B/R NHL Position Rankings for the 2023-24 Season: Top 10 Right Wingers
Everyone can use a right-hand man.
And if you're a big-time NHL center, go ahead and call him a right wing man.
Right wingers are forwards who flank the center on the right side of the ice with a mission to create offensive chances and score goals. They support teammates in the offensive zone and seek scoring opportunities by making quick passes and getting into position for quality shots.
There's a defensive element, too, where wingers try to stop opposing defensemen from getting clear shots and provide transition opportunities with quick breakout passes.
Some are offensive wizards. Some are defensive stalwarts. And some manage two-way alacrity.
Ranking the league's best isn't done by simply compiling points. Also at play are intangibles and other subtleties. If a player is labeled a right wing by NHL.com, he's eligible for our list, which was ultimately whittled down to 10 alongside a handful of honorable mentions.
Drop a line in the comments to let us know how you think we did.
Also check out our goaltender, defensemen, center and left wing rankings.
Honorable Mentions
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Alex DeBrincat, Detroit Red Wings
After six years in the NHL and all but one of them with at least 27 goals—with two seasons at 41—DeBrincat is already a proven scorer. He heads to Detroit in 2023-24 as a significant piece of the latest Steve Yzerman rebuild plan.
Claude Giroux, Ottawa Senators
All of a sudden, the former first-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers is an elder statesman. He played exactly 1,000 games with the Flyers, mostly as a center, but has since headed to the wing in Ottawa as the Senators look to gain relevance.
Troy Terry, Anaheim Ducks
Now 26, Terry has been an absolute steal after being selected by the Ducks in the fifth round of the 2015 draft. He broke out with 37 goals in 2021-22, a high for Anaheim since 2013-14, and has now made two straight All-Star Game appearances.
Tyler Toffoli, New Jersey Devils
If you're looking to load up for a long run in the Stanley Cup playoffs, you could do a lot worse than Toffoli, who had a career-high 34 goals in Calgary last season before a draft-week trade that sent him to a loaded New Jersey team.
Alex Tuch, Buffalo Sabres
The Jack Eichel trade netted a Stanley Cup for the Vegas Golden Knights, but it's not as if the Sabres made out too badly themselves. The Central New York native blossomed in Buffalo with career highs of 36 goals and 79 points in 74 games.
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No. 10: Patrick Kane, Unrestricted Free Agent
Had this list been done a decade ago, Kane would've been No. 1. The Western New York native entered the fall of 2013 on the heels of a championship with the Chicago Blackhawks. Fast forward to 2023 and he's won three Stanley Cups and stands sixth among active scorers with 451 goals, though his future is unclear after a trip to free agency and major hip surgery.
No. 9: Cole Caufield, Montreal Canadiens
Reaching No. 9 is quite a feat for a 22-year-old, but a healthy Caufield figures to be several notches up if he continues what he's produced since arriving to the NHL in 2021. He's scored 53 goals in 123 games, including 26 across just 46 games in an injury-riddled 2022-23. If he can survive with a 5'7", 175-pound frame, he'll be a valuable piece in the Montreal rebuild.
No. 8: Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes
There are a lot of folks suggesting the Hurricanes will be skating a celebratory lap with the Stanley Cup next spring. And there's an excellent chance that if it happens, the second overall pick in 2018 will have played a significant role. His return from right knee surgery last March is still in question, but the 112 goals he's scored in 347 games NHL seasons are not.
No. 7: Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
The stock has never been higher on Stone, now 31, after a gritty run to the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights. He had 24 points in 22 postseason games after having missed 39 games in the regular season following back surgery. Defensive aplomb is especially a factor with the former sixth-round pick, who has a career plus-120 rating through Tuesday's opener.
No. 6: Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes
There isn't always a lot for Arizona fans to cheer for, but Keller is surely a favorite. He was a point-per-game player for the first time in a six-season career after returning from a fractured femur, posting personal bests of 37 goals, 49 assists and 86 points. It was the most prolific goal-scoring season for the franchise since Keith Tkachuk netted 40 in 1997-98.
No. 5: William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
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It's been a steady climb toward elite status for William Nylander, who was selected eighth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs as an 18-year-old at the 2014 draft.
He scored 22 goals in his first full NHL season in 2016-17 and has climbed to 31 or better in each of the last four seasons, spiking to a career-high 40 in 2022-23. Thirty-one of those 40 were at even strength, which was good for a seventh-place tie in the league.
"Willy made tremendous strides, I think, throughout my whole time here," teammate John Tavares told Sportsnet. "He's such a special and unique talent, and he's obviously someone we want to be here for a long time."
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No. 4: Mitchell Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
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If you like skill players, you like Mitchell Marner.
The 26-year-old from metro Toronto was selected fourth overall in 2015 and has immediately established himself as a crafty two-way talent who's got within reach of 100 points three times, hitting 94 in 2018-19, 97 in 2021-22 and 99 in 2022-23.
He was also a finalist for the Selke Trophy as the league's best two-way forward, led the league with 104 takeaways, and tied for second with four short-handed goals.
"He's a guy that plays his ass off every night," then-Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas told Sportsnet, "has got tremendous skill, tremendous intensity, plays every situation for us, makes a ton of plays."
No. 3: Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche
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Hardcore NHL fans know Mikko Rantanen and his extensive resume.
But he may not be familiar to casual fans outside Colorado.
The 26-year-old Finn cuts an imposing 6'4", 215-pound figure, and he's established himself as a big guy with a big skill set, reaching career peaks of 55 goals and 105 points last season for the Avalanche—both top-10 finishes in their respective categories.
His 220 goals since 2016-17 are tied for seventh in the league among all players and second among right wingers in the same stretch, while his 513 points are 14th and fifth, respectively.
"Everyone loves Mikko in the room," teammate Nathan MacKinnon told the Denver Gazette. "He's a good guy. Works really hard."
No. 2: Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
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Only four players and no right wingers in the NHL have posted more points since 2017-18 than Nikita Kucherov's 495, and no player regardless of position has been more decorated.
A second-round steal by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011, Kucherov earned both the Art Ross and Hart trophies alongside the Ted Lindsay Award in 2018-19, during which Tampa Bay tied a then-league record of 62 wins and registered 128 points.
He and the Lightning recovered from that season's playoff disappointment to win Stanley Cups in both 2020 and 2021, then reached the title series again in 2022.
"He can do it all offensively," Montreal center Nick Suzuki said during the 2021 playoffs. "He can make plays, shoot the puck real well and he's a competitive guy. He really brings it all."
No. 1: David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
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The Boston Bruins are a franchise chock full of tradition.
But David Pastrnak stands shoulder to shoulder with any spoked-B superstar.
The 27-year-old Czech known as Pasta is coming off one of the most prolific seasons in Boston or any other league city, having netted 61 goals and 113 points in 82 games as the Bruins set league records for both wins (65) and points (135).
It was the first 60-goal season for the franchise since Phil Esposito's 61 in 1974-75 and the most points for a Boston player since Adam Oates in 1994-95. Pastrnak was second in Hart Trophy voting to Edmonton's Connor McDavid, was a first-team NHL All-Star, and his six 34-goal performances in seven seasons are second only to Toronto's Auston Matthews.
"Confidence, creativity, and competitiveness," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. "Those three C's exude from him, and then you combine that with an attitude of he's a team-first guy, he cares about and loves being a Bruin."
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