Matthews, Crosby, Hellebuyck among NHL Network's top players, 20-11

NHL Network is getting ready for this season by ranking the top 50 players in the League right now. Researchers, producers and on-air personalities compiled their list, and players 40-31 were revealed on Sunday in the eighth of a nine-part series.

Here is the list:

20. Miro Heiskanen, D, Dallas Stars

Heiskanen was ninth among NHL defensemen with 63 points (nine goals, 54 assists) and was fourth among all players with an average ice time of 25:28 in 77 games last season. The 27-year-old had an NHL career-best 132 blocked shots, and was the only player in the NHL to average more than 3:00 per game on the power play (3:27) and penalty kill (3:06). He had six points (two goals, four assists) in six games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and helped Team Finland win the bronze medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics with five points (two goals, three assists) in six games.

19. Mikko Rantanen, F, Dallas Stars

Rantanen enters the season tied with Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov for the fourth-most points by a Finland-born player (782). He led the Stars with 55 assists and was third in goals (22) and points (77) in 64 games last season and had 1.20 points per game (15th in the NHL) despite missing 18 games with an injury. He scored two goals, including his 300th in the League, and had an assist in a 4-3 shootout win against the Edmonton Oilers in Dallas on Nov. 4, 2025, to become the fourth Finland-born player with at least 300 NHL goals, joining Teemu Selanne (684), Jari Kurri (601) and Olli Jokinen (321). The 29-year-old right wing had six points (two goals, four assists) in five games for Team Finland at the Winter Olympics and competed at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025.

18. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets

Although he had a down year by his standards, going 23-23-11 with a 2.86 goals-against average and .895 save percentage in 57 games, Hellebuyck is still among the elite goalies in the game. In 2024-25, he won the Vezina Trophy for the second straight season and third overall while also claiming the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. That season, he went 47-12-3 and tied Andrei Vasilevskiy for the NHL lead with 63 games played (62 starts). Hellebuyck led all goalies in wins, GAA (2.00; minimum 25 games) and shutouts (eight), and was second in save percentage (.925) behind Anthony Stolarz of the Toronto Maple Leafs (.926). The 33-year-old has won at least 30 games in six of his 11 NHL seasons, and his 345 wins since 2015-16 are second behind Vasilevskiy (363).

17. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo Sabres

Dahlin had his best NHL season while dealing with incredibly difficult off-ice issues. He was sixth among NHL defensemen with 74 points (19 goals, 55 assists) in 77 games, the most points by a Buffalo defenseman since Phil Housley had 81 in 1989-90, and his 52 even-strength points were the most ever by a Sabres defenseman. He was an offensive driver for Buffalo, which controlled 52.0 percent of the 5-on-5 shot attempts when he was on the ice, and the puck was in the offensive zone 45.5 percent of the time he was on the ice, which ranked in the 94th percentile among all players, according to NHL EDGE stats. The 26-year-old was third in Norris Trophy voting and helped the Sabres end a 14-season playoff drought and win a postseason series for the first time since 2007. He finished second on the Sabres with 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 13 playoff games. Dahlin accomplished all of this while caring for his fiancée, who was recovering from a heart transplant. His level of dedication and passion for the game made him a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

16. Mitch Marner, F, Vegas Golden Knights

Marner enjoyed a productive first season with Vegas when he had 80 points (24 goals, 56 assists) in 81 games and a team-high 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 22 playoff games. The 29-year-old right wing was traded to the Golden Knights by the Maple Leafs on July 1, 2025, and signed an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million average annual value). Marner's goal 1:22 into overtime sent Team Canada to the semifinals of the Winter Olympics with a 4-3 win against Team Czechia on Feb. 18. He had an assist for his 800th NHL point in a 3-2 loss at the Washington Capitals on Feb. 27, and scored the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history with three consecutive goals in a span of 6:10 in the second period to help Vegas to a 5-4 victory against Carolina in Game 3.

15. Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

Matthews' 27 goals and 53 points were the fewest of his 10-season NHL career after he missed 22 games because of injury, but he scored at least 30 in each of his first nine. The 29-year-old center became the Maple Leafs' all-time goal leader last season, and his 428 since entering the NHL are the most in that time. He won the Hart Trophy (NHL MVP) and Ted Lindsay Award (MVP as voted by the NHL Players' Association) in 2021-22, when he had 60 goals and 106 points. Matthews, who scored 69 goals in 2023-24, is a three-time winner of the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for leading the League in goals.

14. Kirill Kaprizov, F, Minnesota Wild

Kaprizov is entering the first season of an eight-year, $136 million contract ($17 million AAV) he signed with the Wild on Sept. 30, 2025. His 45 goals last season made him a four-time 40-goal scorer, and he remains the only player in team history with multiple seasons of at least 40. The 29-year-old left wing had three assists in a 6-5 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 26, 2025, to reach 400 points in the NHL, becoming the fastest player in Wild history to reach the milestone. He then scored his 220th NHL goal in a 5-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 3 to pass Marian Gaborik for the most with Minnesota since the Wild joined the League for the 2000-01 season. Kaprizov is also first in team history in points per game (1.20), goals per game (0.58) and overtime goals (14). His 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) last postseason tied Quinn Hughes (four goals, 11 assists) for the team lead.

13. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning

Vasilevskiy won the Vezina Trophy for the second time last season, leading the League with 39 wins and finishing second with a .912 save percentage and a 2.31 GAA among goalies with at least 45 starts. He allowed two goals or fewer in 35 of 58 games and was 17-0-1 with a 1.90 GAA and .925 save percentage from Dec. 20 - Feb. 25. The 32-year-old helped the Lightning qualify for the playoffs for the ninth straight season, is a six-time Vezina finalist and since 2015-16, has the most wins (363) and third-most shutouts (41) in the NHL. Vasilevskiy is a two-time Stanley Cup champion (2020, 2021) with Tampa Bay and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2021.

12. Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins

Crosby proved that he was just as effective in his 21st season as he was in his first. He had 74 points (29 goals, 45 assists) in 68 games, the 21st straight season he had at least a point per game. He also helped the Penguins back to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, where he led them with five points (one goal, four assists). The 39-year-old center is seventh in NHL history in points (1,771), eighth in assists (1,107) and 15th in goals (654). He has a loaded trophy case, having won the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017), the Conn Smythe Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy and Rocket Richard Trophy twice each, and the Ted Lindsay Award three times.

11. Zach Werenski, D, Columbus Blue Jackets

Werenski was voted the Norris Trophy winner last season, after he led the Blue Jackets and was second among NHL defensemen with 81 points (22 goals, 59 assists) in 75 games. That was one away from the NHL career-best 82 points he had in 2024-25, making him the ninth defenseman in NHL history to have consecutive 80-point seasons. His 59 assists matched the single-season Blue Jackets record, set by Artemi Panarin in 2018-19 and equaled by Werenski in 2024-25, and his 22 goals were one off the mark for a Blue Jackets defenseman, which he had set with 23 goals in 2024-25. The 29-year-old had a plus-9 even-strength goal differential while finishing third in the NHL with an average even-strength ice time of 22:21. Werenski also helped Team USA win the gold medal at the Winter Olympics. He had six points (one goal, five assists) in six games, including the primary assist on Jack Hughes' overtime goal in the 2-1 win against Team Canada in the championship game.