The top 50 players in the NHL for the 2018-19 season

If you aren’t a huge NHL fan, you might not recognize Rakell’s name. You should amend that. The 25-year-old has scored at least 33 goals the last two seasons, and he had 69 points last year. He’s not a great playmaker, two seasons ago he had only 18 assists, but when you can score 30 goals with ease, you still deserve a spot in the top 50.

Oh, Subban is fun. He’s dynamic and is usually good for a few highlights. His reputation may be a smidge better than his game, but he’s still a really good blueliner. After all, not many defensemen can score 16 goals in a season, as Subban did last year.

Price is coming off a lost season, but one bad year doesn’t change everything. Over his previous four seasons he had not posted a save percentage worse than .923. If he bounces back to normal, he’s going to put up great numbers and earn a spot on this list.

Backstrom seems to have lost a step, but that just means he’s no longer a top 20 player in the NHL. He’s had at least 50 assists in each of his last five seasons, and he’s great on the power play. The Swede should be able to stick on lists like this for the next couple of years.

Couture has never failed to score at least 25 goals in a full season. He just had 34 goals last year. Though he’s not a great playmaker, the man can score, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.

The Martin Erat for Filip Forsberg trade is destined to go down as an all-time steal for the Predators. He’s scored at least 26 goals every season of his career and he’s had at least 63 points in three of his four campaigns. The Swede is 24, he’s still getting better, and he’s likely to climb up this list soon.

Getzlaf is getting up there in years, he’s 33 now, but the man knows how to set up his teammates. He had 50 assists last season, despite the fact he only played in 56 games. Though he’s not the goal scorer he used to be, anybody who can pass the puck like Getzlaf deserves to be on this list.

Rask went from being the best backup in the NHL to winning a Vezina to being a very good goalie who faces very few shots in his career. The Finnish netminder has never had an off year, even if he isn’t always putting up crazy numbers. Consistency in goal can be hard to find in the NHL, but Rask has provided it.

Voracek is a real iron man, as in four of his last five seasons he’s played a full 82 games. In each of those years he scored at least 20 goals, and last season he had 65 assists as well. He’s not a big name, but he is a great player.

John Tavares is gone, but Barzal is ready to step into the role of the star of the Islanders. He won the Calder as rookie of the year last season, notching 85 points. If he can do that as a rookie, the sky is the limit.

Pavelski is now the face of the Sharks offense. Although, since he’s 34, he’s not exactly a spring chicken. What he is, though, is a guy who is always a threat to score 30 goals and almost always notches over 60 points. Joe Thornton is still around, but this is Pavelski’s team now.

Toews had a down year offensively last season, but because he’s so good defensively he was still able to contribute. A great defensive center has a lot of value, but Toews hasn’t lost his offensive skills. He just had some bad luck on the shooting front.

People didn’t believe that Panarin would manage when he was traded from the Blackhawks. Then, he scored 82 points with the Blue Jackets last season and basically carried their offense. So it turns out he’s actually really good at hockey. Who knew?

If you are looking for the top-scoring defenseman in the NHL last season, that would be Carlson. He notched 68 points last year, and though he may not do that again, he’s pretty much a lock to cross the 50-point threshold. For a defenseman, that’s truly impressive.

Last season, Wheeler scored 23 goals, which was a step down as in each of the previous three seasons he had 26 goals. Nobody cares, though, because he had 91 points last year. He’s arguably the most overlooked player in the league. That should change.

Gibson is only 25, but he’s put up some truly gaudy numbers in his career. We’re talking a career 2.23 GAA and .923 save percentage. The Ducks netminder will likely be around for quite some time, and could certainly win a Vezina or two, perhaps as quickly as this season.

Guys drafted 25th overall don’t usually play as a rookie, but Pastrnak did. That makes sense, given the kind of player he’s become. He’s incredibly adept at putting pucks on net, and he’s scored 34 and 35 goals in his last two seasons. A 40-goal campaign could be brewing.

PK Subban is the flashy Predator, but Josi is the best defenseman Nashville has. He’s a steady presence defensively, but he’s also able to contribute offensively. Though he will never overshadow Subban’s dynamic personality, he’s still one of the best defensemen in the NHL.

Eichel will always be in the shadow of a certain Oiler who was drafted one pick before him, but he’s en route to becoming a great player in his own right. The 21-year-old has had basically no talent around him, and he’s had trouble staying healthy, but he’s still put up impressive stats. His goal scoring totals: 24, 24, 25, despite the fact he’s played 61 and 67 games the last two seasons. All he needs to score 30 goals is to stay healthy.

Quick has had some great defenses in front of him, but over the years he’s become a big reason why he’s had some fairly minuscule GAAs. He’s had at least a .917 save percentage in each of his last four seasons, and back in the day his playoff performances were legendary.

Kuznetsov has taken over for Backstrom as the top center for the Capitals. He’s earned that designation, thanks to his 83 points last season. The Russian is incredibly talented, and he also has quite the wing to play alongside in Alex Ovechkin, who will show up later on this list.

Barkov has been a great defensive forward pretty much since he entered the league. Now, his offensive game has caught up. He put 256 shots on net and had 78 points. For a while, he’s been a threat to win a Selke. Now, he might end up a threat to win an Art Ross too.

Put the puck on Laine’s stick, and it’s probably going to end up in the back of the net. He has 80 goals through two seasons, and just had 44 last year. If he ever starts racking up assists, he’ll be one of the five best players in the league. He just isn’t there yet.

Soon, Bobrovsky is likely to take the crown of the top goalie in the NHL. Since joining the Blue Jackets, Bob has helped turn the franchise around with his netminding acumen. He’s been fantastic the last two years, and is always a favorite for the Vezina.

Joke all you want, but Kessel is an elite power-play weapon. The man had 42 power-play points last year! He’s got a strong shot, and even though he’s jumped from team to team in his career, he hasn’t failed to score at least 23 goals in a full season since the 2007-08 campaign, his second year in the league. He should also have a Conn Smythe, but that’s an argument for another day.

Winnipeg is a pretty small city, but Scheifele should still be a big star. At 25, he’s just entering his prime, and he’s averaged over a point per game over the last two seasons. That’s not likely to change, especially since he has some actual talent around him now.

Benn was operating under the radar for the Stars, until he went and won an Art Ross a few seasons ago. He’s not flashy, but at the end of the season he usually has around 35 goals  and 80 points. Get wise to Benn if you haven’t already.

Rinne is 35, so he’s not going to be the best goalie in the NHL for much longer. However, for now, he deserves that title, especially since last season he had a 2.31 GAA and .927 save percentage. The 6’5’’ Finn has the size to remain great, even if he loses a bit of speed.

Is Marchand unlikeable? Sure…unless you’re a Bruins fan. Then, you will overlook his more obnoxious tendencies given how good he is. Marchand may be a pest, but he’s also one of the best offensive players in the league.

Hall just won the Hart Trophy for league MVP, so it would be weird for him not to be high up this list. The Oilers are probably kicking themselves for trading Hall to the Devils, especially since Hall just basically carried his team to the playoffs. If he gets more talent around him, Hall should cross the 100-point mark with ease.

Burns, with his booming shot and wild beard, cuts an imposing figure. He loves to put that shot to use, as he notched 332 shots on goal last season. Only two FORWARDS had more.

Calling Gaudreau “Johnny Hockey” feels weird now thanks to the disappearance of Johnny Manziel from the sporting landscape, especially since Gaudreau has become the great player Johnny Football never did. He’s on the small side, but he also had 84 points in 80 games last year. Size isn’t everything when you have this much skill.

Giroux has been the focal point of the Flyers for several seasons, although he’s actually coming off the best year of his career. He tallied 102 points, and has some more talent around him to help him keep up that scoring pace. If you have a power play, you want Giroux on it, but you can’t have him. Philly isn’t going to let him go anywhere.

MacKinnon had a ton of potential when he was drafted first overall, but was seen as a (slight, very slight) disappointment as the Avalanche struggled despite his presence. Then last season he notched 39 goals and 97 points. He’s still only 23. Time to hop on the bandwagon.

Hedman had 17 goals and 63 points last season, which is great. You know what’s even better? Scoring 16 goals and notching 72 points, which is what he did the season prior. Hedman is so big, and so skilled, and Tampa is lucky to have him.

Kane is one of the best stickhandlers in the NHL, and he’s got a lot of speed. Both of those things are fun, and also make him really good. We may take him for granted a bit, considering that he’s been scoring 20 goals or more since he was a rookie. That would be a mistake, though, given that he has 312 goals in his career.

Tarasenko hurt his shoulder last season, but he seems fine. The Blues will be happy about that, because the Russian is one of the best goal scorers in the NHL. Last season he scored “only” 33 goals, which is his worst number of his last four campaigns. That’s despite the fact he put 306 shots on net. Yes, he scored 33 goals in a season where he was unlucky.

You can basically write Bergeron’s name down as a finalist for the Selke every season. He’s a tremendous defensive forward, but also a real offensive dynamo as well. Bergeron scored 30 goals last year, despite the fact he only played in 64 games. Though he’s had issues staying healthy, when he’s played he’s often been the best player on the ice.

Doughty has one Norris to his name, but he’s a contender for the trophy every single year. The big blueliner has been a force on the ice for the Kings for years at this point, and he’s just as adept at contributing to goals as he is at preventing them. The day he hangs up his skates is the day Los Angeles begins preparing to retire his number.

Despite their success in recent years, the Bruins have to regret trading Seguin so early in his career. All he’s done is become a regular 70-point scorer, and last year he notched 40 goals for the first time, thanks in part to a whopping 335 shots on net.

Sure, John Tavares is the flashy new face in Toronto, but the former Islander likely won’t have jumped to the Leafs if Matthews hadn’t been around. After scoring 40 goals as a rookie, the 21-year-old had 34 goals last season, even though he only played in 62 games. Beware, goalies.

Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, who will pop up again later, creative one of the best one-two punches in the NHL at the moment. If you haven’t been paying attention to Tampa, you may have overlooked the Russian. He’s coming off his first 100-point season, but it would be surprising if it was his last.

Somehow, it feels like Stamkos is a forgotten man down in Tampa. Overlook him at your own risk. For a time, he was vying with Alex Ovechkin to be the league’s best goal scorer, and when Stamkos notched 60 goals in the 2011-12 season he certainly had the title. That was a few years ago, and he’s become more of a playmaker, but the first-overall pick of 2008 remains a force.

Karlsson is the best defenseman in the NHL, period. Accept no other argument. The Swede has been toiling in semi-obscurity in Ottawa, but he provides an offensive punch from the blue line that hadn’t been seen in over a decade. Some naysayers say he’s not good enough defensively. We say that if your team has the puck, the other team can’t score, and Karlsson seems to always have the puck.

Malkin sometimes gets stuck in Sidney Crosby’s shadow, but he’s still going to the Hall of Fame and would have been the best player on 25 or so teams in the NHL during his career. The big Russian will likely cross the 1000-point mark in his career this season, as long as he stays healthy, which has been the one knock on him.

Kopitar, the best player ever to come out of Slovenia, is a classic “two-way” center. He’s potent offensively, he’s usually good for at least 20 goals and 40 assists per season, but he’s also been elite defensively. Kopitar is always a threat to win a Selke, and if everything breaks right he can contend for an Art Ross too.

There is a reason why every team was dreaming of signing Tavares this offseason. Players this good rarely change teams. Now, he’s a Maple Leaf, and Toronto immediately leaps to being a Stanley Cup contender. That’s how good Tavares is. He’s changed the face of an entire franchise.

Ovechkin finally has his Stanley Cup, and it doesn’t seem like he is going anywhere, at least for now. The 33-year-old just led the NHL is goal scoring, yet again, with a whopping 49. The Russian has scored at least 50 goals in three of his last five seasons. He’s the best scorer of his era, and perhaps, sorry Wayne Gretzky fans, the best goal scorer of all time when you compare the league now to the ‘80s.

Ovechkin and Crosby, Crosby and Ovechkin. The two have been compared to each other their entire careers. However, at the moment, Crosby gets the slightest of edges in these rankings. While Ovi is better at lighting the lamp, Crosby is a bit better at orchestrating an offense. He’s a scorer and a playmaker, and as a center he has more responsibility on the ice, especially defensively. So yes, Crosby is over Ovechkin, although neither of them earns the designation of the league’s best player anymore.

That honor goes to McDavid, who has risen to take the throne as the face of the next generation of the NHL. McDavid, one of the fastest skaters you will ever see, won the Art Ross last season with 108 points, the second time he’s put up 100 points in only three seasons of his career. The guy is only 21. He’s still getting better, and hasn’t even entered his prime. That’s scary, at least if you aren’t an Oilers fan.