Over the last few weeks the NHL Network has been releasing their lists of the best players in the league, detailing the Top 20 Centers, Top 20 Defensemen and Top 20 Wingers in separate polls. In response, we’ve polled the PHR community to give our own thoughts on the very best talents around the NHL and have come up with significantly different lists. Among centers, Sidney Crosby edged out Connor McDavid for the top spot here at PHR, while Erik Karlsson overcame his down 2017-18 to take the spot on the blue line.
On the wings, NHL Network had Nikita Kucherov as the very best in the league after his 100-point campaign alongside Steven Stamkos. That didn’t impress the PHR readers though, who have Kucherov at #4 behind three more veteran options. Alex Ovechkin takes home the trophy to place on his overburdened shelf alongside his recent Conn Smythe award for playoff MVP and seventh Maurice Richard trophy. It’s difficult to overcome 607 goals and more than 1,100 points now that Ovechkin has a Stanley Cup to go with them. Our PHR community-voted Top 20 Wingers currently looks like this:
- Alex Ovechkin (632 votes)
- Taylor Hall (532 votes)
- Patrick Kane (531 votes)
- Nikita Kucherov (521 votes)
- Patrik Laine (510 votes)
- Vladimir Tarasenko (476 votes)
- Brad Marchand (425 votes)
- Artemi Panarin (392 votes)
- Jamie Benn (371 votes)
- Claude Giroux (370 votes)
- Johnny Gaudreau (345 votes)
- David Pastrnak (329 votes)
- Phil Kessel (323 votes)
- Blake Wheeler (320 votes)
- Filip Forsberg (263 votes)
- Mitch Marner (195 votes)
- Brock Boeser (175 votes)
- Logan Couture (166 votes)
- Jakub Voracek (156 votes)
- T.J. Oshie (132 votes)
Continuing the series, the NHL Network today released their ranking of the Top 10 Goaltenders, sparking quite a bit of debate among the hockey world. Sergei Bobrovsky takes home their top spot after collecting Vezina votes again last season. The Columbus Blue Jackets netminder has won the trophy twice and consistently puts up some of the most impressive numbers in the league. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer, giving the Blue Jackets a very tough decision on whether to make him the most expensive goaltender in the league or watch him walk away.
Stanley Cup Champion Braden Holtby is second, despite being benched at the beginning of the playoffs by his club in favor of Philipp Grubauer. Holtby would eventually regain the net and carry the Capitals to the promised land, but not without at least some doubt in his ability down the stretch.
Incredibly, Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist, the two highest-paid goaltenders in the NHL don’t appear on the list making their contracts seem quite excessive. Lundqvist at least has a long history of success during his current deal, something that Price will have to prove as he starts in on his eight-year $84MM extension.
Like all of the other polls, we’ll ask the PHR community to give their own thoughts on who deserves at the top of the list. We’ve included a huge number of NHL goaltenders and ask you to cast your vote by selecting 10 names. Make sure to leave a comment below on who you think deserves to be recognized, or on how the Top 20 Wingers list turned out.
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Lundqvist never gets the credit he deserves. His numbers were in no way great last year, but the defense was terrible. Hank is one of the most underrated goalies in the league still even at his age and with all the years on his tires.
People have been underrating him his whole career. As a NYR fan, I hope he wins a cup. But he is a Hall of Famer and top 10 all time goalie.
Couldn’t agree more. Also a Ranger fan. Always go see NYR when they play the Canes in Raleigh. Get more excited to watch him than any player not named McDavid
Time for everyone to still have a hard on for Carey price
You say that like he wasn’t in the top 50 for save percentage this year. (Sarcasm, he was actually 47th place for sv pct.)
Not the best but arguably the most underrated is Freddie Andersen in Toronto. he only gets better in games with more shots
More like grossly overrated simply because he plays for toronto. He has never won a thing besides the #1 job for the buds. There are likely 15+ starters I take before him.
Eh Freddy was a good playoff goalie for the Ducks minus the game 7 vs Chicago. Won them some big games while competing with Gibson.
Thank god quick is in the top 6. Dude is a miracle worker year after year.
Big question is if he’ll ever be the same again, but I think last year was finally the year that everyone noticed how important Corey Crawford was to his team
Severely underrated imo