Crosby, McDavid, Makar shine as NHLPA releases its 2023-24 Player Poll

No surprise here, as our own Frank Seravalli gave the three-time Stanley Cup champion some love for the Selke Trophy last month.

Best stick-handler – Connor McDavid (35.53%)

Edmonton Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid took home 35.53 per cent of the vote and was named the best stick-handler in the league. For three straight years, McDavid was voted No. 2, with Patrick Kane regularly named the best stick-handler.

McDavid, who has 31 goals and 99 assists for 130 points this season, the second-most of his career, was also the No. 1 forward you want on your team if you need to win one game, earning nearly 50 percent of the vote, with Crosby coming in second at 11.6 percent.

Best breakout passer – Cale Makar (26.56%)

Since his first full-season in 2019-20, Cale Makar has been one of the league’s best breakout passers, and is now officially recognized as the best by his peers.

The Colorado Avalanche defenseman, who has already won a Stanley Cup, a Norris Trophy, a Conn Smythe Trophy and is sure to add some hardware to his cabinet, continues to improve as time goes on.

Makar, who has already eclipsed all his previous offensive career highs with 20 goals and 67 assists for 87 points this season, was also the No. 1 defenseman you want on your team if you need to win one game, earning over 56 percent of the vote, with the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman finishing second.

Speaking of Hedman, with just over 20 percent of the vote, he earned the distinction of being named the player who is most difficult to face in their own end.

Best playmaker – Nikita Kucherov (28.47%)

With all the talk about McDavid being close to the century mark in terms of assists, not enough love is going to Nikita Kucherov, who with four games to go has 96 of his own, including three on Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Kucherov is dragging the Lightning into the playoffs, as the Russian winger currently has 53 more points than the No. 2 on his team in Brayden Point, and 33 more assists than Hedman.

Goalie you want if you need to win one game – Andrei Vasilevskiy (46.92%)

It’s the third season in a row that Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been named the No. 1 goalie you want if you need to win a game.

With two Stanley Cup championships, a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Veznia Trophy, it’s no surprise his peers would want him between the pipes in a Game 7 scenario.

Least enjoy playing against, most want on your team – Brad Marchand (29.19%)

When it comes to players you love to hate, no one does it like Brad Marchand. For the third straight season, the Boston Bruins’ captain takes the dubious distinction.

While this award is usually given to players who can get under your skin, with both Matthew Tkachuk and Tom Wilson cracking the top-five, McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon are also near the top, indicating there’s a different type of fear to playing against the most skilled players in the game.

Other polls included:

• • Player with the best style: Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak (15.02%)
• • PWHL player you enjoy watching the most: Marie-Philip Poulin (31.81%)
• • Toughest arena to play in as a visiting player: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nv. (31.36%)
• • Which NHL arena has the best ice: Bell Centre in Montreal, Que. (34.48%)
• • Global destination you most want to see host NHL games: Italy (11.95%)