The NHL Players Association has completed their annual player poll and three Penguins, Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang, were top players for four categories. The NHLPA Player Poll is completed by 348 NHL players across all 32 clubs, providing them an opportunity to recognize their peers with a variety of hockey-related questions.
Captain Sidney Crosby was recognized as the top player in the ‘Which player would make a great coach once they retire?’, receiving more than double the votes (10.3%) of any other player mentioned.
Crosby finished third on the ‘Which forward could also excel as a defenseman?’ category with 3.2% of the vote. This marks the first time that Crosby has received votes in either category.
Erik Karlsson was also recognized in the NHLPA Player Poll in the category of ‘What defenseman could also excel as a forward?’. Karlsson finished third in the category with 4.3% of the vote.
Defenseman Kris Letang finished third in voting for the category ‘Which player has the most intense training regimen?’, receiving 4.0% of votes.
Finally, the Penguins/Flyers rivalry was voted as the third-best team rivalry in the NHL, receiving 9.3% of player votes.
Click here to view the entire 2026 NHLPA Player Poll.
