playESPN staffOct 6, 2026, 08:00 AM ETMultiple AuthorsOpen Extended ReactionsIt takes more than one elite player to win the Stanley Cup. Last year’s finalists — the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights — had four and three such players, respectively, in our 2025-26 player rankings.We asked a panel of ESPN broadcasters, analysts, reporters and editors to rate players based on how good they will be this season as compared with their peers. Emphasis was placed on their value for this coming season, which explains why players who are out injured (but expected to return) might be lower than if they were healthy now.The Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens lead the way with six players apiece in this year’s top 100. Three teams — the Calgary Flames, Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks — didn’t land anyone on the list.As for individuals, Connor McDavid continued his reign as the top vote-getter, holding down the No. 1 spot again, as he did for 2025-26 and 2024-25 and 2023-24 and 2022-23 and 2021-22 and … .
You get the idea.Here’s the 1-100 list for 2026-27, featuring write-ups for the top 50 courtesy of ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton, Greg Wyshynski and editorial staff.1. Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers2025-26 rank: 1 Age: 29There will come a day when someone overtakes McDavid as the NHL’s best player. But until then, all eyes remain on the Oilers’ superstar captain who is coming off his ninth 100-point season.
Last season McDavid captured his sixth Art Ross as the NHL points leader, and his fifth Ted Lindsay Award as the most outstanding player as voted upon by his peers. — Clark2. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche2025-26 rank: 3 Age: 31If not for McDavid, MacKinnon — who led the NHL in goals last season — could be considered the most dangerous individual talent in the NHL — and there are those who argue he might be the most terrifying figure on skates. MacKinnon’s pace, power and ability to frequently generate scoring chances has made him one of the best players of his generation. — Clark3. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning2025-26 rank: 5 Age: 33Kucherov won the second Hart Trophy of his career after another 100-plus point season in which he attacked opponents in different ways.
The 500-goal club is within reach in the coming seasons as he began the campaign at 401; his 86 assists in 2025-26 marked his fourth straight season of more than 80 helpers. — Clark4. Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks2025-26 rank: 51 Age: 20Celebrini is living up to being the No. 1 pick and franchise cornerstone for San Jose. He scored 45 goals and finished with 115 points in his second NHL season while also handling the defensive demands of being a top-line center. Now the aim for Celebrini in his first season as Sharks captain is to guide his team to the playoffs. — Clark5.
Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche2025-26 rank: 2 Age: 27Cale Makar is everything that teams are seeking in today’s game as it relates to a defenseman. He can log heavy minutes in every sequence. He can create for himself and others while doing it with the sort of skating that few throughout the game can rival. This is why he signed a contract extension this offseason that will make him the highest-paid player in the game at $20.4 million annually starting in 2027-28. — Clark6.
Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers2025-26 rank: 4 Age: 31Draisaitl is the definition of a “complete package” — he has the size (6-foot-2) and strength of a premier puck-protecting power forward, with the speed, playmaking ability and lethal one-timer that makes him a veritable superstar in every corner of the ice. The Oilers might have McDavid too, but Draisaitl is otherworldly in his own ways, and his contributions give Edmonton the perfect one-two punch with a pair of elite talents to run the offense. — Shilton7. Zach Werenski, D, Columbus Blue Jackets2025-26 rank: 41 Age: 29Werenski’s first Norris Trophy in 2026 was a long time coming. Columbus’ cornerstone defenseman excels in all situations, from carrying the Blue Jackets at even strength to quarterbacking their power play.
His talents include elite skating and puck-moving ability, with top-tier offensive production (including 80-plus points the past two seasons). Werenski is a multidimensional blueliner who can break seamlessly out of his own zone and transition right into doing his damage at the other end. — Shilton8. David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins2025-26 rank: 11 Age: 30The Bruins’ new captain is a foundational piece of their offensive attack for all the right reasons. Pastrnak’s versatility as both an electrifying playmaker and first-rate sniper (with arguably one of the league’s best wrist shots) makes him a dynamic threat up front.
He has generated four straight 100-point seasons, and his 71 assists in 70 games last season show how vital Pastrnak is in setting up his teammates too. — Shilton9. Quinn Hughes, D, Minnesota Wild2025-26 rank: 7 Age: 27Attention follows Hughes, and last season was no different. There was the blockbuster trade to the Wild. That was followed by his exploits at the Olympics, helping the U.S. win its first men’s ice hockey gold since 1980.
He followed that up by helping the Wild advance to the second round of the playoffs. Amid ongoing speculation about his future, he’s a big part of why Minnesota is challenging the West’s top powers. — Clark10. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Minnesota Wild2025-26 rank: 15 Age: 29The Wild winger might not have the NHL’s most expensive cap hit anymore, but he has proved his worth with four 40-goal campaigns in the past five seasons. — Wyshynski11. Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs2025-26 rank: 8 Age: 29The Leafs’ captain has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons, and that has taken one of the NHL’s truly A-list centers out of action.
Matthews is a formidable two-way skater wielding his 6-3 frame to say strong on pucks — and get shots off with a devastatingly quick wrister. He’s a 60-goal-scoring, multiaward-winning player, with the vision and defensive assets to be an all-around contributor on the Leafs’ offensive front. — Shilton12. Jack Eichel, C, Vegas Golden Knights2025-26 rank: 9 Age: 30While Eichel lost a power-play partner in new Rangers winger Pavel Dorofeyev, he remains an elite point-producing center in the West with a still-underrated defensive game. — Wyshynski13. Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey Devils2025-26 rank: 36 Age: 25Hughes is undeniably dynamic in every facet of his game.
His skating and east-west mobility helps drive the Devils’ attack, he has the creativity to avoid pressure and find the back of the net, and he can draw opponents in to open up the ice for his linemates. Whether ducking as a decoy or doing the dirty work himself, Hughes is the game-breaking talent every team hopes to have on its top line. — Shilton14. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning2025-26 rank: 12 Age: 32Several items have led to Vasilevskiy being one of the greatest players of his generation. Consistency is the primary one, as he recorded his ninth straight season of more than 30 wins in 2025-26.
Those performances helped earn the Lightning another playoff berth and helped him win the second Vezina Trophy of his career. — Clark15. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Dallas Stars2025-26 rank: 10 Age: 30Injuries hampered Rantanen’s 2025-26 campaign, which was likely a contributing factor to him falling outside the top 10. But when healthy? The hulking playmaking winger is one of the best in the game. — Clark16.
Matthew Schaefer, D, New York Islanders2025-26 rank: Not ranked Age: 19Too much, too soon? The rookie of the year breaking into the top 20 might be controversial to some, but it speaks directly to the scoring impact Schaefer had last season and will have this season for the Isles. — Wyshynski17. Matt Boldy, LW, Minnesota Wild2025-26 rank: 53 Age: 25Boldy is a true chameleon. His intimidating size is complemented by smooth skating and s
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