Top 100 Players for the 2023-2024 Season
Here are my Top 100 NHL players for the 2023-2024 season.
Due to injury, I did not include Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and it is difficult to know what to make of players who have missed significant time due to injuries. Filip Forsberg, Max Pacioretty, and Nikolaj Ehlers are some of the players who have performed at a very high level on a per-game basis, but there have not been enough games played.
There are invariably some big movers, players that climb the ladder with a breakthrough season. Tage Thompson, Linus Ullmark, Clayton Keller, Tim Stutzle, Jared McCann, Hampus Lindholm and Troy Terry were among the highest-rated players that were not in the Top 100 before last season. It’s not all breakthrough players, though. Even a resurgent Brent Burns returned to the list following a strong season in Carolina.
As for the top of the list, there are few surprises, though Matthew Tkachuk has climbed rapidly into the No. 2 slot. Jack Hughes, Rasmus Dahlin, William Nylander, and Nico Hischier are among the big risers near the top of the rankings.
1 (1) Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton
The three-time Hart Trophy winner hit career highs with 64 goals and 153 points in 2022-2023.
2 (33) Matthew Tkachuk, RW, Florida
Back-to-back seasons with at least 40 goals and 100 points; Tkachuk’s team has outscored opponents 181-86 at even strength over the past two seasons.
3 (4) Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado
Missed 11 games last season and still had the first 100-point season of his career.
4 (2) Auston Matthews, C, Toronto
A down season in 2022-2023 still brought 40 goals and 85 points in 74 games.
5 (3) Cale Makar, D, Colorado
Durability has been the only question for a blueliner who won the Norris Trophy in 2021-2022 and has been a finalist for three straight seasons.
6 (15) David Pastrnak, RW, Boston
Recorded career highs with 61 goals and 113 points last season. How will he fare with Boston’s losses down the middle of the ice?
7 (16) Mitch Marner, RW, Toronto
Still seeking his first 100-point season, the creative winger plays in all situations and has 196 points in 152 games over the past two seasons.
8 (72) Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey
Only 22-years-old, Hughes tallied 99 points last season and that seems like it is just the beginning for what he is going to accomplish in this league.
9 (18) Adam Fox, D, N.Y. Rangers
The 2020-2021 Norris Trophy winner has finished in the Top 5 in voting for three straight seasons and has topped 70 points in back-to-back seasons.
10 (26) Jason Robertson, LW, Dallas
A devastating force in the offensive zone, Robertson has had back-to-back seasons with more than 40 goals and hit a career high of 109 points last season.
11 (8) Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton
Has exceeded 100 points in four of the past five seasons and the only one that missed was the shortened 2020-2021 season when he put up 84 points in 56 games.
12 (6) Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Minnesota
A dynamic scoring winger, Kaprizov has had back-to-back 40-goal seasons, even though he missed 15 games in 2022-2023.
13 (24) Ilya Sorokin, G, N.Y. Islanders
The runner-up for the Vezina Trophy last season has a .924 save percentage over the past two seasons.
14 (9) Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh
Scored 93 points last season, the second-highest point total in his past nine seasons.
15 (96) Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo
The 23-year-old has really come into his own in the past couple of seasons and broke through for a career high 73 points last season.
16 (11) Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay
An elite point producer who put up 113 points in 2023-2024, Kucherov’s all-around game has shown signs of slipping.
17 (35) Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver
Coming off his first 100-point season, Pettersson has ascended to his expected role as a franchise centre.
18 (5) Igor Shesterkin, G, N.Y. Rangers
The 2021-2022 Vezina Trophy winner, Shesterkin was still well above average last season but not the dominant force that he was the year before.
19 (10) Roman Josi, D, Nashville
An outstanding puck-moving defenceman who leads the Nashville attack, Josi has 41 goals and 155 points in 147 games over the past two seasons.
20 (29) Sebastian Aho, C, Carolina
Scored at better than a point-per-game pace over the previous four seasons before production dipped last season. Still scored at least 30 goals for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
21 (12) Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida
A strong play driver who has produced 224 points (88 G, 136 A) in 185 games over the past three seasons.
22 (39) Brayden Point, C, Tampa Bay
Led the playoffs in goal-scoring during both of Tampa Bay’s most recent Stanley Cup wins and broke through for a career-high 51 goals and 95 points last season.
23 (20) Artemi Panarin, LW, N.Y. Rangers
Has produced 341 points in 268 games across four seasons with the Rangers, which ranks fourth in the league in that time. However, his playoff performances have raised concerns.
24 (13) Mikko Rantanen, RW, Colorado
Scored a career-high 55 goals and 105 points last season and has shown that he can handle centre when Nathan MacKinnon has been sidelined. Might be interesting to run MacKinnon and Rantanen 1-2 down the middle.
25 (NR) Tage Thompson, C, Buffalo
Has turned into a star in very short order, going for 47 goals and 94 points last season. Thompson can improve his play away from the puck, but there is a ton to like about what happens when he has the puck on his stick.
26 (14) Brad Marchand, LW, Boston
It will be interesting to see how the new Bruins captain handles playing without Patrice Bergeron, but he has been able to manage Bergeron’s absences in the past. Marchand has been an elite play driver, but his goal scoring dropped off dramatically last season.
27 (51) Roope Hintz, C, Dallas
A premier two-way forward who is coming off back-to-back 37-goal seasons and is part of one of the most dangerous lines in the league, with Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski.
28 (19) Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston
Although his defensive game is among the very best, McAvoy has probably been underrated to some degree because he does not produce huge point totals.
29 (62) William Nylander, RW, Toronto
For all of the critiques of Nylander’s game, the creative forward has continued to improve and has 167 points (73 G, 94 A) in 163 games over the past two seasons.
30 (94) Nico Hischier, C, New Jersey
The runner-up in voting for the Selke Award last season, Hischier also had career highs with 30 goals and 80 points.
31 (27) Mark Stone, RW, Vegas
An outstanding two-way forward, Stone has been battling injuries in recent seasons and the uncertainty over his tender back is the biggest concern surrounding his game.
32 (81) Timo Meier, LW, New Jersey
His production tailed off after he was acquired by the Devils, but he still finished with 40 goals and Meier has proven to be an elite shot generator.
33 (84) Brady Tkachuk, LW, Ottawa
Steadily improving power forward who tallied career highs with 35 goals and 83 points last season, which nicely complements his physical contributions.
34 (100) Erik Karlsson, D, Pittsburgh
Won the Norris Trophy last season after scoring a career-high 101 points (25 G, 76 A), a reminder that he can still be a difference maker.
35 (70) Mathew Barzal, RW, N.Y. Islanders
His offensive production has not come close to his rookie season, when he scored 85 points, but Barzal still drives play and generates chances at a high level.
36 (53) Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Carlina
A 23-year-old heading into his sixth season, Svechnikov has been very good, but it feels like there is untapped potential still waiting to take him another level. It might be difficult to find that level this year as he returns from a torn ACL.
37 (49) Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver
The Canucks’ new captain finished with a career-high 76 points (7 G, 69 A) last season and his skating and playmaking skills are crucial to Vancouver’s attack.
38 (40) Miro Heiskanen, D, Dallas
Moved into more of an offensive role last season and finished with a career-high 73 points (11 G, 62 A).
39 (38) Jack Eichel, C, Vegas
It was a long road back from neck surgery, but Eichel led the playoffs in scoring with 26 points on the way to the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup victory.
40 (67) Pavel Buchnevich, RW, St. Louis
Has quietly produced 191 points (76 G, 115 A) in 190 games over the past three seasons and the puck moves the right way when he’s on the ice.
41 (85) Jesper Bratt, LW, New Jersey
Putting up dominant possession numbers to go with back-to-back 73-point seasons.
42 (78) Chris Kreider, LW, N.Y. Rangers
Veteran winger drives play, brings a physical game, and has scored 88 goals over the past two seasons.
43 (37) Filip Forsberg, LW, Nashville
On a per-game basis, Forsberg would rate even higher, but he has not played 70 games in an NHL season since 2016-2017.
44 (NR) Brent Burns, D, Carolina
Even at 38, Burns remains an impact player, who not surprisingly thrived with his move to a Hurricanes team that dominates puck possession.
45 (28) Johnny Gaudreau, LW, Columbus
Johnny Hockey’s first season in Ohio was not a success, but he is a year removed from finishing fourth in Hart Trophy voting.
46 (25) Mika Zibanejad, C, N.Y. Rangers
Hit career highs with 39 goals and 91 points and has put up double-digit power play goals in six straight seasons.
47 (7) Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay
Hedman’s performance dipped last season, and he finished outside the top three of Norris Trophy voting for the first time since 2015-2016.
48 (NR) Linus Ullmark, G, Boston
Played in a career-high 49 games on his way to winning the Vezina Trophy last season. It was miles better than anything Ullmark had shown before so now the question is if he can do it again.
49 (41) Dougie Hamilton, D, New Jersey
Set career highs with 22 goals and 74 points last season, finishing sixth in Norris Trophy voting, the third time in the past four seasons that he finished in the top seven.
50 (NR) Clayton Keller, LW, Arizona
Reached career highs with 37 goals and 86 points last season, tallying 45 points in 32 games after the All-Star break.
51 (NR) Tim Stutzle, C, Ottawa
Erupted for 39 goals and 90 points in his third NHL season and he is still just 21.
52 (NR) Jared McCann, C, Seattle
McCann has really rounded into form in the past few seasons and had career highs of 40 goals and 70 points last season, which goes nicely with strong play-driving numbers.
53 (77) Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit
With 148 points (63 G, 85 A) in 151 games over the past two seasons, Larkin has been productive on struggling Red Wings teams.
54 (NR) Hampus Lindholm, D, Boston
Given more offensive freedom with the Bruins, Lindholm had a career-high 53 points to go with a league-leading plus-49.
55 (36) Juuse Saros, G, Nashville
The representative for smaller goaltenders has started 165 games in the past three seasons, posting a .920 save percentage in the process.
56 (99) Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Minnesota
A strong two-way pivot who had a career-high 61 points last season and has been Top 10 in Selke voting for three straight seasons.
57 (91) Matthew Boldy, LW, Minnesota
The 22-year-old winger put up 31 goals and 63 points in his first full NHL campaign.
58 (NR) Troy Terry, RW, Anaheim
A scoring winger who has elevated his game in the past two seasons, putting up 60 goals and 128 points in 145 games.
59 (64) Evgeni Malkin, C, Pittsburgh
Even if he is not as dangerous as he was at his peak, Malkin has scored a point per game or better in 11 of the past 12 seasons and played 82 games last season for the first time since 2008-2009.
60 (52) Alex Pietrangelo, D, Vegas
The No. 1 defenceman on the Stanley Cup champs, Pietrangelo has not been outscored at five-on-five in the NHL since 2008-2009 when he was returned to junior after a nine-game sample.
61 (47) Devon Toews, D, Colorado
Toews gets overshadowed by Cale Makar, naturally, but has accrued 107 points with a plus-91 rating in the past two seasons.
62 (50) Anze Kopitar, C, Los Angeles
Even at 36, Kopitar is a quality two-way centre. He is a perennial Selke candidate and his 28 goals and 74 points last season were his highest since 2017-2018.
63 (32) Steven Stamkos, LW, Tampa Bay
While it would be natural for a player in his 30s to hit the decline phase of his career, Stamkos has 76 goals and 190 points in he past two seasons.
64 (NR) Alex Tuch, RW, Buffalo
A big winger who can move, Tuch has responded well to a bigger with the Sabres. He produced career highs with 36 goals and 79 points last season.
65 (34) Jake Guentzel, LW, Pittsburgh
Frequently skating on Sidney Crosby’s win, Guentzel has had three seasons with at least 35 goals, including last season when he scored 36 goals and 73 points.
66 (54) Kyle Connor, LW, Winnipeg
Dynamic scoring winger who has tallied 173 points (78 G, 95 A) in 161 games over the past two seasons.
67 (NR) Tyler Toffoli, RW, New Jersey
The veteran winger has made a career of pushing play in the right direction, but he also hit for career highs in goals (34) and points (73) in Calgary last season.
68 (44) MacKenzie Weegar, D, Calgary
An outstanding shot suppressor who consistently produces strong possession numbers, Weegar was reliable in his first season with the Flames.
69 (NR) Zach Hyman, LW, Edmonton
A blue-collar winger who is a great complement to elite forwards, Hyman broke through for career bests with 36 goals and 83 points last season.
70 (65) Kevin Fiala, RW, Los Angeles
The creative winger has contributed 157 points (5 G, 101 A) in 151 games across the past two seasons.
71 (43) Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg
No goaltender has handled the kind of workload that has become routine for Hellebuyck, and he has finished in the top four of Vezina voting four times in the past six seasons, winning in 2019-2020.
72 (58) Nazem Kadri, C, Calgary
Kadri’s first season with the Flames was not to the level that he had established in Colorado, but there is lots to like about the feisty and skilled centre.
73 (NR) Bo Horvat, C, N.Y. Islanders
While Horvat scored a career-high 38 goals last season, he scored 31 goals in 49 games for Vancouver then added just seven goals in 30 games with the Islanders.
74 (79) Claude Giroux, LW, Ottawa
Joined the Senators as a free agent and, even at 35 years old, Giroux put up 79 points, including a career-high 35 goals.
75 (NR) Mattias Ekholm, D, Edmonton
Injured to start this season, Ekholm was an outstanding addition to the Oilers last season, providing stability and strong shot suppression results.
76 (76) Sam Reinhart, RW, Florida
A heady forward who has 64 goals and 149 points in the past two seasons and the puck typically moves the right way when he is on the ice.
77 (NR) Mikael Backlund, C, Calgary
The veteran centre has consistently been an excellent play driver and contributed a career-high 56 points (19 G, 37 A) last season.
78 (NR) Filip Gustavsson, G, Minnesota
Gustavsson had an awesome season in his first year with the Wild but is still dealing with a small sample of NHL action, playing a career-high 39 games last season.
79 (42) Alex Ovechkin, LW, Washington
Ovi has a large sample that suggests he is on his way to becoming the leading goal-scorer in NHL history, but his defensive play is a liability at this stage of his career.
80 (NR) Josh Morrissey, D, Winnipeg
The veteran blueliner erupted for a career-high 76 points (16 G, 60 A) last season but his defensive play slipped, but he still finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting.
81 (NR) Jeff Skinner, LW, Buffalo
Last season was the sixth time in his career that Skinner scored at least 30 goals, notching 35 on his way to a career-high 82 points.
82 (NR) Mikhail Sergachev, D, Tampa Bay
Continuing to take on a bigger role on the Lightning blueline, Sergachev quarterbacked the top power play unit and contributed a career-high 64 points last season.
83 (23) Nikolaj Ehlers, RW, Winnipeg
Bizarrely averaged a career low 15:39 of ice time per game last season but has established his credentials as a premier play driving winger during five-on-five play.
84 (60) Jaccob Slavin, D, Carolina
An excellent defensive defenceman who earns Norris Trophy votes every year though he never scores enough to get full consideration.
85 (30) J.T. Miller, C, Vancouver
A skilled and physical forward who has 181 points (64 G, 117 A) in 161 games over the past two seasons and would rate higher with greater commitment to his defensive play.
86 (82) Jared Spurgeon, G, Minnesota
The Wild captain routinely drives play and the Wild have outscored opponents with Spurgeon on the ice in nine of the past ten seasons.
87 (71) Ryan O’Reilly, Nashville
While his point production crashed last season, O’Reilly was top five in Selke voting in each of the previous four seasons.
88 (74) Joe Pavelski, RW, Dallas
At 39-years-old, Pavelski remains durable and productive. His fantastic ability to tip pucks in front of the net should keep adding goals to his ledger.
89 (98) Drew Doughty, D, Los Angeles
A workhorse on the Kings blueline, Doughty has averaged at least 25 minutes per game in each of the past 11 seasons.
90 (31) Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Calgary
It is not easy to score 60 fewer points while still playing a full season, but Huberdeau went from 115 points in his last season with Florida to 55 in his first year with the Flames.
91 (48) Shea Theodore, D, Vegas
A premier puck-moving defenceman who missed 27 games with injury last season but continued to perform at a high level when healthy.
92 (NR) Jake Oettinger, G, Dallas
The 24-year-old netminder has improved in each of his three NHL seasons and finished fifth in Vezina voting last season.
93 (NR) Jonathan Marchessault, LW, Vegas
A consistently productive winger who elevated his play in the postseason, tallying 25 points, including a playoff-leading 13 goals.
94 (46) Elias Lindholm, C, Calgary
Even though his production dipped last season, Lindholm is a durable and productive two-way centre who has 146 points (64 G, 82 A) in 162 games over the past two seasons.
95 (NR) Carter Verhaeghe, LW, Florida
Making the most of his opportunity in Florida, Verhaeghe has become a premier shot generator and busted out for 42 goals and 73 points last season.
96 (NR) Patrik Laine, RW, Columbus
An enormous talent in a large frame, Laine has had trouble staying healthy, but he has still recorded 108 points (48 G, 60 A) in 111 games over the past two seasons.
97 (95) Trevor Zegras, C, Anaheim
The 22-year-old pivot might lead the league in style points but needs to round out his game if he is going to be a real impact player.
98 (63) Tomas Hertl, C, San Jose
A powerful centre who pushes the puck in the right direction and has 127 points (52 G, 75 A) in 161 games over the past two seasons.
99 (NR) Jordan Kyrou, RW, St. Louis
Speedy winger who has 148 points (64 G, 84 A) in 153 games over the past two seasons.
100 (NR) Vince Dunn, Seattle
It seemed like it was a long time coming, but the 26-year-old blueliner had a breakthrough season in 2022-2023, scoring 64 points (14 G, 50 A).
Players to fall off the Top 100 from last season:
Patrice Bergeron (17), Andrei Vasilevskiy (21), Aaron Ekblad (22), Gabriel Landeskog (45), Patrick Kane (55), Jacob Markstrom (56), John Carlson (57), Phillip Danault (59), Oliver Bjorkstrand (66), Kris Letang (68), Thatcher Demko (69), Alex DeBrincat (73), Matt Duchene (75), Zach Werenski (80), Darnell Nurse (83), Valeri Nichushkin (86), Vladimir Tarasenko (87), Owen Power (88), Robert Thomas (89), Moritz Seider (90), Morgan Rielly (92), John Tavares (93), Thomas Chabot (97).
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