamic. … The only person that can stop Connor McDavid is Cale Makar. We saw it in the postseason. … The fact that Cale Makar is coming on the scene and is doing what he's doing … he is revolutionizing the position."

1. Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
McDavid led the NHL in scoring for the second straight season with 123 points (44 goals, 79 assists) in 80 games in 2021-22. The 25-year-old was also first in power-play points (44), tied for sixth in game-winning goals (nine) and was plus-28 averaging 22:04 of ice time per game, second among forwards behind Draisaitl. A two-time Hart Trophy winner, McDavid has 697 points since entering the NHL in 2015-16, 74 more than Patrick Kane, who is second and has played 44 more games.
"Connor McDavid does things that we haven't seen and he does them consistently and at a tempo and a pace that we've rarely seen," Weekes said. "… The fact that his mind and his hands are in sync with his speed and his feet, that tells you everything. That's such a rare thing. … He is the top gun out there for a reason."