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Who are the top-50 players in the NHL? Well...that definitely depends on who you ask. In an argument that has as many answers as who the best player in the NHL (alright......

BT's Top 50 NHL Players: Let the Argument Begin!

by Bryan Thiel (Senior Writer)

43

9,462 reads

Rankings/List

September 18, 2008


Who are the top-50 players in the NHL?

Well...that definitely depends on who you ask. In an argument that has as many answers as who the best player in the NHL (alright....there's only two, maybe three answers to that question but still) it's always interesting to see where fans agree and disagree.

Who's overrated? Who's under-rated? Who's never been rated before but should be rated? Is there any other coherent sentence that we can insert the word 'rated' into and still have it make sense?

Probably not.

But coherent or not, we're taking a break from my season previews, and taking a look at the top-50 players in the NHL.

It could be worse...you could be Jason Muzzatti

50. Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils—Parise is kind of pigeon-holed in New Jersey. Although it gives him an opportunity to show case a good two-way game, one has to believe that Parise's 65 points and 30 goals would be even better if he weren't in such a stiffling system. We'll see if he can overcome those troubles this season.

49. Peter Mueller, Phoenix Coyotes—It seems strange to have Mueller at 49 instead of Elias, but he is. Mueller is an exciting young player, and his rookie season was a solid one with 22 goals and 54 points. He's a solid building block for Phoenix going forward, and there's no telling how high he could climb on this list one day.

48. Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks—Keith is a very exciting young defenseman, who is going to have an outstanding career. He was a first-time All Star last season, and if his offense picks up, there's no telling how high Keith's star could climb.

47. Sam Gagner, Edmonton Oilers—Gagner was a big surprise for the Edmonton Oilers last season, and a dynamo in the shootout. He's got a talent package that'll help him rise in the NHL for years to come, and could bridge the 20 goal mark this season.

46. Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres—That big contract he received during last year's restricted free agency season doesn't help, but even in an off-year, Vanek is a 36 goal-scorer. The more he teams with Derek Roy in the future, the better the Sabres, and Vanek are going to get.

45. J.P. Dumont, Nashville Predators—Since his move from Buffalo to Nashville, Dumont has fallen away from the pubic eye a bit, but he's also increased his production. Because he isn't overshadowed by the the Drury's, Vanek's or Briere's, Dumont's broached the 30 goal plateau this past season, and will be an integral part of any success the Predators have.

44. Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Minnesota Wild—He's 24, and he was able to net 60 points in a defense-first Minnesota system. If Marian Gaborik decides to stick around, then these two could be a dynamic combination. Great vision, great passer.

43. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks—

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43 comments Last one added 1 day ago — Leave a Comment

  1. kevin zen 9 months ago

    No Ducks? Between Giguere, Scott Niedermayer, Pronger and Getzlaf, no one makes it? OK, maybe Scotty's getting a little older, maybe you hate Pronger, maybe Giguere padded his way to a Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup, but Getzlaf? At LEAST as good as Jeff Carter (same draft), and in my opinion Getzlaf would be taken over either Sedin by the majority of the GMs in the leauge, if given the choice.

    Tough job putting together a Top 50 list, though. Good work.

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    • Bryan Thiel 9 months ago

      Haha eesh....Kevin you are right.

      The Ducks aren't getting any representation on their when they rightfully should be. I kind of give Niedermayer his due when I talk about the best defensemen I've seen play thing, but probably not quite enough. I do think that Niedermayer is getting a little up there, and I believe as well that Giggy could have gotten some consideration too, maybe in the earlier portion for a goalie. I think the two biggest omissions are Chris Pronger and Ryan Getzlaf. I dont personally care for Pronger, but there are also some more players on here I don't really care for, so I wouldn't use that as an excuse.

      Getzlaf did have a huge year, and if I could have my way over again, he'd be the one I'd pick from the list you brought up, and I'd throw him just after the Sedins, possibly dropping Mueller and moving Parise up a bit.

      You're right though, a list like this is pretty tough, especially when you don't really want to shun anyone out. I sent it around to a couple of friends, discussed it in class with a few people, and tried to get as many different opinions as I could.

      I would've also liked to have included Vesa Toskala on this list as well, as I think he's a superb tender, but I wanted to try and be as fair as possible and leave out a bit of the Leafs bias.

      Thanks for reading Kevin,

      BT

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  2. Alan Bass 9 months ago

    I love this list, BT, and I especially love the clarification after Toews. Cuz you know as much as I do that SOMEONE would start a fight about it lol. And yes, I would so take Ovie over Crosby. I'm kind of surprised, though, that Hank and Datsyuk are below Luongo. And I don't think Thornton should be that high. At least not anymore.

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    • Bryan Thiel 9 months ago

      As many drafts as I wrote, I was even changing it when I finally published it today. I had Malkin moving around so much, and I was very close to throwing Thornton to five (or six), moving Malkin to four, and then letting the chips fall.

      I guess this just speaks to the talent available in the league eh?

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  3. Gradin santana 9 months ago

    D sedin 40 goals 40 assists
    H sedin 15 goals 60 assists
    luongo 44 wins

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  4. Miah D. 9 months ago

    nice list (hehe)
    kinda agree with most ... and yeah, parise deserved the spot !
    did everyone agree on pulling out bryzgalov?

    cheers!

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  5. Rafal Ladysz 9 months ago

    Pominville, Frolov, Huselius, Getzlaf, Prospal, Semin, Doan, Andrei Markov, Boyle, Kostitsyn, Sundin
    Your missing a lot of big names. I know it's hard to make a list like this but Sam Gagner and Mueller don't belong in the top 50.

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    • Bryan Thiel 9 months ago

      Sundin isn't in the NHL right now, so if he were on a team he'd be included. Dan Boyle is good, but not top 50. Huselius definitely isn't top 50. Neither Kostitsyn has really played his way into the top 50 either. The one I really agree with on the top 50 is Getzlaf, and check on the comment from Kevin for that, as I already mentioned missing him. Pominville and Frolov are getting there, and while I do like Shane Doan, I also think there are MUCH better players in the NHL than him.

      I also sent this list around to a few different people Rafal, so it's not just completely my flat opinion, one of which was Miah the Canadiens' Community Leader. I'm sure that if she felt that either Kostitsyn or Markov should have been in the top 50, she would have told me.

      Thanks for reading.

      BT

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  6. Pat Ferguson 9 months ago

    nice list BT

    other than Getlaf I would say this is great work, but I guess 49/50 isn't bad, haha

    crosby is #1 in my books

    no kopitar on this list though? and no mention from commentors... maybe they just don't pay enough attention to the kings...

    great work, good read

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  7. PJ Edelman 9 months ago

    Whoa, this list is intense. I don't totally agree with the order from 50-25 (Alfredsson at 27! He is at least top 20), but certainly entertaining. Also, write a blurb about Datsyuk! The man's a machine! Nice work

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  8. Chris DiFrancesco 9 months ago

    I almost agree with the whole list except that Mike Richards was really low, in my opinion he IS top 2 or 3 in the league of the two way players and I think he is a top 15-20 player.

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  9. Ken Armer 9 months ago

    "Now I'm not biased like Ken Armer is, but I think Morrow is one of the premier leaders in the game. He's in for a big year."

    You'd be biased too if you picked a guy on his draft and said something regarding how great he was gonna be and then years later everyone hops on his bandwagon BT. LOL At least I'm not here saying "Where's Andy Mac?!"

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  10. Matt Ellenberger 9 months ago

    Boumeester's overrated. I used to think he was a superstar, but now I just think he's a good puck moving defeneseman with an average skillet, at best. He's really showcased in the market he's in.

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  11. Anthony Ferrara 9 months ago

    As much as this player has gotten hurt over the past several years, he has potential to be top 5, Simon Gagne, watch out for this guy in 09, he'll bounce back. Even if you put him at number 50, you have to mention him.

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  12. Harry Henderson 9 months ago

    No ales hemsky? The guy has averaged over a point a game over the last two seasons. You need to re-evaluate: no getzlav, frolov. Everyone knows pronger is in the top 50.

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  13. Ryan 9 months ago

    Thank you for giving Derek Roy the props he deserves!

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  14. Jersey 9 months ago

    If you're starting a team from scratch, I could see taking Nabakov or Luongo over Brodeur because of age, but if you're looking at the here-and-now, Brodeur is easily tops in the league. I know he's struggled of late in the playoffs, but he also does have three cups to go along with his regular-season heroics. The two-time reigning Vezina winner is not third in the league.

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  15. Jersey 9 months ago

    (However, lest I sound like a bitter reader, I do like the list overall. The Brodeur gripe is minor. Nicely done.)

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    • Bryan Thiel 9 months ago

      Haha that's fine. I toiled with Marty a bit on this list, and he was a hard one to place: Do you go with regular season dominance, focus more on the playoffs, try to mix the two? Luongo, Nabby, and Marty are in the top-ten for goalies because they're the three best by far. I'm not really surprised some would take Marty, Luongo, or Nabby over the other two, but having a three-way tie for sixth on the list would've looked dumb :)

      Anyhow Jersey, thanks for the read....here's hoping Marty proves me wrong :)

      BT

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  1. Bob Warja 9 months ago

    "If everything had worked out, and Campbell had stayed in San Jose (and Ron Wilson wasn't fired) you'd probably see Campbell develop into a more well-rounded talent."

    Why do you say this? The Hawks can't develop players? You seem to be taking shots at the Blackhawks, ranking Kane so low and with this comment. I'm sure it's unintentional, so what gives?

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    • Bryan Thiel 9 months ago

      What I meant Bob, was that Campbell's defensive game would have turned out much better had he remained with Wilson in San Jose for a bit. It's not a shot at the 'Hawks, but I'm just saying the Ron Wilson could have turned Campbell into an even more complete package.

      The 'Hawks needed a straight-up offensive defenseman, and they got him—mission accomplished.

      As far as Kane's ranking, I acknowledged that he could be higher on the list, but I'd like to see another year out of him. He's still smallish, and I didn't think he was ready for the NHL last season after watching him in London.

      And at least I didn't forget him like Getzlaf :)

      BT

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  2. Andrew Pargoff 9 months ago

    I'll take 3 Red Wings in the top 8, and Hossa at 16.5 haha, and I love what you wrote after summing up Datsyuk and Zetterberg. I believe Bouwmeester is overrated too, but Luongo is the best goalie in the league, so you nailed that there. My top six defenseman would be Nicklas Lidstrom, Ray Bourque, Scott Stevens, Sergei Zubov, Phil Housley, and Vladimir Konstantinov. Konstantinov may not have had the best scoring touch, but his physical presence, balance on his skates, and ability to just knock a guy's head off certainly puts him on my top six. It's a travesty that his career was cut much too short by the drunk, license-less asshole driving his limousine. In 1996-'97, he had a +60 rating, which is second to only Wayne Gretzky's +70 in his early days, and was the runner up to Brian Leetch for the Norris Trophy. He's only 41 today, which means he probably would've played up to about 2 or 3 years ago. But all in all, tremendous article, can't say I mind seeing Ovechkin at #1 either.

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  3. Steve Welliver 9 months ago

    I think there was one other ommission from your list. Olli Jokinen...
    Mired on a poor Florida team for the rest of eternity...O wait, rescued by Wayne Gretzky and Co. Watch a real rise from a young(ish at 29). Also, having not played in the playoffs makes him young also, as the grind of the playoffs is almost akin to a season in and of itself.

    My defenceman list would mention Denis Potvin, but i guess that shows my age a little!

    Great article, this was my 1st visit to your site.

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  4. Michael Wagner 9 months ago

    I PRAY TO THE HOCKEY GODS, THAT TOEWS DOES NOT TURN INTO SAMSONOV!

    Great List though BT, completely agree with AO being over Sid.

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  5. James Sheehy 9 months ago

    I think Boumeester is a little high, I think all the media attention he has gotten recently had raised people's opinion of him. I would agree that Getzlaf needs to be on this list, and I would have Komisarek somewhere on here (1st and 2nd in Blocked Shots and Hits). Nice giving Kopitar some props, that kid is a freak. All in all, terrific read. Can't even imagine how long it took you as I tried to do a top 10 the other day and after like 2 hours I was only down to around 20.

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  6. Salim Valji 9 months ago

    where's Ales Hemsky?!

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  7. Melissa Grissom 9 months ago

    where is Getzlaf? Where is McDonald? Where in the world is Robidas? He is one of the most underated defenseman in the NHL and this guy can produce points. Look at last year, he produce 9 goals and 17 assists while Zubov and Boucher were out with significant injuries. He also helped out the rookie defenseman on the Stars organize. He is a valuable player just like Morrow.

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  8. Joel H 9 months ago

    I'd have to say your completely wrong on Crosby being in the top five for one reason, HEART this kid although talented as they come seems to me a bit soft. Which is why teams that actually don't care to listen to the hype about this kid put him on his knees. It's such an American bias to actually think Sidney could be a leader!!! Yeah he can score goals yeah he can put a nasty move on most players in the league, but so can just about every player in this league. They are all professionals, right? Now don't get me wrong if my squad traded for Crosby today I wouldn't blink an eye on a deal like this, but it would not surprise me if he never wins the Cup. Unless, he opens his eyes to reality that the NHL is and never will be a one man show!!!

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    • Jeff Badger 9 months ago

      I think you've got 1 and 2 mixed up there...Crosby isn't a 1 man show, Ovechkin is.
      The only reason the Pens won any games at all in the finals was Crosby and Fleury. The kid is all heart.

      You mention teams putting him on his knees - well, when's the last time he didn't get up?

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  9. Tyler Hill 9 months ago

    spezza and Nash ahead of Kovalchuck? No I don't think so.

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  10. James Sheehy 9 months ago

    Joel, Crosby played his heart out in the finals.

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  11. Joe Fletcher 9 months ago

    great article, and i can't imagine how long it took to put together. i would throw Giggy in there for sure, and I think the same reason ovechkin beats out crosby for the #1 spot (he's a beast) should put Iginla in the top 10...

    can't wait for fantasy hockey to start.

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  12. Colin Gallagher 9 months ago

    Jason Pominville ought to be on this list, possibly ahead of Derek Roy, definately ahead of Thomas Vanek. Pominville is a much better all around player and is more valuable to the Sabres than either of the other two at this point. While Vanek has the potential to be a top 10 to top 15 player in the league, right now he suffers from inconsistency and is unable to live up to high expectations. Pominville, meanwhile, is a strong penalty killer, good point man on the powerplay, a strong locker room presence, and a pretty good 2 way forward. He'll get back on defense and play well in his own zone, and will throw up 80 points to boot. Great article though, well put together, and obviously took a lot of time.

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  13. Michael Brown 9 months ago

    I think if you re-do this article after the '08-'09 season, you might add Patrice Bergeron. The guy's recovered from a cheap-shot injury that limited him to ten games last season, and he should have a breakout year.

    I don't know if I would put Chara at 21, that seems kinda generous. Since coming to Beantown, he's seemed to shy away from big hits and pass up open shots. He's got one of the hardest shots in the league and he's the biggest player in the league, but he hasn't been the same since he left Ottawa.

    And about the other Bruin on the list - Marc Savard - when he came to Boston, he changed the offense. All of a sudden, the Bruins (for the most part) stopped making stupid passes and stopped taking stupid shots. He brought patience and unselfishness, which is key for a veteran leading a team of young players.

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    • Ryan Burns 9 months ago

      good point, bergeron will have a great year and was really starting to become an impact player before that dirty shot...he did have 3 assists versus montreal the other night...

      chara is a little generous at 21 mostly because smaller, quicker defenders often skate right around him, and in 2 on 1 situations, he is pretty scary to watch...

      savard will have 90 points this year for sure, and will work great with his linemates

      i think the biggest sleeper who will make this list next year is Phil Kessel...if he can play with bergeron, he might become a true scorer as well as one of the most exciting players in the league...and hes only 21!!!

      bruins will be much better this year...

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  14. Chico Rodriguez 9 months ago

    What the hell?!? Why does everyone overlook the Canadiens??? They finished first in the East last year, they were the highest scoring team in the league and had the best powerplay. You have players like Peter Mueller (who?) and Duncan Keith (again, who???) on this list yet Tomas Plekanec is absent. Okay media we get it, you don't like the Habs. But when we have a good season at least acknowledge it with more than just Kovalev on your best players list. Maybe when we win the cup this year you'll finally open your eyes.

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  15. Dany Heatley 9 months ago

    Clearly, Heatley is better than Kopitar, Chara, Phaneuf, Morrow, Campell and Briere! I would put him in the same class as Lecavlier and Iginla.

    Are you some kind of Leaf fan?

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  1. Melissa Grissom 9 months ago

    another thing...I think Morrow should be ahead of Ilya Kovalchuk...I am not being biases but I've seen the way Morrow leads and he leads by his heart!

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  2. Michel Laurenzi 1 day ago

    How can a player having won 3 straight team leader for point production and one more with another team not in the 50?

    Come on, Mike Ribeiro can make any 2nd or 3rd line player look like a no.1 line player. He's clearly on of the top 25 most talented player in the league. Just look what he did with Morrow 2 years ago and with Ott last season.

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