The NHL’s 30 Best Players for 2026-27 – The Hockey Writers – Rankings and Lists

With less than a month to go before the 2026-27 season opens, it is time to look at the league’s best players and see where they fit in the NHL hierarchy.

On the Cusp

This tier is for players who are excellent producers but maybe haven’t yet hit that extra gear or level consistently. Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle (#30) hasn’t quite found another gear since his 39-goal, 90-point season in 2022-23, but he has become a more complete 200-foot presence.

Clayton Keller (#29) has been a model of consistency, good for 30 or more goals and 85-90 points for the past few seasons. For a Utah Mammoth team brimming with young talent, Keller is the straw that stirs the drink.

Team USA members Charlie McAvoy (#28) and Matt Boldy (#27) continue to perform like premier players. McAvoy plays against the toughest matchups, produces offensively, and contributes in all facets of the game. Boldy is coming off his first 40-goal season and is the top center for a Minnesota Wild group itching to break through to Cup contender status.

Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston (#26) is coming off his first 40-goal season (45) and finished with a career-high 86 points. He isn’t quite as complete as other players on this list, but at 22, he could just be getting started.

Great Players But Just a Step Below

This group has made their case to be ranked higher, but the talent above them has a more consistent impact. Jeremy Swayman (#25) remains one of the game’s true difference-makers in net while so many teams are finding success with a platoon system.

Dynamic Calder Trophy-winning defenseman Matthew Schaefer (#24) was incredible as an 18-year-old, tying the NHL rookie record for goals by a defenseman with 23. Imagine what he might become with time and experience.

Winnipeg Jets winger Kyle Connor (#23) continues to be as good as anyone offensively, posting his second consecutive (and third overall) 90-point season. Even as the Jets remain stuck in a bit of a holding pattern, they can depend on Connor’s elite scoring ability.

Ilya Sorokin (#22) may be ranked higher if played anywhere other than the New York Islanders. He was dominant in 2025-26, earning his second second-place finish in Vezina Trophy voting and even earned a few Hart Trophy votes as the Islanders challenged for a playoff spot late into the season.

Jack Eichel (#21) and Cole Caufield (#20) had big seasons for their clubs in 2025-26. Eichel has been here before and remains the top center on one of the Western Conference’s most consistent teams. Caufield, meanwhile, hit the 50-goal mark for the first time and is a crucial piece to the young upstart Montreal Canadiens.

The Jets’ other superstar, Mark Scheifele (#19), is coming off his best season, racking up 103 points and finishing fifth in the NHL in scoring. He has been as consistent as it gets for Winnipeg and could cross the 1,000-point barrier this season.

Detroit Red Wings blueliner Moritz Seider (#18) could be the top defenseman in the game in another era. Unfortunately, he faces a glut of truly elite defensemen ahead of him. Another season as a dominant 200-foot performer, and he may have to be ranked higher.

Rounding out the group is Colorado Avalanche forward Martin Necas (#17). In his first full season with the Avalanche, Necas delivered across the board, with career highs in goals (38), assists (62), and points (100). He has been a fantastic fit on Colorado’s top line, and he might have more room to grow offensively.

Dabbling Superstars

This group of players are superstars on most nights. They more often than not dictate the pace of play for their teams, though each of them could have another gear to find.

Kirill Kaprizov (#16) was undoubtedly higher on this list two years ago, coming off a 46-goal, 96-point season. Injuries have hindered him a bit, but he secured his fourth 40-goal season (with 89 points) and remains the Wild’s top offensive threat.

Though some recognized his potential impact, few saw Lane Hutson (#15) becoming the premier NHL defenseman he became. He flashed that potential with 66 points in 2024-25 and improved on it exponentially last season, hitting 78 points and turning in an impressive plus-36 rating. At 22, Hutson is just coming into his own and will be one of the game’s dominant defensemen for the next decade.

Some had doubts about Jason Robertson’s (#14) ability to find another gear, but he answered those with what may have been his best season. He scored 45 goals and 96 points for the Stars, playing in all situations and becoming a true play-driver. He’s also better defensively than he’s given credit for, having some of the strongest two-way metrics among wingers in the league.

You could argue a strong case for either Quinn Hughes (#13) or Rasmus Dahlin (#12) to be in this spot. Both are invaluable to their teams as true play-drivers who have a huge impact at both ends of the ice. Hughes has shown a higher peak, but injuries have crept into the equation, and Dahlin may be better in his own end.

The last two players in this tier are counterparts. Andrei Vasilevskiy (#11) has had all the success in the world: two Stanley Cups, a pair of Vezina Trophies, and even a Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Evan Bouchard (#10) is part of an Edmonton Oilers group and took a big step forward with 95 points last season. His defense raises questions at times, but he is such an elite producer offensively that it balances out.

Undeniable Superstars

We are now into the group of players who are franchise cornerstones, whose teams would be out of the playoff race without them. While there is some debate about their ranking in this group, their presence in this tier cannot be denied.

Nick Suzuki (#9) had already been on a steady upward trajectory but took it to a new level in 2025-26. In addition to winning the Selke Trophy as the game’s top defensive forward, he racked up an incredible 72 assists and 101 points to lead the Canadiens.

It should tell you how good Leon Draisaitl (#8) is that 35 goals and 97 points feels like a “step back.” Then again, he only suited up in 65 games and would have been well on pace to match or exceed the 106 points he had the season prior. Draisaitl remains one of the very best scorers in the league and should be again this season.

Zach Werenski (#7) elevated himself into the NHL’s elite with a dominant Norris Trophy season in 2025-26. If the Columbus Blue Jackets are going to make the playoffs, Werenski will have to play at that same level, and there’s no reason to believe he can’t.

David Pastrnak (#6) is known for lighting the lamp, doing so an incredible 191 times in four seasons before 2025-26. Last season, he found his playmaking gear instead, racking up a career-high 71 assists en route to his fourth consecutive 100-point season. He is simply one of the game’s elite wingers on any given night.

Though he was usurped for the Norris Trophy by Werenski, Cale Makar (#5) remains the game’s unquestioned King of Defensemen and is now being paid like it. Makar “took a step back” last season but still registered 20 goals and 79 points while playing elite defense. Healthy and with a new deal in tow, the sky is the limit.

Rounding out the group is easily the most dynamic young player in the game: San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (#4). The Sharks are flush with young talent, and the 20-year-old Celebrini is the best among them. His 45-goal, 115-point season could easily be a prelude to something bigger.

The Cream of the Crop

Three names stand above the rest. The best winger in the game is Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov. Offensively, almost no one has been better, with a trio of Art Ross Trophies. With 130 points last season, Kucherov continues to be one of the game’s elite all-around scorers and a legitimate threat to win the scoring title every year.

Just ahead of him is Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon (#2). MacKinnon has been a legit threat for the Art Ross and Hart Trophies, leading the NHL in goals with 53 a season ago while finishing third in scoring with 127 points. MacKinnon is clearly what makes the Avalanche go, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

At the top of the heap is Connor McDavid (#1). Winning your sixth scoring title will do that, and McDavid remains so dominant that no one can touch him when he’s on. His 138 points from a season ago are his second-most ever; he has nine 100-point seasons to his name and hasn’t yet turned 30, putting him in rarefied air with the back half of his career – and the dreams of a first Stanley Cup – fueling him.

Will the Rankings Hold Sway?

A couple of players (Celebrini, Makar) seem like they could butt their way into the top-3 conversation. However, this season will tell us who will ascend and who will slowly (or precipitously) move down the list. The only thing for sure is that the elite talent in the NHL is the best it’s been in a long, long time.