Who are the highest-paid NHL players? A ranking of how much hockey stars make

However, he potted 36 goals yet again, marking the fourth time in the last five years the Hurricanes center posted at least 30 goals. His knack for finding the back of the net is paired with a solid defensive presence, making the Finn one of the league’s top centers. He posted 66 points in 67 games in the regular season before contributing 26 points in 20 games in his first playoff run, culminating in a Stanley Cup win. He looked like the franchise star the Golden Knights were expecting him to be when they traded for him two years ago. Similar to Heiskanen, McAvoy has always provided the Bruins with strong, two-way play on the blue line.

Brady Tkachuk, LW, Ottawa Senators

Over the last three years, Stamkos has been one of the top point producers and had drug his team into battle every night. The Stars have taken a lot of pride in their defensive game as an entire team, but the biggest anchor for their success comes from Miro Heiskanen. He is one of the best two-way defenders in the game and has had great offensive numbers over the past two seasons. A big step back in production last season prevented Tim Stutzle from being higher on this list.

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• He is one of the biggest bounce-back candidates moving forward and is very likely to move up the list.
• In its early form, field hockey was played on natural grass, but the heavy turf made the game slower.
• He also has no problem making his living around the net on the offensive end of the ice.
• He is in every conversation for the best defensemen in the league, and if he can take a bigger step offensively, he will have a great chance of winning the Norris Trophy over the next few years.
• His talent alone can help elevate the ceiling of the Philadelphia Flyers this season.
• In his final junior season, Beck scored at a higher rate than ever and was a strong play driver for the Saginaw Spirit throughout the regular season, OHL playoffs, and their Memorial Cup victory.
• In that two-year stretch, only two wingers in the league have managed to outscore Rantanen, and only one’s managed to rack up more goals than the Colorado stalwart.
• Roy is incredibly competitive, responsible defensively, and protects the puck extremely well.
• Helenius’ two-way play against pros as a teenager has been very impressive, especially in transition where he is able to keep up with the pace of play both physically and mentally.

He has been a strong shut-down center for the club, and while his play has taken a step back over his massive $77 million deal, he is still a very valuable player. He still has good offensive numbers, especially with the fact that he has three other forwards who can challenge for 100+ points annually. He had the captaincy moved from him to Auston Matthews, but he is still a very strong leader in the locker room and that will continue to be one of his biggest assets as well. Despite having his lowest point total of his career, Brett Pesce didn’t take any steps back in his all-around game last season. His defensive metrics, like Ekholm’s, were some of the best of his career, and that is what earned him a big contract with the New Jersey Devils. A lot of missed time last season resulted in what seemed like a quiet year from Shea Theodore, but in reality, he nearly broke his career-high in points in just a short amount of time.

Roope Hintz, C, Stars

The No. 1 pick from 2017 has always been touted as a responsible, two-way center that excels in the faceoff dot. However, last season, the Devils captain proved he can get it done at both ends of the ice, hitting 31 goals and 80 points. The duo of Hischier and Hughes down the middle for New Jersey is flat-out terrifying.

Harmanpreet Singh tops scoring charts at Paris 2024

The Panthers star can stickhandle at an elite level, and has scored six goals throughout the 2024 postseason, while also having no problem setting up his teammates along the way. It won’t be a huge surprise if Barkov makes his presence known at many points during the series. One big reason the Oilers have gotten over the playoff hump this season is that the cast around McDavid and Draisaitl is shouldering more of the burden. In his ninth NHL season, Hyman broke out for 54 goals, which was 18 more than his previous career high.

Sam Reinhart, F, Florida Panthers

In the ensuing offseason, he was signed by the Canucks and loaned to the SHL where he played with Örebro HK and led all U20 SHL players in goals and points. Lekkerimäki was excellent at the 2024 World Junior Championship for Sweden, scoring seven goals in as many games and winning the award as the tournament’s MVP en route to a silver medal. Cole Eiserman was the 2024 Draft’s premier goal scoring prospect, and he was by far the most polarizing player in the group. He can play physically, but can sometimes get caught chasing hits and losing track of defensive coverage. Liam Greentree is a big winger who looks like he could be a great all-round player in the NHL someday if he can make some improvements to his speed and acceleration. Greentree does most things well, fighting hard in puck battles, making smart passes, and handling defensive responsibilities well.

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He led the Giants in points per game during his draft year and was among the top scorers in the WHL at large before suffering an injury at the 2023 WJC with Slovakia. Honzek has played and succeeded on both special teams and his size and strength have made him too much for opposing defenders to handle on more than a few occasions. He is a great skater, which makes him a pest on the forecheck where he does a lot of damage both with his high motor and his large frame. Scott Morrow plays a high-octane style and he’s always quick and decisive in transition.

Dynasty and keeper rankings: Top stars of the next five years1ySean Allen

He is still a bit of a raw prospect at this point, which means there’s a lot of room for growth. Levshunov was a poor defender in the USHL when he first arrived, but finished that season as a strong two-way player. His first NCAA mirrored that closely, with an increased defensive responsibility as the year wore on. It looks like Levshunov is set to make the jump to the pros next season, and while his defensive game may not be great right off the bat, he’s shown himself to be a quick study.

Alex DeBrincat, Detroit Red Wings

He dominated that level this season, but we’ve seen him do that already so it’s no surprise. I’d really love to see him against pros full-time next season, hopefully in the KHL. The reason people are so high on Eiserman, is that he scored 72 goals in 69 games last season for the NTDP. While he may not be the most reliable player when it comes to play driving or defensive results, he is an incredibly reliable goal scorer and projects to be a 30+ goal scorer in the NHL someday. Pair him with your best playmaking center and watch him do the hardest thing there is in hockey, score goals.

Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers

Tkachuk may be the face of the franchise, but Barkov is the engine that runs the machine. He leads the playoffs with 31 points heading into the Stanley Cup Final and has recorded at least one point in 14 of the 18 postseason contests in 2024. McDavid is undoubtedly one of the frontrunners for the Conn Smythe entering the Stanley Cup Final. The Sporting News ranks the top 10 players participating in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Matthews impresses every season, but this one was arguably his best all-around performance, and that should bode well for Toronto’s playoff prospects.

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Goyette reads opposing defenses very well which allows him to attack in a wide variety of ways. He can charge through soft spots, deke through defenders to make space, or draw tons of attention before passing to a teammate who is wide open. Goyette was one of the best players in the OHL last season and I think he has a chance to be an excellent pro player next season with the Firebirds in the AHL.

• His poise, hands and superb skating ability make him an offensive dynamo, and he’s only 22 years old.
• Bobrovsky was a large reason why the Panthers made its Stanley Cup Final run last season, but, like the team, he ran out of gas against the Golden Knights.
• I expected he would land a well-deserved top-six spot with SKA St. Petersburg next season, but the Flyers managed to get him signed and Michkov will make his NHL debut much sooner than expected.
• Öhgren’s ability to out-work opponents stands out, even at the pro level, and should continue in the AHL next season.
• If it hadn’t been for a season-ending injury early in the year, Dougie Hamilton could have been in the running for the Norris Trophy last season.

Solberg doesn’t project to have a ton of NHL offense, but he can make a solid first pass and his mobility will help carry him to the next level. He wins tons of pucks with his stick and body, closing gaps confidently while defending in transition. Solberg has the potential to be a meaningful top-four defender in the NHL, complementing the offensive tilt of many of the Ducks’ young defenders. Liam Öhgren is a “jack of all trades, master of none” type of player who will excel in the NHL one day as a complementary winger. He is one of the hardest-working players on the ice every time he plays, and he can do just about anything asked of him. Öhgren has a great shot, good hands, legit playmaking skill, and the skating ability to put all those skills together.

Perhaps the one disappointment about last season was the flop of Liam Souliere in net, but that’s Minnesota’s problem now. To replace their longtime goalie, PSU may have upgraded in snagging Arseni Sergeev from UConn. Sergeev was a 7th round pick of Calgary a few years back and had identical .913 SV% clips the last two years playing roughly half the games for the Huskies, and was a .918 in the USHL before that.

Forsling will be depended on to log heavy minutes as the Oilers will be arguably his most difficult matchup yet. At the end of the day, Zach Hyman is proving to be an elite goal scorer for the Oilers and a picture-perfect winger to play with the two superstars. He possesses an uncanny ability to get open in front of the net, knocking in passes on the backdoor and cleaning up rebounds in front in the process. It had been a few years since Kucherov dominated a regular season, but he got back to his ways last year, putting up 113 points and 83 assists. He was one of only two players to hit at least 80 helpers on the year, (McDavid was the other), en route to his third triple-digit points campaign. The Lightning winger is an elite playmaker who always finds himself among the league leaders in assists.

He absolutely tore up the top junior league in Russia and was excellent in the second-tier professional league in Russia as well (VHL). Miroshnichenko made the move to North America last year, scoring roughly half a point-per-game in the AHL and skating in a handful of NHL games. He battles hard and shoots harder, making him an absolute menace in the offensive zone. While the effort isn’t as prominent on the defensive side of the game, there are not many players with Kucherov’s offensive capabilities. He was the lone reason the Lightning made the playoffs last season, and with some movement in the Lightning lineup, Kucherov could benefit from the moves made this offseason in Tampa Bay. Leon Draisaitl has five straight 100-point seasons excluding the shortened 56-game season.

Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers

• He has shown that he only gets better when the games get important, which is an invaluable attribute to have as someone who projects as a top-nine winger in the NHL.
• Simon Edvinsson is one of the most exciting prospects in the hockey world, with nearly limitless potential due to his remarkable size (6-foot-6), mobility (guys his size rarely skate this well), and offensive skill.
• Through two seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, Mattias Ekholm has an outstanding 59 points and has a plus-minus rating of +72.
• There is a good argument for Jaccob Slavin in the conversation of the best pure defensive player in the NHL.

His offensive game is impressive for a defender of his size and his skating makes him even more intriguing as an NHL prospect. Yakemchuk has a rocket of a shot, scoring 19 goals last season, something that makes him a true goal scoring threat from the point. He challenges opposing players one-on-one like a forward, constantly setting himself up for these incredible dekes. The problem is, he doesn’t succeed 100% of the time and can put himself in tough positions to recover defensively.

I do think he’s a solid defender when he’s properly engaged, cutting off passes and angling opponents toward the boards. Parekh is a remarkable talent, with Quinn Hughes-like offensive upside if things go well, but the defensive end is in need of some real work. He’s talented enough and looked strong enough defensively in the Memorial Cup  that I think he’ll figure it out in the NHL though, if given enough time. Shane Wright’s biggest obstacle since being drafted has been the NHL/CHL agreement but he was granted an exception last year so he could compete in the AHL despite not being officially eligible.

And if it is more solid in the DZ, I feel much more comfortable about the goaltending situation. I never like not having a proven commodity, but there are real reasons for optimism for both Cameron Korpi and Logan Stein. Hard to imagine at least one of them doesn’t succeed enough to at least give Michigan average goaltending. If they’re a solid defensive team and have a robust and deep offense, average goaltending should get this team into the NCAA Tournament.

Brandt Clarke boasts some of the best offensive smarts and decision-making with the puck as a defenseman in the world. Selected eighth overall in 2021, Clarke can take control of a shift or lead a rush chance whenever he’s on the ice with his skating and speed. He’s great at identifying the open lanes and attacking with force to take advantage of an opportunity.

The top of the Oilers’ lineup, headlined by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, is as loaded as they come. Edmonton has no problem lighting up the scoreboard with so much high-end skill on the ice, but players like Mattias Ekholm give the lineup some balance on the back end too. Bobrovsky was a large reason why the Panthers made its Stanley Cup Final run last season, but, like the team, he ran out of gas against the Golden Knights. The Panthers have limited opponents to 24.4 shots per game, but the Oilers average 28.8. The Panthers are known for their structured systems that make scoring a pain, but at the end of the day, you need an elite goaltender as the last line of defense. Florida’s netminder is 12-5 this postseason with a 2.20 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage, and one shutout.

Brock Faber finished the season averaging just shy of 25 minutes per game, which ranks sixth in the entire league. Not only was he a minute-eating rookie with offensive upside, but he played a strong defensive game, including his 150 blocked shots, which ranked 50th in the league. He wasn’t very physical, landing just 65 registered hits, but as he continues to develop, his 6-foot-1 frame could allow him to play a more physical game. What a shock it is to see the best hockey player in the world at the top of this list. McDavid simply plays the game at a different speed than everyone else, and that has been clear in these playoffs. He has 26 assists in just 18 games after posting 100 assists in the regular season, and he is feeding teammates in high-danger areas.

If one of their two goalies pans out, I expect ND to be annoying and defensively sound enough to scrape towards .500. Either way I don’t really see an NCAA path here because this roster looks even more questionable than the one that wasn’t close to the tourney last year. Your Lucius and Whitelaw types are out the door and are replaced with old, experienced college hockey transfers from Minnesota State-esque schools. From RIT they snagged the likely goalie for this season (Tommy Scarfone) and 1st Team All-AHA forward Cody Laskosky.

Next year’s NHL rookie class is rightfully earning a lot of early attention, with a massive group of talented youngsters who each have a chance at the NHL’s Calder Memorial Trophy for the league’s best rookie. From Macklin Celebrini and Matvei Michkov, to Logan Stankoven and Will Smith, the NHL is experiencing a massive influx of young talent once again this season. Before we get into the top 100 prospect ranking update, here are a few notes on the criteria and content of this list.

Marchand is still a pesky winger, but he’s more notably known for his ability to drive offense and be a sensational defender. After a 67-point campaign last year, it will be intriguing to see how Marchand produces without his longtime center, Patrice Bergeron. I saw the massive frame and good skating and understood why he would be drafted in the first round (29th overall in the 2022 Draft), but I didn’t expect him to develop so well, so quickly. Lamoureux has made some really big strides in a positive direction since being drafted, with his play improving in all phases of the game. We turned to our Sportsnet Insiders for an answer, asking them to untangle the whirlwind of sticks, skates, and bodies flying around the sheet, and rank the top 50 players in the NHL at this moment. Not just the best forwards or defenders, not just the best offensive-minded phenoms or shutdown talents, but the best — full-stop.

Cale Makar, a defenseman with remarkable offensive talents, continues to impress with his vision and ability to control the game from the blue line, earning accolades and respect from fans and peers alike. The Edmonton blue liner’s 27 points only trail McDavid and Draisaitl out of all players, but it’s already the fifth-most points in a single playoff by a defenseman of all time. His six goals put him in a tie for the lead at his position in 2024, while his 21 assists rank second out of all skaters. Bouchard’s thunderous slap shot at the point makes him an exceptional weapon on the Edmonton power play, as he creates tons of offensive chances for the team. On top of all that, his 140 shot attempts are the most this postseason out of all skaters. He’s a center with a June birthday, meaning he’s one of the youngest players from the 2024 draft class, and will be just 18 years old for his entire rookie season in the NHL.

Konsta Helenius is an excellent playmaker who competes hard enough to succeed in the Finnish Liiga as a 17-year-old. Helenius is level-headed under pressure and makes remarkable passes look routine, setting his teammates up for success. He was good for Finland at the 2024 World Juniors in Sweden, though the stat sheet might not give you the best idea of how https://gambibet.org/ impactful he was. Helenius’ two-way play against pros as a teenager has been very impressive, especially in transition where he is able to keep up with the pace of play both physically and mentally. Reinbacher is looking like a potential top-four mainstay in the NHL with exciting defensive potential despite a bit of an underwhelming season back in the NL.

There is still a lot of faith that he can bounce back after last season, and with his shooting and utilization of his size, there isn’t much reason to think 56 points is going to be a regular season for him. When he was drafted first overall, the offense was known to be his biggest asset, but his defensive play has become much stronger and he is now able to take control over a game at both ends of the ice. He is a bit of a hot-and-cold player with his offense, but over the course of a season, he has proven he can be relied upon for 50+ points regularly, he could even challenge the point-per-game mark soon. After a couple of dominant years in a row, Mika Zibanejad took a bit of a step back in his goal-scoring and point production last season.