NHL Player Rankings: A Few New Players Appear in the Top 10. But Who Exactly Falls Where? Well, We’re Here to Let You Know With Our Weekly Player Rankings!
Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau leap frogs his way into the rankings while Montreal netminder Carey Price finally makes an appearance. Plus a whole bunch of new players appear in this week’s updated NHL Player Rankings!
Welcome back to our NHL Player Rankings, a compilation of lists showing you who is on top, as well as who is on the bottom in every position. We’ll also show you the best player of the week for all three zones of the ice, new players appear, while some still hold their position.
For forwards and defenseman, the main factor will be based on points-per-game averages. This statistic shows us how well a player has scored in the games they have played. When given an advanced look it lets us know how much they could end up scoring on the season and if they would lead the league or not.
Goalies will be decided by save percentage and shutouts. While goalies are obviously going to let in pucks, this stat is fundamental in watching their overall success and potential to where they could be in the league if playing for a better defensive team.
Legend:
LW = Last Week
NR = Not Ranked
**Minimum 60 Games Played** (Forwards/Defense)
**Minimum 50 Games Played** (Goalies)
Top 10 Centers:
1 (LW/-) – Sidney Crosby (PIT) – 69gp, 42g, 40a, 82pts, 1.19ppg
2 (LW/+1) – Connor McDavid (EDM) – 75gp, 26g, 62a, 88pts, 1.17ppg
3 (LW/-1) – Evgeni Malkin (PIT) – 62gp, 33g, 39a, 72pts, 1.16ppg
4 (LW/-) – Nicklas Backstrom (WSH) – 74gp, 22g, 57a, 79pts, 1.07ppg
5 (LW/-) – Mark Scheifele (WPG) – 73gp, 29g, 47a, 76pts, 1.04ppg
6 (LW/+2) – Ryan Getzlaf (ANA) – 68gp, 14g, 52a, 66pts, 0.97ppg
7 (LW/+2) – Leon Draisaitl (EDM) – 75gp, 27g, 43a, 70pts, 0.93ppg
8 (LW/-2) – Tyler Seguin (DAL) – 75gp, 25g, 45a, 70pts, 0.93ppg
9 (LW/-2) – Mikael Granlund (MIN) – 75gp, 25g, 41a, 66pts, 0.88ppg
10 (LW/NR) – John Tavares (NYI) – 74gp, 28g, 37a, 65pts, 0.88ppg
Top 10 Left Wingers:
1 (LW/-) – Brad Marchand (BOS) – 75gp, 37g, 43a, 80pts, 1.07ppg
2 (LW/-) – Jamie Benn (DAL) – 70gp, 25g, 42a, 67pts, 0.96ppg
3 (LW/-) – Artemi Panarin (PIT) – 75gp, 24g, 42a, 66pts, 0.88ppg
4 (LW/+4) – Johnny Gaudreau (CGY) – 65gp, 16g, 40a, 56pts, 0.86ppg
5 (LW/+1) – Alex Ovechkin (WSH) – 74gp, 30g, 32a, 62pts, 0.84ppg
6 (LW/-1) – Henrik Zetterberg (DET) – 74gp, 16g, 46a, 62pts, 0.84ppg
7 (LW/+2) – Mike Hoffman (OTT) – 67gp, 22g, 33a, 55pts, 0.82ppg
8 (LW/-3) – Max Pacioretty (MTL) – 75gp, 33g, 28a, 61pts, 0.81ppg
9 (LW/NR) – Jeff Skinner (CAR) – 70gp, 30g, 24a, 54pts, 0.77ppg
10 (LW/-) – Taylor Hall (NJ) – 65gp, 18g, 32a, 50pts, 0.77ppg
Top 10 Right Wingers:
1 (LW/-) – Nikita Kucherov (TB) – 67gp, 38g, 40a, 78pts, 1.16ppg
2 (LW/-) – Patrick Kane (CHI) – 75gp, 33g, 48a, 81pts, 1.08ppg
3 (LW/-) – David Pastrnak (BOS) – 68gp, 32g, 32a, 64pts, 0.94ppg
4 (LW/-) – Patrik Laine (WPG) – 67gp, 34g, 27a, 61pts, 0.91ppg
5 (LW/-) – Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) – 74gp, 34g, 31a, 65pts, 0.88ppg
6 (LW/+2) – Blake Wheeler (WPG) – 76gp, 22g, 44a, 66pts, 0.87ppg
7 (LW/-1) – Phil Kessel (PIT) – 75gp, 22g, 43a, 65pts, 0.87ppg
8 (LW/NR) – T.J. Oshie (WSH) – 61gp, 30g, 21a, 51pts, 0.84ppg
9 (LW/-2) – Cam Atkinson (CBJ) – 74gp, 33g, 27a, 60pts, 0.81ppg
10 (LW/-1) – Mark Stone (OTT) – 64gp, 22g, 28a, 50pts, 0.78ppg
Top 10 Defenseman:
1 (LW/-) – Brent Burns (SJ) – 75gp, 27g, 45a, 72pts, 0.96ppg
2 (LW/-) – Erik Karlsson (OTT) – 74gp, 14g, 53a, 67pts, 0.91ppg
3 (LW/-) – Victor Hedman (TB) – 71gp, 15g, 47a, 62pts, 0.87ppg
4 (LW/-) – Roman Josi (NSH) – 65gp, 11g, 35a, 46pts, 0.71ppg
5 (LW/+2) – Kevin Shattenkirk (WSH) – 72gp, 11g, 39a, 50pts, 0.69ppg
6 (LW/-) – Duncan Keith (CHI) – 75gp, 6g, 44a, 50pts, 0.67ppg
7 (LW/-2) – Justin Schultz (PIT) – 72gp, 12g, 36a, 48pts, 0.67ppg
8 (LW/-) – Dougie Hamilton (CGY) – 74gp, 12g, 36a, 48pts, 0.65ppg
9 (LW/-) – Dustin Byfuglien (WPG) – 74gp, 12g, 36a, 48pts, 0.65ppg
10 (LW/-) – Torey Krug (BOS) – 75gp, 7g, 41a, 48pts, 0.64ppg
Top 10 Goalies:
1 (LW/-) – Braden Holtby (WSH) – 58gp, 39w, .927sv%, 2.01gaa, 8so
2 (LW/-) – Peter Budaj (TB) – 58gp, 29w, .916sv%, 2.17gaa, 7so
3 (LW/-) – Cam Talbot (EDM) – 67gp, 37w, .920sv%, 2.40gaa, 7so
4 (LW/-) – Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ) – 58gp, 40w, .934sv%, 1.99gaa, 7so
5 (LW/-) – Tuukka Rask (BOS) – 59gp, 33w, .910sv%, 2.38gaa, 6so
6 (LW/-) – Devan Dubnyk (MIN) – 61gp, 37w, .926sv%, 2.18gaa, 5so
7 (LW/+1) – Frederik Andersen (TOR) – 61gp, 30w, .918sv%, 2.66gaa, 4so
8 (LW/+1) – Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) – 53gp, 23w, .906sv%, 2.95gaa, 4so
9 (LW/-2) – Jake Allen (STL) – 55gp, 29w, .913sv%, 2.45gaa, 4so
10 (LW/NR) – Carey Price (MTL) – 57gp, 34w, .923sv%, 2.25gaa, 3so
We also cover the bottom ten in each position, it’s good to know who is also trending downwards for instance if you have that player in a hockey pool, you know now not to keep them around.
**Minimum 50 Games Played** (Forwards/Defense)
**Minimum 20 Games Played** (Goalies)
Bottom 10 Centers:
1 (LW/-) – Vernon Fiddler (NSH) – 55gp, 2g, 2a, 4pts, 0.07ppg
2 (LW/-1) – Brendan Gaunce (VAN) – 57gp, 0g, 5a, 5pts, 0.09ppg
3 (LW/+1) – John Mitchell (COL) – 64gp, 3g, 4a, 7pts, 0.11ppg
4 (LW/-2) – Jay McClement (CAR) – 65gp, 5g, 3a, 8pts, 0.12ppg
5 (LW/-2) – Dennis Rasmussen (CHI) – 63gp, 4g, 4a, 8pts, 0.13ppg
6 (LW/-3) – Lance Bouma (CGY) – 55gp, 3g, 4a, 7pts, 0.13ppg
7 (LW/+2) – Michael Chaput (VAN) – 61gp, 4g, 4a, 8pts, 0.13ppg
8 (LW/+4) – Joe Colborne (COL) – 60gp, 4g, 4a, 8pts, 0.13ppg
9 (LW/-1) – Riley Sheahan (DET) – 72gp, 0g. 10a, 10pts, 0.14ppg
10 (LW/NR) – Logan Shaw (ANA) – 50gp, 2g, 5a, 7pts, 0.14ppg
Bottom 10 Left Wingers:
1 (LW/-) – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (PHI) – 75gp, 3g, 4a, 7pts, 0.09ppg
2 (LW/NR) – Cody McLeod (NSH) – 52gp, 5g, 1a, 6pts, 0.12ppg
3 (LW/+1) – Andreas Martinsen (MTL) – 59gp, 3g, 4a, 7pts, 0.12ppg
4 (LW/+1) – Matt Martin (TOR) – 74gp, 5g, 4a, 9pts, 0.12ppg
5 (LW/+1) – Joakim Nordstrom (CAR) – 73gp, 5g, 5a, 10pts, 0.14ppg
6 (LW/+1) – Kyle Clifford (LA) – 66gp, 5g, 5a, 10pts, 0.15ppg
7 (LW/+1) – Lawson Crouse (ARI) – 65gp, 5g, 6a, 11pts, 0.17ppg
8 (LW/NR) – Matthew Nieto (COL) – 51gp, 5g, 5a, 10pts, 0.20ppg
9 (LW/+2) – Dwight King (MTL) – 73gp, 8g, 7a, 15pts, 0.21ppg
10 (LW/+2) – Michael Raffl (PHI) – 52gp, 8g, 3a, 11pts, 0.21ppg
Bottom 10 Right Wingers:
1 (LW/-) – Chris Neil (OTT) – 52gp, 1g, 2a, 3pts, 0.06ppg
2 (LW/-) – Chris Thorburn (WPG) – 58gp, 3g, 1a, 4pts, 0.07ppg
3 (LW/-) – J.T. Brown (TB) – 59gp, 2g, 3a, 5pts, 0.08ppg
4 (LW/-) – Jimmy Hayes (BOS) – 55gp, 2g, 3a, 5pts, 0.09ppg
5 (LW/-1) – Ryan Reaves (STL) – 72gp, 4g, 6a, 10pts, 0.14ppg
6 (LW/-2) – Nikita Soshnikov (TOR) – 56gp, 5g, 4a, 9pts, 0.16ppg
7 (LW/+2) – Jack Skille (VAN) – 55gp, 5g, 4a, 9pts, 0.16ppg
8 (LW/-1) – Devante Smith-Pelly (NJ) – 53gp, 4g, 5a, 9pts, 0.17ppg
9 (LW/+2) – Dale Weise (PHI) – 57gp, 5g, 5a, 10pts, 0.18ppg
10 (LW/NR) – Scottie Upshall (STL) – 66gp, 9g, 5a, 14pts, 0.21ppg
Bottom 10 Defenseman:
1 (LW/-) – Mark Borowiecki (OTT) – 62gp, 1g, 1a, 2pts, 0.03ppg
2 (LW/-) – Josh Gorges (BUF) – 59gp, 1g, 4a, 5pts, 0.08ppg
3 (LW/-) – Ben Lovejoy (NJ) – 75gp, 1g, 6a, 7pts, 0.09ppg
4 (LW/-) – Luke Schenn (ARI) – 71gp, 0g, 7a, 7pts, 0.10ppg
5 (LW/-1) – Yannick Weber (NSH) – 73gp, 1g, 7a, 8pts, 0.11ppg
6 (LW/NR) – Carl Gunnarsson (STL) – 52gp, 0g, 6a, 6pts, 0.12ppg
7 (LW/-) – Markus Nutivaara (CBJ) – 60gp, 2g, 5a, 7pts, 0.12ppg
8 (LW/-1) – Connor Carrick (TOR) – 59gp, 2g, 5a, 7pts, 0.12ppg
9 (LW/+4) – Roman Polak (TOR) – 67gp, 4g, 4a, 8pts, 0.12ppg
10 (LW/NR) – Alexei Emelin (MTL) – 71gp, 2g, 7a, 9pts, 0.13ppg
Bottom 10 Goalies:
1 (LW/-) – Michal Neuvirth (PHI) – 27gp, 10w, 2.83gaa, 0so, .890sv%
2 (LW/-) – Antti Niemi (DAL) – 34gp, 11w, 3.35gaa, 0so, .892sv%
3 (LW/-1) – Semyon Varlamov (COL) – 24gp, 6w, 3.38gaa, 1so, .898sv%
4 (LW/-1) – Petr Mrazek (DET) – 46gp, 16w, 2.99gaa, 1so, .901sv%
5 (LW/+2) – Michael Hutchinson (WPG) – 26gp, 7w, 2.96gaa, 1so, .903sv%
6 (LW/-1) – Louis Domingue (ARI) – 28gp, 9w, 3.13gaa, 0so, .904sv%
7 (LW/-1) – Cam Ward (CAR) – 56gp, 24w, 2.72gaa, 2so, .904sv%
8 (LW/+2) – Kari Lehtonen (DAL) – 54gp, 20w, 2.79gaa, 2so, .905sv%
9 (LW/-) – Jaroslav Halak (NYI) – 22gp, 7w, 3.21gaa, 1so, .906sv%
10 (LW/NR) – Steve Mason (PHI) – 54gp, 23w, 2.72gaa, 3so, .906sv%
Next: NHL Power Rankings: A New Number One, San Jose Falls Hard.
Top Forward of the Week: Connor McDavid (EDM) – (4gp, 1g, 7a, 8pts, +2)
With the week Connor McDavid had last week it’s helped him regain the top spot in the NHL for overall scoring. McDavid now sits with 26 goals, 62 assists, and 88 points, six more than second place Sidney Crosby.
Top Defenseman of the Week: Andrej Sekera (EDM) – (4gp, 1g, 4a, 5pts, +4)
Andrej Sekera had himself a decent week last week putting up five points in four games, what’s even better is the fact he finished the week with a plus-four rating. That brings his season total now to plus 11 and 35 points.
Top Goalie of the Week: Braden Holtby (WSH) – (3gp, 3w, 1.30gaa, .956sv%, 0so)
Braden Holtby has been lights out all season long, and last week was more evidence of that. Three wins in three games plus a 1.30 goals-against-average are as solid as it gets. He now sits second in the NHL with 39 wins, only one behind first place Sergei Bobrovsky. His goals-against and save percentage isn’t too far behind either, one more week like this and he’ll take over number one in all categories.