25. Alexander Ovechkin
Left Wing Capitals
Ovechkin may be 9 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's goals record but he's still far removed from his prime years. #25 is still a good spot for the Great 8 at the beginning of our list.
24. Sidney Crosby
Center Penguins
Similar to Ovechkin, this all-time great has had a better final stretch to the finish line but no one can truly out run father time. Crosby's 66 points thus far this season ranks 13th in the league.
23. Jack Hughes
Center Devils
Even though his season has come to an end after shoulder surgery, Hughes hadn't missed a game all season. His skating and scoring for the Devils will be truly missed in their first line.
22. Mikko Rantanen
Right Wing Stars
On his third team just this season, Rantanen hasn't missed a single game and has brought toughness and scoring everywhere he's been. Among the league's Top-10 in scoring, he now is part of a deadly Stars team and could make a serious playoff push.
21. Zach Werenski
Defenseman Blue Jackets
This season's leader in Time on Ice per game, Werenski's also having his best scoring season of his career along with almost 2 shot blocks per game. The Blue Jackets may miss the playoffs this year but it won't be because of their prize defenseman.
20. Brayden Point
Center Lightning
Point is on pace for another 90-point season and is tied for 5th in the league in Goals. Point has never taken that extra step to be amongst the league's elite but has been a model of consistency for Tampa for years.
19. Roman Josi
Defenseman Predators
After being amongst the league's top-scoring defenseman for years, Josi has taken a step down with only .7 points per game this season. His defense has still been great and is one of the few bright spots in the Predators' season.
18. Anthony Stolarz
Goalie Maple Leafs
Missing 21 games due to a knee injury was concerning for the Leafs gaoltender, but before he went down and even after he's been among the league's best stoppers with a .921 Save % and a Top-5 GAA in 24 starts.
17. Charlie McAvoy
Defenseman Bruins
McAvoy's presence on the Bruins has been sorely missed since his injury from the 4 Nation's Face-Off. After the Bruins' exodus at the Trade Deadline, McAvoy will be the Assistant Captain to David Pastrnak amongst his return.
16. Sam Reinhart
Center Panthers
Leading the reigning champs in points for the second season in a row, Reinhart is the heart and soul of this team. Tied for 5th in the league in Goals, the Panthers' offense is one of the best in the league thanks to their deadly first line led by Reinhart.
15. Mark Scheifele
Center Jets
Sheifele's best statistical season is a huge part of the Jets' meteoric season. Top-10 in points and #2 in goals with 35 already this year. Along with someone we haven't gotten to yet, Scheifele's one of the biggest reasons the Jets' offense ranks #2 in the league.
14. Mitch Marner
Right Wing Maple Leafs
Marner is on pace for his first 100-point season of his career while leading the Maple Leafs in scoring and assists. In a tight race for the Atlantic title, the Maple Leafs have counted on Marner especially when Matthews has been out.
13. Kyle Connor
Light Wing Jets
Along with Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor has been instrumental in the Jets' season. Bothe of the players' best seasons have come together but Connor inks Sheifele out by a little bit with 8 more total points.
12. Quinn Hughes
Defenseman Canucks
Hughes has been one of the best true two-way players in the league with incredible defense and high volume assist numbers. Only Werenski and Makar have more points as a defenseman and neither mean more to their team than the Canucks captain does to his.
11. Victor Hedman
Defenseman Lightning
Another defenseman high in scoring and Captaining his team, Hedman gets a slight nod over Hughes due to team success and Goals Against. Hedman's Lightning have relied on their Captain time and time again and he has made his mark as one of the true greats in the league.
10. Auston Matthews
Center Maple Leafs
Finally in the Top-10 and were starting with a player with legitimate Top-5 talent. If not for Matthews injury earlier this year, he'd probably be on pace for his 3rd 100-point season in 4 years. Even still, he's definitely Top-10 still.
9. Andrei Vasilevskiy
Goalie Lightning
The second-best goalie this season, Vasilevskiy is ranked #2 in both GAA and Save % for the 7th best defense in the league. In his best season since 2020, Vasilevskiy has been Top-5 in his position for years but has solidified himself as #2 in the league.
8. Jack Eichel
Center Golden Knights
Eichel is finally having the outstanding scoring season Vegas traded for him to have. With 55 assists in 61 games played so far, Eichel is in his prime and set for his most points scored in a season while leading the Golden Knights to a Pacific title.
7. David Pastrnak
Right Wing Bruins
Well, the Bruins are Pastrnak's team now. After the exodus of Marchand, Carlo and Coyle, Pastrnak's position on the team as the highest scorer and best skater for several seasons now makes him one of the truly most valuable players to any team in the league.
6. Connor Hellebuyck
Goalie Jets
Now for the best goalie in the league by a good margin. Hellebuyck's .927 Save % and 1.99 GAA are both first in the league, while leading the league in Wins and being 2nd in games played makes him clear for this title and one of the biggest reasons for the Jets' success.
5. Nikita Kucherov
Right Wing Lightning
The Top-5 was never in question and have been the same since the season started. Last year's Points leader is having another "lightning" season in Tampa Bay with 92 points in 60 games and leads the league's second-best scoring offense.
4. Leon Draisaitl
Center Oilers
Draisaitl's reputation of "McDavid's sidekick" is truly disrespectful. What will be his 6th time in 7 seasons he will score 100 points may be his very best as he leads the league in goal scoring with 11 more than the #2 spot. Draisaitl is currently #2 in points and has the best shot % in the Top-10 Point scorers in the league.
3. Cale Makar
Defenseman Avalanche
The best defenseman in the league for 2 or 3 years now. Makar's spectacular defense isn't even his best quality as he's the highest scoring defenseman by some margin for the second year in a row. Backing up the best First Line in all of hockey, Makar rounds out a truly great Avalanche team that hope to make some serious noise in the playoffs.
2. Nathan MacKinnon
Center Avalanche
To be honest I was very close to making MacKinnon #1 on this list and he's truly deserving of the spot. MacKinnon leads the league in scoring and assists this year and has finished Top-10 in scoring the past 8 years in a row. 5 of the last 8 years including these last three season has seen him finish in the Top-5. MacKinnon is maybe the best scorer in the league but he was just short of being the best overall player.
1. Connor McDavid
Center Oilers
Because who else could it be. Connor McDavid has been the best player in the league for over a half-decade now and has scored more points than anyone in that time period. On pace for another 100-point season for the 7th time in 8 years (his only sub-100 point season happened due to injury where he scored 97.) McDavid isn't only the best player in the league but may go down one day as one of the greatest of all time.
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Make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage on the 2024-25 NHL season.
-Z.D.
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