NHL History: 30 best players in the 21st century (Updated 2023)

Over the last 20 years, the NHL completely changed eras. The league was on the cusp of really making waves on a national level. The New York Rangers Stanley Cup victory, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux’s superstardom, and a young core of exciting players had the league set up for success in the 21st century.

Now, a generation of players has gone by and the next generation of players is already upon us. There is a clear divide in star power this century. While players who fall away in the realms of history like Kevin Stevens and Joe Juneau could score 100 points in the 90s, now that number is much harder to hit.

So, finding the best players of the 21st century is much more than just looking at the stats. The increased inception of advanced analytics has changed the way we look at the game of hockey. Those who play a chaotic game where the defense is suspect at best don’t come off as well as they did in previous generations. So, when looking at everything, who are the best players of the 21st century?

Editor’s Note: Updated for the 2022/2023 NHL season

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 30. The Sedin Twins

Ironically, the Sedins would probably be numbers 30 and 31 on this list, so might as well just make them share the first spot on the list. They are the most beloved members of the “Canucks Army.” They both played more than 1,300 games, they both scored more than 1,000 points, and they were both insane power-play scorers (Henrik Sedin had 369 power-play points. Daniel Sedin had 367). These two were prolific in their dominance on the ice.

They were taken second and third overall at the 1999 NHL Draft after a truly masterful performance by then-general manager Brian Burke. It took a total of three trades to get the second-overall pick necessary to take both Sedins (they already had the third-overall pick). The Canucks finally had their centerpiece after failing to build off its run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Final.

The Sedins won back-to-back Art Ross Trophies (Henrik in 2010, Daniel in 2011). Henrik won the Hart Trophy in his 112-point season. They made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011 and won a gold medal with Sweden in 2006.

They played 17 seasons together, and they were productive until the end. Henrik had 13 straight seasons where he hit 50+ points. Daniel dealt with more injuries, but he was still a big scorer through his last season. They will go down as underrated, but the Sedins had a big impact on hockey in Vancouver in the 21st century.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 29. Scott Niedermayer

The New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks great was a player whose best days came in the previous era, but he was still one of the best defensemen in the league at the turn of the century. He won three Stanley Cups after New Year’s Day 2000, including the first in franchise history for the Ducks. He was a part of two dominant Devils teams that made a run to the Cup thanks to dominant defenses and a star goaltender.

Sure, he got to play next to Scott Stevens for those first two Cups, but it was clear who was the star on that unit at that point. Stevens was getting older, and injuries were taking a toll. He was still great, but Niedermayer was the one in his prime.

Niedermayer made the All-Star team five times in his career, and four times it came in the 21st century. He won the Norris Trophy in his last year in New Jersey (a trophy that Stevens never won). He was averaging an insane 25 minutes per game as the Devils desperately held on to their Stanley Cup aspirations with an injured Stevens and Brian Rafalski.

He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2007 when the Ducks won the Cup. During the playoffs, he usually got just a little bit better, especially if the team was on a roll. During the 2003 Cup run with the Devils, he helped finish off the Ducks with two assists in Game 7.

Niedermayer’s number is retired in the rafters of the Prudential Center and the Honda Center. He was incredibly important to both these franchises, and one could argue neither would have a Stanley Cup without him in this century.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 28. Jonathan Toews

It’s so hard to peg where Jonathan Toews falls into the pantheon of NHL history. He’s fallen off quite a bit thanks to injuries and age, but there’s no doubt there was a time when he was one of the best players in the best dynasty of this era.

The Blackhawks had this insane core that was almost impossible to stop, and Toews was the captain of it all. It started right away, with Toews scoring the first goal of his career on his first shot. The third-overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft was on his way to a great career. He was a rookie with Patrick Kane, who will always be connected to him. These two helped each other be and stay great.

When looking at Toews point production on the surface, it’s underwhelming. He’s never come close to 100 points. His best season points-wise was actually in 2018-19 when he had 81. During those peak Blackhawks seasons, he only hit a point-per-game pace during the lockout-shortened 2013 season. Still, his impact was felt in every single game. His two-way play made sure he didn’t need goals and assists to help the team win.

He was part of a draft class that might be considered the all-underrated team in this era (Phil Kessel, Nicklas Backstrom, Semyon Varlamov, and Claude Giroux are among those drafted in 2006).

He should hopefully play long enough to get to 1,000 points. He was so important to this era for a franchise that was desperate to be relevant again. There’s no denying Toews’s impact on 21st-century hockey.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 27. Martin St. Louis

Martin St. Louis is one of those stories in sports that keep fans coming back. He had every obstacle in his way, yet he put together a career that might have him in the Hall of Fame one day. He wasn’t drafted coming out of the University of Vermont. He only stands at 5’8 and signed an NHL contract only after being forced to play for the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League. He played with the Flames for two seasons, but a new regime came in and bought out his contract.

That turned out to be a huge mistake. He signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the rest is history.

He ended up spending the next 13 years with the Lightning, winning the Hart Trophy just four years after joining the team. He continued to be a very consistent scorer, even if he never hit the 94-point heights he hit in 2004. It was a banner year that ended with the Lightning winning their first-ever Stanley Cup Championship.

Speaking of the Cup, St. Louis was insane in the playoffs. He had more than a point per game in 63 career games, and he not only sparked the Lightning to a Cup run, but he helped the New York Rangers to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, the first Final appearance in 20 years.

St. Louis was the ultimate underdog that couldn’t get a team to draft him, couldn’t get a team to sign him, and kept making the wrong moves in his career until he made it to the Lightning. Then, he put up 1,000 points, had his jersey retired, and will likely see his name in the Hall of Fame one day. He’s one of the better stories of this generation.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 25. Zdeno Chara

Another player who has a seemingly endless rope for continuing his career, Zdeno Chara is abjectly one of the best defensemen in league history. He doesn’t have the scoring ability of Scott Niedermayer or the shutdown ability of Niklas Lindstrom, but he put together enough tools in a 6’9 frame to become one of the most feared competitors in an era when that fear was waning.

Chara started this century with the New York Islanders before quickly moving to the Ottawa Senators. It was one of the most infamous trades in NHL history. Alexei Yashin went to Long Island, and he never really fit in. Meanwhile, Chara went to Ottawa with the Islanders’ first-round pick (who would eventually become Jason Spezza).

Chara was very good in Ottawa, making two All-Star teams, but he didn’t really hit his stride until he signed as a free agent with the Boston Bruins. Once Claude Julien took over behind the bench in Chara’s second year with the team, he became a superstar.

The massive defenseman changed his style slightly, and it turned into the best move for his career. He doesn’t play like a player who’s a foot taller than some on the ice. He shuts the other team down in so many ways.

His toughness was second to none in Boston sports. People actually compare him to another Boston legend in Rocky Marciano. He helped the Bruins lift the Stanley Cup in 2011, the first championship to come to Boston since the days of Bobby Orr. Chara is now playing for the Washington Capitals in one of the more surprising moves of the offseason, but he will always be a Boston legend.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 24. Victor Hedman

It’s well known that the Tampa Bay Lightning are unfairly stacked. They have one of the best snipers of this decade (Steven Stamkos), the best goalie in the league (Andrei Vasilevskiy), one of the best young centers (Brayden Point), one of the best scorers in general (Nikita Kucherov), and also one of the best defensemen. Victor Hedman might fall under the radar just because of the pure star power on the Lightning, but he shouldn’t. There aren’t many defensemen in the past 20 years who could claim to be better than him.

Just this past February, ESPN claimed that Victor Hedman is the greatest hockey player in the world. Say what you want about ESPN hockey coverage, but it’s not as crazy as it sounds on paper (but it is wrong). Hedman is constantly named the best defenseman in hockey. He does just about everything. Last season, he won the Conn Smythe award as he helped carry this dominant Lightning team to its first title since 2004.

Hedman can do it all on the ice. He uses his huge 6’6 frame to stop opposing offenses from getting major chances. He plays an insane amount of time on the ice (he’s averaging over 25 minutes of ice time this year, and he’s never averaged less than 20 minutes per game).

He has a great reach, his shot is second to none, his hockey IQ is right there with any forward in the sport, and he finds a way to be physical but stays on the right side of the edges. When Hedman is on the ice, the Lightning knows they are getting the best out of the play.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 23. Joe Sakic

Joe Sakic is another player with his best years in the 90s, but he was undoubtedly great during this century. He won his only Hart Trophy in 2001 after putting up a 118-point season on his way to a Stanley Cup Championship. That season was one of the greatest of this era. His most memorable moment of the campaign is probably when he handed the Stanley Cup to Ray Bourque, who finally got a chance to be a champion after years of toiling in Boston.

Sakic’s career is largely underrated today. He’s not often talked about as one of the best of his era, but there’s no denying just how great he was. He was putting up 30 goals and 100 points all the way through his 37-year-old season in 2006-07. Only Gordie Howe had a 100-point season older than Sakic. In terms of greatness on the ice, it showed with his four top-ten Hart Trophy finishes in seven full seasons after the turn of the century (he was injured for most of his last two).

Sakic also helped Canada finally win the gold medal in hockey, beating the Americans on their home soil in 2002. He scored four points in the gold-medal game, securing the victory for the Great White North.

Sakic’s final years of his career were showered with accomplishments and accolades. He’s one of the most decorated players of this era, and he was one of the most feared when the puck was on his stick. One could argue he deserves to be higher on the list, but he needed just a little bit more time to get consideration over some of his peers.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 22. Carey Price

Saying the name “Carey Price” is almost dirty at this point. He’s such a controversial figure based on his expectations and his salary, that it’s impossible to live up to (although he could do a better job). However, back in his prime, he was the best on planet Earth.

His peak included two seasons where his goals saved above average was north of 20. One season, his Goals Saved Above Average was an insane 36.7. Some stars played for 20 years that never came close to that number (Henrik Lundqvist is one of them, surprisingly). Price at his peak is better than any goalie of this era.

The issue with Price is his peak is likely over. While there are still sparks of greatness, like during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs where he had a .938 save percentage in 10 games. He did everything he could to carry the Montreal Canadiens by himself, even if it didn’t work.

Price really needs that marquee run to the Stanley Cup Final if he’s ever going to be named as one of the best ever, and he’s running out of time. However, that Hart Trophy-winning year was one of the best years in net we’ve seen in a long time. he put up a .933 save percentage while allowing less than two goals per game.

He played 66 games that season, which goalies just don’t do anymore. He’s still a workhorse that can be great. This season is a bad example, but we’ve seen flashes from him, and there’s hope one day when his career is in the books, he’ll have even more accolades.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 21. John Tavares

John Tavares is a very hard player to peg. He was an absolute superstar when he was with the New York Islanders. Then, he marked himself as public enemy number one by signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Islanders became world beaters and the Maple Leafs haven’t won a playoff series since the signing. That still doesn’t take away from the fact that Tavares is one of the best players in the league.

The number-one overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft has at least 60 points in every season that wasn’t shortened by a lockout. Tavares is a player who might be considered underrated when it comes to his career as a whole.

He was a Hart Trophy finalist twice, but he never got better than third in the voting. He’s never made it past the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He really needs that marquee playoff performance to make it higher on this list.

Still, he is an offensive center who’s incredible at even strength. He doesn’t need the power play to inflate his point totals. He has led the league in even-strength goals twice, including a ridiculous 37 in his first year in Toronto. Tavares might be a player many consider unlikeable after his move to Toronto, but nobody can deny how good he is.

If he can help Toronto lift the first Stanley Cup in multiple generations, then he could rocket up this list, but it’s impossible to put him in the top 20 as currently constructed. He’s just outside because his career seems to always be on the cusp of greatness. Now, he just needs to put it over the top before he leaves his prime.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 20. Anze Kopitar

A player who’s been the star on two Stanley Cup teams in the second-biggest media market in the United States should get about as much publicity as an NHL star can get, right? Somehow, the Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar has come out of all this underrated. He’s still incredibly successful and continues making a name for himself.

Kopitar has over 1,100 career points and is playing some of his best hockey yet. He’s obviously a great goal-scoring center, but he’s also probably the best two-way player in the game. He’s a two-time Selke Trophy winner, and he’s been able to stay relevant after the rest of his Kings teammates fell off the map.

It’s been five years since Jeff Carter has scored 30 goals. Jonathan Quick hasn’t been one of the best in the NHL in about as long as that. The stars of those champion Kings teams are no longer relevant to the winning culture. One player, who is? Kopitar.

In his NHL career so far, Kopitar was below a 60-point pace once. Some were worried about Kopitar falling off once he turned 30, but he’s turned it on again and is back to scoring close to a point per game for the past few seasons. The Kings look to be putting together a winner again, so Kopitar can continue to be a star well into the second half of his career.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 19. Marian Hossa

Marian Hossa was once one of the greats in the game. He actually played in three-straight Stanley Cup Finals with three different teams (Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Blackhawks). He ended up being on every one of the Blackhawks’ dynasty teams that won three Stanley Cups.

Hossa came out the gate extremely strong for the Ottawa Senators. In just his second full season in 99-00, he had 29 goals and 27 assists. He would then reach the 30-goal plateau the next six seasons in a row, hitting more than 40 goals twice during that time. He was a player that spent time with many franchises, but everyone got one of the best to ever hit the ice every year.

Hossa was traded from the Atlanta Thrashers (RIP) to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the middle of the 2007-08 season. He helped them reach the Final with 12 goals and 26 points in 20 postseason games. The next season, he signed a one-year deal with the team that beat him, the Detroit Red Wings. He put up another 40-goal season, and he looked like he was on his way to being on the right side of the championship parade, but in a bout of irony, he lost the Final again, this time to the team he left in the Penguins.

He signed a long-term deal with the Chicago Blackhawks that offseason, and the rest is history. Now, he’s a three-time champion, a 1,100-point scorer, a 500-goal scorer, and his 149 points in the playoffs are in the top 30 all-time. A rare skin illness ended his career early, but we still got to watch Hossa play until he was 38. It was a glorious career that ended with the proper accolades.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 18. Patrice Bergeron

Patrice Bergeron is a legend on the ice. The injuries he’s played through are constantly quoted years later to show how tough hockey players are. During the 2013 Stanley Cup Final, Bergeron was playing with broken ribs, a separated shoulder, torn rib cartilage, and a punctured lung. Despite that, he would split hospital visits with hockey games against the hard-hitting and high-flying Chicago Blackhawks.

Bergeron plays on a Bruins team where the team itself gets more publicity than the players (unless Brad Marchand does something stupid). He never got the publicity someone with his star power probably deserves, but it seems like he likes it that way.

Bergeron’s best attribute is his ability to be a dominant offensive player while also stopping the other team in its tracks. He’s a four-time Selke Trophy winner, tied with Bob Gainey for most of all time. He’s been the best two-way forward in the league for a long time, and he continues to be a force well into his 30s.

Looking at his advanced stats, Bergeron has had a Corsi percentage under 50 (which is considered average) once in his entire career, and it was his rookie season. Now, despite his advanced age, he is still closer to 60%. He’s played his entire career with the Bruins, and he’s still very talented on the ice. Bergeron will always be one of the best, and he has the hardware to back it up.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 17. Roberto Luongo

Roberto Luongo was a goalie who had an incredible career across many different eras. He had a save percentage of over .900 for every season of his career except the very last one. He posted a save percentage of over .920 eight different times. He was great for the Florida Panthers at the beginning of his career, then he became a superstar with the Vancouver Canucks.

Luongo was strangely underrated during his time. In 2003-04, he had a Goals Saved Above Average of a ridiculous 48.4. He only finished third in Vezina Trophy voting. In fact, he never won a Vezina Trophy at all, despite being a top-three goalie for most of his career. There was a long stretch where Luongo was considered the best, yet he always lost out on Vezina Trophies to the likes of Mikka Kiprusoff, Tim Thomas, and Jose Theodore.

When Luongo was at his best, he was nearly unbeatable. He helped the Canucks go to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final thanks to four shutouts. He did have some forgettable performances in the playoffs, which probably impacted how voters looked for him in terms of Vezina voting. Still, during his time in net, he was one of the best to stop the puck.

His most prolific performances came on the national stage. He represented Canada in three Olympic Games. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, which happened to be in Vancouver, he carried Canada to the gold medal with a .927 save percentage. He was a backup to Price in 2014, but he did appear in one game and got a shutout.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 16. Chris Pronger

Chris Pronger is considered one of the best defensemen ever. He was an incredible enforcer, but it wasn’t like he was offensively inept. He had close to 700 points over his career. Pronger started his millennium by winning the Norris Trophy in 2000. Not only that, he won the Hart Trophy as the league MVP.

Pronger is the last defenseman to win MVP. He was also the first defenseman since Bobby Orr to win the award. That season might be one of the best ones by a defenseman ever. He was insane for the St. Louis Blues.

His size was his first strength. He stood at 6’6 and 220 lbs. During an era when hitting still mattered, Pronger was one of the best. His ability to completely keep offensive players from getting a chance was invaluable in the early 2000s. The fear he put into the opponent was second to maybe only Scott Stevens.

After the NHL lockout, he became a free agent and signed with the Edmonton Oilers. He was one of the main pieces of the crazy free agent period after the NHL agreed to come back and play. He only spent one season in Edmonton before they traded him for a massive package to the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks immediately won the Stanley Cup, putting teams out in a mere 19 total games. This was after he helped the Oilers go to the Stanley Cup Final the season before. Then, a few years later, he went to the Philadelphia Flyers and took them to the Stanley Cup Final. He was incredible at changing culture and turning a team from decent to a championship contender.

It’s unfortunate how Pronger’s career ended, where concussions sidelined him before he was ready to retire. His toughness will continue to live on. Pronger is a legend in this sport, and now he lives on as a Hall of Famer.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 15. Duncan Keith

Duncan Keith might not have the long resumè that Pronger has, but no one can deny how great he was on the ice, and his lack of dirty hits gets him slightly ahead. Keith was running a defense that became a dynasty.

He’s only known life with the Blackhawks and recently the Edmonton Oilers and has played now across three eras. He was great in every single one of them and continues to do his thing even on a brand new team.

Only three times in 16 years did Keith have a PDO under 100 (which is considered average). Two of those seasons came at the beginning of his career. He’s also been an incredible time-eater. There’s never been a season where Duncan Keith played less than 23 minutes a game. Even in his rookie season, he averaged 23:26 of ice time per game. He’s played more than 29,000 minutes in his 16-year career. He’s also been incredibly durable. He’s missed more than 10 games in a season once.

Keith has won every award there is to win. He’s a two-time Norris winner, a three-time Stanley Cup winner, the 2015 Conn Smythe winner, and a three-time All-Star. Keith was one of the best during a long NHL career, and he’s still going at a very high level.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 14. Steven Stamkos

Steven Stamkos showed his importance during the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Stanley Cup Finals run. He only played in one game due to injuries, but that one game might have been the most important of the return-to-play tournament. Stamkos scored in his only game before he had to leave again, but he did enough to put his name on the Stanley Cup.

It was fitting since Stamkos had been one of the best players in the league for a long time. He played fine during his first season after he was taken first overall in the 2008 NHL Draft, but he went off in his sophomore season. He put up 90+ points in three straight seasons from 2009 to 2012. Then, in the lockout-shortened 2013 season, he had 57 points in 48 games. He led the league that season with 19 even-strength goals.

Stamkos is averaging over a point per game over his career, and he should break 900 points next season. He loses a lot of luster because he’s been on an incredible team for a long time. He was second in Hart Trophy voting once and never made it past the top five after that. It shows the flaws in the voting system since Stamkos is one of the best in the business.

Stamkos is the Lightning captain, and he’s led this team to greatness multiple times. Obviously, he’s right on the cusp of being one of the best in the game, but over time, he’s had an incredible career.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 13. Patrick Kane

Going right back to the Chicago Blackhawks well, Patrick Kane was one of the best scorers of this generation, and at 32 years old, he still should have some star-level years under his belt. He was incredibly productive from the get-go, winning the Calder Trophy after a 72-point rookie season in 2007-08.

He never really let up. Outside of the lockout-shortened season, he’s had at least 60 points every season, and he’s broken the 100-point plateau twice. He’s been able to be the top scorer on a dynasty team. Last season, he was also incredible, despite the Blackhawks’ season going down the tubes. He had 84 points in 70 games, which means he was on a 98-point pace, and with a little extra effort could have had his third 100-point season.

This season, he’s on a 113-point pace, which would be his career high. He’s still putting up huge points despite being in the league for 14 years already.

Kane has more than 1,000 points already. He’s still young enough to put another few hundred more under his belt. He won the Hart Trophy in 2016, won three Stanley Cup Championships, was the Conn Smythe winner in 2013, and has more than a point per game over his career. He’d have to play 62 straight games without a point to have less than a point per game for his career. That’s almost an entire season.

Kane is one of the best scorers of this generation, and he’s continuing his excellence well into his 30s. Before it’s all said and done, he should be able to move into the top 10.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 12. Evgeni Malkin

The Pittsburgh Penguins obviously have two amazing centers that have led them beyond the Mario Lemieux era and into their next era of greatness. Evgeni Malkin has been a player who many have predicted will be moved, but his career in Pittsburgh has been one of the best. He’s already the third-best Russian scorer of all time.

When that other Penguins center was out with injury, Malkin was one of the best players in the league. He won the Hart Trophy in 2012. He scored 109 points in 75 games that season. He showed that he could easily be the best player on a team, and he deserved to be considered one of the best in the world.

He’s averaging just under 1.2 points per game over his career. He’s been a beacon of consistency. He’s been in the league for over 17 seasons and has scored over 1,200 points. There are some issues with how people look at Malkin’s career. Some might say he’s had “motivation issues.” Still, when he was looking to send a message, he can be the best in the league.

It’s interesting to imagine what he would do on another team, but his career with the Penguins was still one of the best in the world. He could take over a game by himself, and his size, strength, and skill combination are almost impossible to find in today’s game.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 11. Henrik Lundqvist

Henrik Lundqvist was the man in the most famous city in the world for the better part of two decades. Lundqvist started his career in 2005, and he’s been the starter for the New York Rangers. He always received votes for the Vezina, and he finished in the top three five different times, winning once in 2012.

That season, he led the New York Rangers to the President’s Trophy. He went to the Conference Finals, and it looked like they were ready to take the next step and end the close-to-20-year Stanley Cup drought on Broadway. He even took his team to the Final in 2014, but he ended up losing the series in overtime.

Lundqvist was not able to put up a Stanley Cup-winning season for the Rangers, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. He’s had a save percentage over .910 in every season outside the last two. He’s never had a quality start percentage under .500. He broke a .920 save percentage in the playoffs six times. He posted three playoff shutouts in 2012 before running into a wall in the New Jersey Devils.

He’s led the league in shutouts twice, the two years he broke double digits. This era doesn’t see a lot of shutouts, so for him to do it more than ten times is incredibly impressive. He will always be compared to the best of this era, and he deserves to be right near the top. There aren’t many goalies who can match his accomplishments.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 10. Jaromir Jagr

Jaromir Jagr probably feels too low at just 10 on the list, but really look at the stats. The ageless wonder left for the KHL in the middle of his prime, and when he returned, he was still really good, but no longer a superstar.

Jagr started the century about as good as anyone could have imagined. He won back-to-back Art Ross Trophies during his final two seasons in Pittsburgh. He was then traded to the Washington Capitals, where he struggled to hit the insane numbers he had in the Steel City. He was still putting up close to a point per game, but the 100-point seasons seemed to be behind him.

Then, he was traded to the New York Rangers in the middle of the 2003-04 season, and he ended up getting new life. He scored 123 points in the first season after the lockout, which was his first full season in New York. He followed it up with 96 the next season. After struggling the next season, he took a flight to Russia and didn’t come back for a few years.

After announcing his return to the NHL in the 2011 offseason, he ended up signing with the Philadelphia Flyers (which did not make Penguins fans, who thought they had a chance to sign him, happy). He was pretty good for the rest of his career, which spanned seven more seasons while playing for six different teams.

He still had a 20-goal, 60-point ceiling well into his 40s. If he was able to play with a superstar, he could probably do more, but he chose to play with teams like the Devils and Panthers where he could be an integral part of the offense. He also turned from one of the most hated players in the league to possibly the most universally liked by the end of his career. That might be the most impressive turnaround of Jagr’s career.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 9. Joe Thornton

Joe Thornton is someone who saw himself blossom on new teams while his old team wonders what happened. Thornton was drafted first overall by the Boston Bruins and enjoyed menial success during his 7 1/2 seasons there when compared to what he was about to do. When he was traded to the San Jose Sharks on November 30th, 2005, he became the best player in the league.

Thornton won the Hart Trophy in the season when he was traded. He never really slowed down, putting up 1,055 points over 15 seasons with the Sharks.  He’s considered one of the best pure centers ever, and he was constantly at the top of the league in assist numbers. Whoever you put on his line, he could make them a 30-goal scorer.

In the prime of his career, Thornton was the best special teams player in the game. He wasn’t the best penalty killer or the best power-play specialist, but when combining both skills, nobody could touch him.

When his team had the man advantage, he always found where the open space was on the ice. During his prime, he would easily break 10 goals and 30 points on the power play alone. On the PK, he was great at getting the puck out of the zone. He knew where space would open up, and he could jump the pass to get it out of the zone.

Thornton’s ability to play as he did for so long was incredibly impressive. His longevity shows someone with his skill set can play as long as they’d like. He transitioned his game from a hard-nosed center to a high hockey IQ bottom-six forward. He’s still playing well with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He put up more points than anyone between 2000 and 2010. Second on that list was…

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 8. Jarome Iginla

Sure, Joe Thornton might have beaten Jarome Iginla in points during the first decade of the 2000s, but Iginla was a game-changer on another level. The turn of the century was very good for Iginla, who started his ascent as one of the greatest players of this era. Iginla is very underrated when looking at lists comparing him to other wingers of this era. Iginla was one of the best wingers of all time.

Maybe it’s because he was stuck on those mediocre Calgary Flames teams, or maybe it’s just the issues of playing in Western Canada, but Iginla deserves much more credit than he was given.

He never won the Hart Trophy, but he did win the Pearson Award (MVP as decided by the players). He won the Rocket Richard Trophy twice and once took home the Art Ross Trophy. That’s with players like Craig Conroy as his center. He was getting the most out of a team with nothing.

The Flames went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2004 and lost to the Lightning. Iginla scored 73 points on that team, which was 25 more than anyone else on the team. He was averaging 23 minutes a night, and the other team did everything in their power to stop Iginla. He still carried his team with 22 points and a +13 rating. +/- is mostly useless, but to go +13 in 26 games when the other team is putting every single method to stop you in play is incredible.

Iginla finally got a chance to go for a Stanley Cup Championship late in his career when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was never able to get that elusive Stanley Cup win, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. He was an incredible player that deserved more. He scored as much as anyone despite playing with middle-six players his whole career.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 7. Martin Brodeur

Martin Brodeur might be the most controversial player to rank in the NHL. Some say all of his accomplishments are thanks to the trap system and playing behind a defense with Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens, and Ken Daneyko. Others say he is undoubtedly the best goaltender in history. No matter who says what, it’s hard to argue he wasn’t the best goalie of this era when he was at his peak.

Brodeur won four Vezina Trophies after the turn of the millennium. Two of those trophies came post-lockout when Stevens and Daneyko were retired, and Niedermayer was playing with the Ducks. He was still incredible after the Devils lost out on one of the best defensive units of all time.

Brodeur was able to carry a Devils team in transition and still make them Cup contenders going into every season. From 2000 to 2008, he led the league in wins six times (out of seven possible seasons). As much as some people would claim, he wasn’t all about quantity over quality. He led the league twice in goals saved above average after the year 2000. Once was his awesome 2006-07 season when he put up a .922 save percentage despite playing 78 games. He didn’t put up many stinkers and actually had a career-high 12 shutouts.

Brodeur holds just about every accumulation record in the book. He has the most wins, most shutouts, minutes played, and he has the second-best goalie point shared in history. Even the biggest detractors of Brodeur have to say he was a top-ten player at his peak. He was one of the most athletic players to ever play the position, and the NHL literally had to make the trapezoid to try and stop him.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 6. Pavel Datsyuk

Pavel Datsyuk is a player that’s still playing at a high level, but he’s not in the NHL so those numbers don’t count. What does count is his 14 years of dominance with the Detroit Red Wings. He could be considered the best two-way center during this era. He has three Selke Trophies to his name and three other seasons where he was a finalist.

He was able to put players on their butts with moves that would make an AND1 mixtape (if that reference is too young for you, Google it. You won’t regret it). Datsyuk’s ability to deke players with the puck on his stick made him unstoppable. There was a reason people would call him the “Magic Man.”

Datsyuk also won the Lady Bing Trophy four times. Not sure what that means for his legacy, but it shows he was incredibly liked as a player during his career.

His 2007-08 season was one of the best when combining his regular season and playoffs. He had 97 points in the regular season for a dominant Detroit team. He was the best player on a team that won the President’s Trophy. In the playoffs, he put up 23 points in 22 games. He and Henrik Zetterberg were dominant and pushed the Wings to wins in all series without facing a Game 7.

Datsyuk is a late bloomer who didn’t become a great NHL player until he turned 26 years old. He continued his dominance well into his 30s until he left a floundering Red Wings team to go play in Russia.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 5. Erik Karlsson

Erik Karlsson’s placement as one of the best defensemen of all time doesn’t have the standing that it did before his trade to the San Jose Sharks, but it’s impossible to deny just how good he was just a couple of years ago.

Karlsson’s ability to skate out of trouble is equal to that of just about every forward short of Connor McDavid. His skating might be the best we’ve ever seen out of a defenseman. His vision mixed with his skating ability has been the catalyst for thousands of breakouts during his career. His offensive ability was second to none, and it vaulted him into the discussion for the best of his generation.

Now, injuries have put him way down the list, but his time with the Ottawa Senators made him undoubtedly the best defenseman in the league. He’s a two-time Norris Trophy winner and twice he finished second in voting. He led the league in assists in 2015-16, and he constantly finds himself in the top ten in Hart Trophy voting despite defensemen getting little to no love for the award.

Karlsson had such an impact on the ice because of the ridiculous amount of time he was playing. He regularly plays between 24 and 28 minutes per game. Even now after some unfortunate lower-body injuries, he’s able to carry the load with more than 24 minutes for the Sharks. With the Senators, he could play 30 minutes in big games. Whether looking at traditional stats or advanced stats, Karlsson was dominant. He had point shared north of double digits five times throughout his career.

He has two runs to the conference finals where he put up close to a point per game, but he’s missing that one true run to the Stanley Cup. He’s only 30 years old, so it’s too early to give up on that dream. However, seeing defensemen starting to hit a wall at 30 (seen Subban, P.K.), there are some worries about his future. Witnessing what he’s done to this point is undeniable. He was the best defenseman of the 2010s.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 4. Nicklas Lidström

While Karlsson is the best defenseman of the 2010s, Nicklas Lidström is probably the best defenseman of all time. He’d probably be the top player on this list, but a lot of his career accomplishments came in the 90s. Still, the ability to be the best well into his 30s, and probably into his 40s, might be the best accomplishment in hockey.

Lidström didn’t have to be overly physical to overpower his opponents. He was constantly the smartest player on the ice. He could jump passes, poke check through legs, stop 2-on-1s, and put a power play out of commission.

Want to talk about awards? Seven Norris Trophies. All of them came post-2000. Conn Smythe Trophy during the Red Wings’ 2002 Stanley Cup victory. That was one of two times he raised Lord Stanley’s Cup. He was a 12-time All-Star and even won a gold medal with Sweden in 2006. He is the most decorated defenseman in the history of this sport, Bobby Orr aside.

The Red Wings never missed the playoffs during Lidström’s 19-year career. This is where he showed just how important it was to have one of the very best on the blue line. Outside of his runs in the 90s, he helped the Red Wings take three runs to the Final, winning twice. There’s no denying Lidström’s importance to this league and this sport. Players will be trying to play like him for generations to come.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 3. Connor McDavid

Connor McDavid is very, very young, but unlike other young players that didn’t make the list because of lack of time played (Auston Mathews is clearly at the top of that list), he’s impossible to ignore since he’s considered the best player in the league almost immediately after entering the league.

In his five full seasons to start his career, he has a Hart Trophy, three 100-point seasons in an era where that’s rare (and would have made it four if last season didn’t get cut short), and he is undoubtedly considered the best player on the ice. He might actually have people looking at him like LeBron James, in that he’s so good that other players dominating around him might get more consideration for MVP just because they aren’t him.

McDavid is a superstar on just another level. The hockey world hasn’t seen skills like this since Mario Lemieux retired. He can skate through any defense in the league and weave in and out of whatever teams throw at him. His skating is so smooth while also being magical with the puck. He could retire tomorrow, and people would talk about how good he was on the ice for decades.

McDavid’s impact on this list is hard to bottle up since he’s only 26 years old. It is hard to argue he’s better than the best defenseman of the generation, but his impact is undeniable. The team has been a disappointment since then, but issues in goal seem to tank their ceiling. Now, he’s once again pushing the Oilers to be a consistent playoff contender every season. If he keeps it going, he will eventually be one of the main reasons why the Oilers win it all.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 2. Alex Ovechkin

Alexander Ovechkin might be the greatest goal scorer in the history of the sport. There is no one in this generation that comes close to him as a pure goal scorer. Ovechkin is such a weapon that he’s kept the Washington Capitals contenders no matter what. His ability to get open-matched with the best shot in the business leads to a minimum of 30 goals every year of his career. Even last season, he was able to score 48 goals in 68 games.

Ovechkin has been incredibly consistent. He has hit the 50-goal plateau eight times. In half of the seasons that Ovechkin has played, he has 50 goals. He’d hit it nine times if last season wasn’t cut short. He’d probably make it ten times if the lockout didn’t shorten the 2012-13 season. Despite all these things out of his control in his way, he still could break Wayne Gretzky’s goal record.

His trophy case is absolutely stacked. He won the Hart Trophy three times. He has four Pearson Awards to his name. The year the Capitals won the Stanley Cup, there was nobody else to give the Conn Smythe to other than Ovechkin. He also won the Calder Trophy when he put up north of 50 goals in his rookie season.

From the moment that Ovechkin made it to the league, he’s been the best goal scorer on planet Earth. There’s no doubt that this competition is between Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. There is a wide gap between them and number three. This is the Lemieux-Gretzky conversation for this generation. They will always be connected, but Ovechkin very much deserves to be in the conversation.

30 best NHL players of the 21st century: 1. Sidney Crosby

Still, Sidney Crosby is the best player of this generation. He joined the league in 2005 and immediately made an impact. He scored 102 points in his rookie year. In his second year, he won the Hart Trophy after putting up a league-leading 120 points. He broke 100 points six times in his career, and if it weren’t for an injury history that took away basically two seasons, he might have more.

Crosby has over 1,500 points in his career and he’s forced the Penguins into contention every season of his career despite analysts calling for the team to fall off every year for the past five. He broke a point per game in every season of his career.

He does just about everything on the ice. He can steal the puck, he is an underrated hitter, he can skate through or around the defense, he’s innovating with the puck on his stick, and he does what it takes to put the Penguins in the win column.

While international play doesn’t push anyone higher on this list, we have to mention the “Golden Goal” just to show the impact Crosby has when compared to the best of this generation. Team Canada just watched Zach Parise put Team USA into overtime with a last-second goal in the gold medal game, but Crosby would not be denied. He had the puck on his stick for half a second and was able to be a scorching-hot Ryan Miller to win the game.

Crosby is the best player of this generation. Ovechkin has been great as a scorer, but what Crosby does with the rest of the game eeks him ahead. He might not score like Ovechkin or pass like Thornton, but he’s on the same level as them and puts them both together.

His skating is superb, and his puck handling is second to none. He is the total package. This is what scientists would build when trying to make the greatest hockey player. He does it so subtly, but that should not take away from his greatness.