Top 100 NHL Players 2022-2023 Season

Start with Connor McDavid and look at the top stars throughout the league.

While I have written about fantasy hockey and provided fantasy rankings for a long time, I also voted on TSN’s Top 50 players for a handful of years and that evaluation process is different. It is not merely about filling statistical categories and on-ice impact can be more complicated to determine.

Nevertheless, it’s a fun exercise to evaluate players and set a baseline for expectations at the start of a new season, so here is this season’s Top 10 NHL Players.

1. Connor McDavid

·         Four-time Art Ross Trophy winner; finalist for the Hart Trophy in four of the past six seasons, winning twice; led NHL in expected goals in 2021-2022.

2. Auston Matthews

·         Reigning Hart Trophy winner; led the NHL in goals in back-to-back seasons, burying 101 goals in 125 games; ranked second in expected goals last season, first in expected goals per game.

3. Cale Makar

·         Won the Norris Trophy as league’s top defenseman and Conn Smythe as Playoff MVP last season; has 180 points in 178 career games and Avs have outscored opponents by 79 goals at 5v5 with Makar on the ice.

4. Nathan MacKinnon

·         Hart Trophy finalist in three of the past five seasons; leads NHL with 4.50 shots on goal per game across the past four seasons; 1.31 points per game in the past five seasons.

5. Igor Shesterkin

·         Won the Vezina Trophy as best goaltender in 2021-2022, posting a .935 save percentage, with 44.8 goals saved above average and 39.9 goals saved above expected, both best in the league by a significant margin.

6. Kirill Kaprizov

·         Scored 47 goals and 108 points last season, his second year in the league; has strong play driving numbers, with Wild outscoring, out-chancing, and out shooting the opposition with him on the ice.

7. Victor Hedman

·         Norris Trophy finalist for six straight seasons, winning in 2017-2018; won the Conn Smythe as Playoff MVP in 2019-2020; recorded a career-high 20 goals and 85 points last season; Lightning have outscored opposition by 87 goals during 5v5 play in the past five seasons with Hedman on the ice.

8. Leon Draisaitl

·         Ranks second in the NHL with 409 points across the past four seasons; his incredible offensive output does get offset to some degree by defensive inconsistency, but he is still a great player.

9. Sidney Crosby

·         Even at 35-years-old, Crosby remains a top-end No. 1 center; he has not won a Hart Trophy since 2013-2014 but has finished Top 5 in voting three times since.

10. Roman Josi

·         Top 7 in Norris Trophy voting in six of the past eight seasons, winning in 2019-2020 and runner-up in 2021-2022, when he scored a career-high 23 goals and 96 points; has averaged 3.35 shots on goal per game in the past six seasons to lead all defensemen.

11. Nikita Kucherov

·         Hart Trophy winner in 2018-2019, when he led the league with 128 points; missed the entire 2020-2021 season, only to lead the postseason with 32 points in 23 games on the way to a second Lightning Stanley Cup.

12. Alexander Barkov

·         Earned his stripes as a two-way forward before winning the Selke Trophy in 2020-2021; has put up 146 points in 117 games over the past two seasons.

13. Mikko Rantanen

·         Integral part of the 2021-2022 Stanley Cup champions, Rantanen has tallied 158 points in 127 games over the past two seasons; when injuries hit the Avs last season, Rantanen moved to center to keep Colorado’s top six rolling.

14. Brad Marchand

·         Since 2016-2017, ranks fourth in the NHL with 506 points (in 420 games); his 58.3 CF% in that time ranks second only to linemate Patrice Bergeron and Bruins have outscored opponents by 114 goals during 5v5 play with Marchand on the ice during those six seasons. Will miss the first couple of months in 2022-2023 while recovering from hip surgery.

15. David Pastrnak

·         A two-time 40-goal scorer who adds an elite finisher’s touch to Boston’s top line and has been able to drive results when playing away from Marchand and Bergeron, too; ranks third in the NHL with 71 power play goals in the past five seasons.

16. Mitch Marner

·         Not only does Marner have 325 points in 268 games across the past four seasons, but he has averaged more than 21 minutes of ice time per game in that span, providing better than average defensive play.

17. Patrice Bergeron

·         The Corsi God drives play like few others ever have. In the modern stats era, the Bruins have controlled 58.2% of 5v5 shot attempts with Bergeron on the ice; last season, it was a ridiculous 65.1%, with the Bruins outscoring opponents 49-25 with a 36-year-old Bergeron on the ice.

18. Adam Fox

·         Won the 2020-2021 Norris Trophy in just his second season, then scored a career-high 74 points in 78 games last season.

19. Charlie McAvoy

·         Has finished top five in Norris Trophy voting in back-to-back seasons and scored a career-high 56 points last season; will be out for the first couple of months this season while recovering from shoulder surgery.

20. Artemi Panarin

·         Despite some disappointment in playoff production (he had 16 points in 20 playoff games last season), Panarin has put up 249 points in 186 games with the Rangers.

21. Andrei Vasilevskiy

·        Workhorse goaltender has finished in the Top 5 in Vezina voting for each of the past five seasons, winning in 2018-2019. He has backstoppe the Lightning to two Stanley Cups, plus one trip to the Final, winning the Conn Smythe in 2021.

22. Aaron Ekblad

·         Although he has had some untimely injuries in recent seasons, Ekblad has established himself as a top two-way defenseman over the past three seasons, finishing sixth in Norris Trophy voting last season.

23. Nikolaj Ehlers

·         Speedy, play-driving winger has scored 51 goals at 5v5 in the past three seasons, which ranks 10th in the league; still has room for more production with increased role on power play.

24. Ilya Sorokin

·         The 27-year-old Islanders netminder has played just 74 games in the NHL, but early signs are promising; he has a .923 save percentage and 18.51 goals saved above expected.

25. Mika Zibanejad

·         His play driving results could be stronger, but Zibanejad does have 280 points in 276 games across the past four seasons; his 124 goals in that time is tied for 12th in the league.

26. Jason Robertson

·         Runner-up for the Calder Trophy as top rookie in 2020-2021, then put up 41 goals and 79 points in 74 games last season as the Stars were dominant when Robertson was on the ice.

27. Mark Stone

·         Legendary for his ability to steal the puck, Stone has battled injuries recently, and still has 165 points in 175 games since arriving in Vegas, with the Golden Knights outscoring opponents by 46 goals in that time with Stone on the ice during 5v5 play.

28. Johnny Gaudreau

·         Made a massive splash in the offseason when he signed in Columbus as a free agent following a 115-point season for Calgary; the Flames outscored opponents 96-38 during 5v5 play with Gaudreau on the ice last season.

29. Sebastian Aho

·         A reliable two-way performer who has 287 points in 285 games over the past four seasons. The Hurricanes control 55% of the shot attempts with him on the ice.

30. J.T. Miller

·         Has blossomed into a star player in Vancouver and even if last season’s 99 points will be difficult to duplicate, Miller produced 118 points in 112 games for the Canucks in the two seasons before that.

31. Jonathan Huberdeau

·         Traded to Calgary following a 115-point season in Florida, Huberdeau has 346 points in 286 games across the past four seasons, which ranks fourth in the NHL; suspect defensive play knocks him down a few pegs.

32. Steven Stamkos

·         Coming off the sixth season of his career with at least 40 goals and produced a career-high 106 points in 2021-2022. A legendary sniper who has scored on less than 15.0% of his shots once in the past 13 seasons.

33. Matthew Tkachuk

·         An agitator who is also a premier first line winger, Tkachuk piled up 104 points last season and was an integral part of Calgary’s dominant top line. Now, he takes his game to Florida.

34. Jake Guentzel

·         While his reputation was forged as a complement to Sidney Crosby, Guentzel has proven that he can score without Crosby, too. In the past four seasons, Guentzel has 260 points in 253 games – his 1.03 points per game in that time ranks 21st.

35. Elias Pettersson

·         A brilliant talent who looked positively lost midway through last season, Pettersson had 17 points in 37 games. He played more on the wing down the stretch and the results were dramatically different, as Pettersson put up 26 goals and 51 points in his last 43 games. 

36. Juuse Saros

·         Nashville’s netminder has a .921 save percentage in 103 games over the past two seasons. His 45.67 Goals Saved Above Expected in the past two years ranks second behind Igor Shesterkin.

37. Filip Forsberg

·         A wickedly skilled winger who has one of the best highlight reels in the game and put it together to score 42 goals in 69 games last season, earning an 8-year, $68 million contract to stay with the Predators.

38. Jack Eichel

·         Although he scored 25 points in 34 games after he was acquired by Vegas, Eichel did generate 3.91 shots on goal per game. The key is that he is finally healthy.

39. Brayden Point

·         Skilled and feisty undersized center played a massive role in two Lighting Stanley Cup victories, scoring 14 goals in 23 games both times that Tampa Bay won the Cup.  

40. Miro Heiskanen

·         23-year-old Stars defenseman has quickly established his credentials as a top-tier defender. With John Klingberg leaving, more power play time should go to Heiskanen and give him the chance to increase his offensive contributions.

41. Dougie Hamilton

·         Did not have a great season in his first year with the Devils, with unusually shaky defensive play, Hamilton has averaged more than three shots per game for five years running.

42. Alex Ovechkin

·         Put up 50 goals and 90 points as a 36-year-old last season, which is ridiculous production for his age, but Ovechkin’s game is getting more one dimensional.

43. Connor Hellebuyck

·         A standout goaltender, especially when considering the quality of shots that he typically faces in Winnipeg, Hellebuyck had a relatively down season in 2021-2022, but still saved 6.3 goals above expected.

44. MacKenzie Weegar

·         Traded to Calgary in the deal that send Matthew Tkachuk to Florida, Weegar has emerged as a top defender. In the past two seasons, the Panthers controlled more than 57.0% of 5v5 shot attempts and outscored opponents by 39 goals with Weegar on the ice.

45. Gabriel Landeskog

·         Captain of the Stanley Cup champions scored 30 goals and 59 points in just 51 games to go with excellent puck possession stats last season.

46. Elias Lindholm

·         Scored a career-high 42 goals and 82 points on his way to finishing as the runner-up for the Selke Trophy as best defensive forward. Will have new linemates this season, after Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk left Calgary.

47. Devon Toews

·         Excellent puck-moving defensemen who handles the defensive side of the game, too. Can get overshadowed by partner Cale Makar, but Toews produced 57 points with dynamite possession numbers last season.

48. Shea Theodore

·         A tremendous playmaking defenseman, Theodore had a career-high 14 goals and 52 points last season. His defensive play has slipped some in recent seasons, but Theodore still drives positive results.

49. Quinn Hughes

·         A sensational skater and puck mover who scored 39 of his 68 points on the power play last season.

50. Anze Kopitar

·         35-year-old center remains a play-driving force who has a positive impact at both ends of the rink. Had 2.59 shots per game last season, his highest rate since 2011-2012, and finished with 67 points despite some of the lowest percentages (ie. shooting, on-ice shooting) of his career.

51. Roope Hintz

·         The 25-year-old Stars forward has emerged as a premier player, not only scoring 37 goals last season but playing sound defensively.

52. Alex Pietrangelo

·         Has played more than 24 minutes per game for 11 straight seasons and his team has not been outscored at 5v5 with him on the ice since 2009-2010, a season in which he was returned to the Ontario Hockey League after nine games.

53. Andrei Svechnikov

·         Drafted second overall in 2018, Svechnikov had a career-high 30 goals and 69 points for the Hurricanes last season. The 22-year-old should be approaching his prime years, so he ought to continue getting better.

54. Kyle Connor

·         Scored 47 goals and 93 points last season but Jets did not outshoot or outscore opposition when Connor was on the ice during 5v5 situations. Defensive improvement is needed for Connor to climb in the rankings.

55. Patrick Kane

·         Since 2015-2016, his 623 points ranks second only to McDavid, but disinterested defensive play gives some back at the other end.

56. Jacob Markstrom

·         Was runner-up in Vezina voting last season after a career-high .922 save percentage and 15.26 goals saved above expected.

57. John Carlson

·         In the past five seasons, the veteran defenseman has accumulated 328 points, 25 points more than any other defenseman.

58. Nazem Kadri

·         After scoring a career-high 87 points during the regular season, Kadri was a vital part of Colorado’s Stanley Cup run, contributing 15 points in 16 games.

59. Phillip Danault

·         Excellent two-way center tallied a career-high 27 goals in his first season with Los Angeles but has established his credentials as a premier play driving force. Over the past four seasons, Danault’s line has controlled 57.6% of 5v5 shot attempts, ranking sixth among players to appear in at least 100 games.

60. Jaccob Slavin

·         Top-notch defensive defenseman scored a career-high 42 points last season while delivering strong defensive results and taking just five minor penalties in 79 games.

61. Mark Scheifele

·         A productive center who has recorded at least a point per game for six straight seasons, Scheifele’s defensive play can limit his overall impact.

62. William Nylander

·         Produced a career-high 34 goals and 80 points in 81 games last season, recording a career-best 3.16 shots on goal per game. At his best, can be a dynamic star player.

63. Tomas Hertl

·         Produced 30 goals and 64 points last season, the second time in his career that he surpassed 30 goals and 60 points in a season.

64. Evgeni Malkin

·         An elite talent who is showing signs of aging and has had a hard time staying healthy. Malkin has 70 points in 74 games across that past two seasons but has missed more than a dozen games in nine of the past 10 seasons.  

65. Kevin Fiala

·         After scoring a career-high 33 goals and 85 points for Minnesota, Fiala was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in the offseason. He has also been a proven play driver throughout his career.

66. Oliver Bjorkstrand

·         Notched a career-high 28 goals and 57 points for Columbus last season but has also established his credentials as a responsible two-way winger.

67. Pavel Buchnevich

·         Moved to St. Louis and responded with a career high 30 goals and 76 points. Coupled with strong defensive impacts for his third straight season, Buchnevich is a reliable and productive two-way winger.

68. Kris Letang

·         35-year-old blueliner recorded a career-high 68 points last season and has played more than 24 minutes per game in each of the past 12 seasons.

69. Thatcher Demko

·         A well above-average starting goaltender for the past two seasons, the 26-year-old Canucks netminder finished seventh in Vezina voting last season.

70. Mathew Barzal

·         Signed to an eight-year contract extension that kicks in after next season, Barzal is the Islanders’ most dangerous offensive player, but he has the ability to produce more than the 59 points he had last season.

71. Ryan O’Reilly

·         A premier two-way center who has finished in the Top 5 in Selke voting for four straight seasons, winning the award in 2018-2019.

72. Jack Hughes

·         The first pick in the 2019 Draft, Hughes struggled as a rookie, showed progress as a sophomore, and looked like a star in his third season, scoring 56 points in 49 games.

73. Alex DeBrincat

·         Traded to Ottawa after recording the second 41-goal season of his career for Chicago. Has been an elite finisher and is in a good situation with an improving Senators team.

74. Joe Pavelski

·         The 38-year-old just put up 81 points in 82 games, the 0.99 points per game representing the best per-game scoring rate of his career.

75. Matt Duchene

·         Following a disastrous 2020-2021 season, Duchene bounced back in a big way with a career high 43 goals and 86 points last season.

76. Sam Reinhart

·         Move to a competitive Florida team led to a career-high 33 goals and 82 points last season, despite playing less than he did in each of his previous three seasons with Buffalo.

77. Dylan Larkin

·         Bounced back in a big way after a tough 2020-2021 season, scoring 31 goals and 69 points last season.

78. Chris Kreider

·         Had never scored more than 28 goals in a season before erupting for 52 goals, including 26 on the power play last season.

79. Claude Giroux

·         At 34, continues to put up points and is an ace in the faceoff dot. Has put up excellent defensive results in recent seasons, too.

80. Zach Werenski

·         A quality offensive defenseman whose defensive metrics have had some ups and downs throughout his career.

81. Timo Meier

·         26-year-old power forward scored a career-high 35 goals and 76 points last season, generating a career-high 4.23 shots per game.

82. Jared Spurgeon

·         The Wild captain had the second 40-point season of his career in 2021-2022 and consistently delivers strong defensive results.

83. Darnell Nurse

·         Hard-hitting physical presence has contributed 55 even-strength points in the past two seasons, which ranks 14th among defensemen.

84. Brady Tkachuk

·         Ottawa’s captain scored a career-high 30 goals and 67 points last season while still playing with his typical physical abandon.

85. Jesper Bratt

·         Electrifying Devils winger with good speed and wide skating base, busted out for 73 points in 76 games last season.

86. Valeri Nichushkin

·         An elite checking winger who emerged as an offensive threat with 52 points in 62 games last season, Nichushkin was a vital piece to Colorado’s championship run, scoring nine goals and 15 points in 20 games.

87. Vladimir Tarasenko

·         The Blue could not find a taker for him on the trade market last summer and then Tarasenko responded by producing a career-high 82 points in 75 games.

88. Owen Power

·         The first pick in the 2021 Draft played eight games with the Sabres at the end of last season, so this ranking requires some projection, but Power looked like he could be an impact player very quickly.

89. Robert Thomas

·         One of the premier passers in the game, Thomas is a 23-year-old playmaker who exploded for 77 points in 72 games last season.

90. Moritz Seider

·         The Calder Trophy winner not only put up 50 points in 82 games but added a physical presence to the Detroit blueline.

91. Matt Boldy

·         21-year-old Wild winger had 39 points in 47 games as a rookie last season and should only be looking at a bigger role this season.

92. Morgan Rielly

·         Toronto’s No. 1 defenseman put up 68 points, including a career-high 58 assists, last season. His defensive play has been below average for a few years, though, which limits his overall impact.

93. John Tavares

·         Toronto’s 32-year-old center took a lot of criticism for a season in which he finished with 76 points in 79 games. He is still a strong contributor, particularly down low in the offensive zone.

94. Nico Hischier

·         The Devils captain produced a career-high 60 points last season and delivers quality defensive play, too.

95. Trevor Zegras

·         Anaheim’s No. 1 center had 61 points in 75 games last season, finishing as runner-up in Calder Trophy voting. For all of his highlight reel plays, Zegras’ defensive metrics were solid, too.

96. Rasmus Dahlin

·         The first pick in the 2018 Draft, Dahlin has had some ups and downs in his career, but seemed to break through in his fourth season. Allowed more freedom by head coach Don Granato, Dahlin scored a career-best 13 goals and 53 points.

97. Thomas Chabot

·         Has not had great support in Ottawa, but has been effective while logging more than 26 minutes per game for three straight seasons.

98. Drew Doughty

·        Veteran Kings defenseman was in his best defensive form in quite some time before a knee injury ended his season after 39 games.

99. Joel Eriksson Ek

·        A standout checking center who could compete for the Selke Trophy, Eriksson Ek had a career-high 26 goals and 49 points last season.

100. Erik Karlsson

·        Although he is a long way from his Norris Trophy form, with shaky defensive play becoming the norm, Karlsson’s overall impact is positive because of his tremendous ability to move the puck in transition.