The 3 Most Crucial Players on Each NHL Team

Every player has a role to fill on their team.

For a team to be successful, they need to be well rounded and their players need to be perform all of their roles.

Even though a team needs everybody to perform their roles well in order to win, there are definitely certain players whose roles are more vital than others.

Here are each team's most vital players.

Anaheim Ducks

Jonas Hiller: Hiller had a very promising season cut short due to injury a year ago, and he has struggled since returning to the full-time role of starter.  For the Ducks to improve, Hiller needs to be a lot better.

Corey Perry: Last year's MVP hasn't been nearly as dominant.  He is still second on the team in scoring, but he definitely doesn't have that same dominating presence he did a year ago.

Teemu Selanne: The ageless one just continues to play far better than you would expect a man of his age to be able to do.

He leads the Ducks in scoring with 37 points, with 25 of those being assists, and shows no signs of slowing down.

Boston Bruins

Tim Thomas: Just look at his numbers: 1.90 goals against average and a .940 save percentage.

Tim Thomas is just unbelievable, and he always gives his team a chance to win games.

He's also able to make a couple jaw-dropping saves a night, which swings the momentum in favor of his team.

Tyler Seguin: It was pretty obvious after last year's Stanley Cup Playoffs that Tyler Seguin was destined to be a star in the league, but not this fast.

Seguin leads the Bruins in scoring with 36 points. When you play on a team that is as offensively loaded as the Bruins, that is absolutely amazing for a second-year player to do.

Zdeno Chara: Team captain, leader, shutdown defender that intimidates everybody else on the ice.

Chara's ability and coolness under pressure gives the team so much confidence. They always know that Chara will be back and in position.

When you've got guys like Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara to bail you out, it's no wonder this team is so confident.

Buffalo Sabres

Tomas Vanek: Tomas Vanek is the most dangerous goal scorer on the Sabres and leads the team in goals.

Vanek is the catalyst for the offense.

Ryan Miller: Miller has been one of the elite goalies in the NHL for a long time, though, he has struggled this season.

He's been in every situation and is always there for his team when they need him.

Jason Pominville: The other major part of the offense for Buffalo is Jason Pominville.  He's a long-time Sabre who is the leader of the team.

Calgary Flames

Jarome Iginla: Jarome Iginla could probably fill all three slots for the Calgary Flames; he is just that important to the team.

When he struggles scoring, he's doing other things for his team.

This is a guy who literally does anything and everything to help his team win games.

Miikka Kiprusoff: Kiprusoff is one of the most under-appreciated goalies in the NHL.

Though he has always put up spectacular numbers throughout his career, he sometimes is always mentioned in trade rumors for the Flames.

Kiprusoff has always maintained solid numbers even through the struggles that the Flames have had.

Olli Jokinen: A guy that was once sent out of Calgary because he has lost favor with the coaching staff, Jokinen has come back and flourished with the Flames.

He's even tied for the team lead in scoring at the moment.

He brings a grittiness to the team that is absolutely necessary for the team's success.

Carolina Hurricanes

Eric Staal: As Eric Staal goes, so go the Carolina Hurricanes.

Staal is the face of the franchise and is the biggest leader on the team, especially in the offensive aspects of the game.

When Staal is rolling, chances are pretty good that the Hurricanes are feeling pretty good as well.

Cam Ward: Ward has been considered one of the best goalies in the NHL ever since he won a Conn Smythe award with the Hurricanes.

He's a big, strong, confident goalie that has struggled this season.

Despite his struggles, he's absolutely vital to the success of his team.

Jeff Skinner: Jeff Skinner is the future of the Carolina Hurricanes.

After winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie a season ago, he has had a strong start to this season until being sidelined by injury.

Skinner's presence on the team is going to be vital to the success of this team for a long time.

Chicago Blackhawks

Jonathan Toews: Toews is the heart and soul of this Chicago Blackhawks team, and he's a captain that really reminds me of Joe Sakic.

He leads by example and isn't a very vocal guy. When he is vocal, it means that something absolutely needs to be said, and his team respects that and responds to it.

What they respect even more is how Toews expects just as much out of himself as anybody else on his team.

Duncan Keith: Duncan Keith is a Norris Trophy-winning defender that anchors the blue line of the Blackhawks.

He's skilled offensively and great in his own zone.

Keith was a huge reason for why the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010.

Patrick Kane: Kane is one of the most creative passers in the league right now.

Just when you think there's nothing that he can do, he somehow makes an unthinkable pass right onto somebody's stick for an easy goal.

That type of creativity and ability is so important to Chicago's success.

Colorado Avalanche

Ryan O'Reilly: Ryan O'Reilly has become the best player on the Avalanche roster.

All season long, whenever the Avalanche need somebody to make a big play in a big moment, Ryan O'Reilly is the guy to make the play or set it up.

Erik Johnson: Erik Johnson got off to a bit of a slow start this season but has really come on in the last 15 games.

When Johnson is feeling good, you can really tell just by the way that he skates and how much more creative he is.

When Johnson is feeling it, he has a huge impact on a game.

Matt Duchene: Matt Duchene, even though he is currently injured, is the most explosive player on the Avalanche roster.

He led the team in scoring a season ago and when Duchene is scoring and creating, then the Avalanche are usually winning.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Rick Nash: Face of the franchise Rick Nash has been dragging this franchise on his back for years now.

Without Nash, there wouldn't be any reason to pay attention to a team that hasn't really had a genuine superstar other than him in their history.

Jeff Carter:  Columbus gave up a lot in order to get Carter from the Philadelphia Flyers, so the expectations for Carter have been very high.

He hasn't quite lived up to expectations, but then again, nobody on the team has.

James Wisniewski: Wisniewski is the other player that Columbus went out to get during the offseason, and they gave him quite a contract.

No shock that the three guys Columbus has committed the most to are the most crucial players on the team.

Dallas Stars

Kari Lehtonen: Kari Lehtonen had such an amazing start to the season that helped Dallas out of the gates.

Lehtonen got injured, but he has been good since coming back. His record currently stands at 15-6-1.

Lehtonen will need to continue his stellar play to keep Dallas in the tight Pacific Division race.

Mike Ribiero: Ribiero is the catalyst for the Dallas offense, but he has some good help on his team this year.

Many people expected Dallas not to have much of a chance this season after losing Brad Richards, but Ribiero and company have proven that false.

Jamie Benn: Benn if currently leading the Stars in scoring and assists and has been a big bright spot for the team this year.

After losing Richards, somebody needed to step up as the primary assist man, and Benn has done that.

Detroit Red Wings

Niklas Lidstrom: There really is no explanation needed here, Lidstrom is one of the best defenders ever to play the game.

Pavel Datsyuk: Datsyuk is the creative playmaker that makes the offense run.

He is so smooth with the puck, and the things that he manages to do with the puck are just astounding.

Jimmy Howard: The last couple of seasons, mostly in the playoffs, the only real weak spot for Detroit was their goaltending.

Howard is a very good goalie, but he just hasn't been able to keep it together consistently in the playoffs.

This season might be his coming-out party.

Edmonton Oilers

Taylor Hall: The former first overall draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers is the centerpiece of the Oilers' youth movement.

When he has his line going, usually the Oilers are playing pretty well.

Jordan Eberle: The other kid that came into the league the same year as Taylor Hall has been such a huge find.

Eberle currently leads the team in goals, assists and scoring. He's turned out to be an absolute machine on offense.

Ryan Smyth: Smyth is such a great leader for this team after finally being able to make it back to Edmonton.

He is the perfect guy to have on your team to show all of the young kids how to be a professional in the NHL.

His awesome production this season has to be considered a bonus as well.

Florida Panthers

Tomas Fleischmann:  Probably the biggest positive for the Panthers this year has been the play of Tomas Fleischmann. 

After not being sure whether or not he'd be able to play again after his pulminary emboli last season in Colorado, Fleischmann has been incredibly valuable for Florida.

He's scored some big goals for the Panthers this year and is a big reason for their success.

Brian Campbell:  Campbell has been a huge bright spot for the Panthers back on the blue line.

He currently leads the team in assists with 30, which makes him a huge part of the offense.

Stephen Weiss:  One of Florida's alternate captains finally has a team around him to produce, and he doesn't have to carry the entire squad anymore.

This hasn't stopped him from contributing.  He's third on the team in scoring with 33 points and is the leader of the team.

Los Angeles Kings

Jonathan Quick: Jonathan Quick has been a brick wall for the L.A. Kings all season long.

He currently leads all goalies in the NHL in shutouts with six, and he's posted a goals against average of 1.93.

He's done his part to help his team win games since L.A. has had such a hard time scoring goals.

Anze Kopitar: Kopitar is the guy who makes the offense work.

He has an amazing combination of size, speed and skill that allows him to dominate games.

Mike Richards: Part of the biggest trade of the offseason, Mike Richards has done his part for the Kings this year.

Despite playing eight games fewer than many of the players on the team, Richards still leads the team in goals scored and brings an intensity to this team that hasn't been there before.

Richards is a vital member of this team.

Minnesota Wild

Mikko Koivu: Mikko Koivu is the leader of the Minnesota Wild franchise.

He plays a solid two-way game that helps make the whole system work and get the team wins.

Koivu currently leads the team in assists and scoring.

Niklas Backstrom: Minnesota plays a defensive system, but they still need a goalie that can make the big saves when he needs to, and Nik Backstrom has always been that guy.

He's one of those goalies that is huge in his net and always plays with a confidence that gives his team a chance to win games.

Dany Heatley: Dany Heatley gives the Wild a superstar scorer that they haven't had since they lost Marion Gaborik.

Heatley leads the team in goals and is a threat to score any time he is on the ice.

Montreal Canadiens

Erik Cole: While the team is having a horrible year, Erik Cole is putting up great numbers for his team.

He leads the team in goals with 17 and is doing his part to help the Canadiens win.

Without Cole's production, this season could be even worse for Montreal.

P.K. Subban: Subban is a tough defender who produces offensively.

His career is still very young, but he has done a lot to help out this Montreal team.

Carey Price: Though the team has struggled as a whole, Carey Price has actually put together a pretty good season.

He's a strong goalie who just hasn't been able to get a lot of support from the team in front of him.

Nashville Predators

Shea Weber: Shea Weber is the leader of this team in every single possible way.

He leads the team in scoring, despite being out for a couple of weeks with his concussion, and he's the team's captain.

He solidifies the blue line and plays in every single situation imaginable. Without Weber, the Predators are not nearly as successful.

Pekka Rinne: Rinne was a finalist for the Vezina trophy last season as the league's best goalie.

He's big and strong in net and plays a strong positional game. He can also be acrobatic when he needs to make the amazing save.

He benefits from a defensive system, but he is still an elite goalie.

David Legwand: Nashville's first ever draft pick brings leadership and solid numbers to the team.

Legwand is tied for third in scoring on the team with 25 points, and he just seems to always be a productive member of his team.

New Jersey Devils

Zach Parise: Zach Parise is the type of player that every team wants on their roster because of how hard he works.

He has a ton of skill and is capable of scoring at will, but it's the effort that he brings with every single shift that makes him stand out.

Ilya Kovalchuk: The $100 million man has not produced up to his potential since signing that huge contract with New Jersey.

Kovalchuk has been coming on of late, and he is vital to the success of the Devils.

Patrik Elias: The senior citizen and long-time New Jersey Devil continues to put up numbers for his team despite his age.

Elias currently leads the Devils in scoring and assists. No matter what, he's always there producing for his team.

New York Islanders

John Tavares: Tavares is starting to become the player that the Islanders need him to be: the creative, offensive guy that doesn't just score goals but sets them up as well.

Tavares is leading the team in scoring with 36 points.

Matt Moulson: Matt Moulson is the leading goal scorer for the Islanders at the moment, and he's currently one of two New York Islanders players that is currently plus for the season.

His scoring abilities make him absolutely crucial to the success of the Islanders.

Mark Streit: Streit is currently the top-scoring defenseman on the team and the team leader.

He isn't having a great year defensively, sitting at minus-17, but nobody on the team really is. 

New York Rangers

Ryan Callahan: Ryan Callahan is proving to be a great leader and captain of this New York Rangers team.

Not only is he producing point-wise, but he is leading by example with all of the hard work that he puts on the ice every time he is out there.

He makes a perfect captain.

Brad Richards: The prize of the free-agent class of this last offseason has been a brilliant addition to the team this year.

Richards has been everything that the Rangers could have hoped he would be and is providing great leadership and clutch scoring.

Richards has really propelled the Rangers to the top of the division, and the Eastern Conference.

Henrik Lundqvist: What a goalie.

All that needs to be said about him are his numbers: 1.89 goals against average, .940 save percentage, 18 wins.

Lundqvist is a beast in net.

Ottawa Senators

Jason Spezza: Jason Spezza is leading the Senators in scoring and is having an amazing season this year.

Many people expected the Senators to stay towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference this year, but Spezza has helped to will his team into the playoff picture.

Erik Karlsson: Karlsson has emerged as a force on the blue line this season.

He is currently leading all NHL defenders with 34 assists and has supplanted Sergei Gonchar as the best offensive defenseman on the team.

Milan Michalek: Michalek is leading the Senators in goal scoring this year, and he was among the league leaders until an injury sidelined him.

Michalek's production has been a huge bright spot for the Senators.

Philadelphia Flyers

Claude Giroux: MVP, that's all that needs to be said.

Jaromir Jagr: Jagr has resurrected his NHL career with the Flyers this season and is a huge part of this offense right now.

To see how well he has performed after being out of the NHL for three seasons is truly astounding.

Scott Hartnell: Hartnell is having a great season as well, and he's one of those guys who exemplifies what it means to be part of the Philadelphia Flyers.

This is an exciting team to watch right now.

Phoenix Coyotes

Shane Doan: The long-time leader of this franchise, Shane Doan is the man down in Phoenix.

He is a clear leader and has done a great job helping his team stay focused amidst all of the ownership issues with the Coyotes.

Radim Vrbata: Vrbata has had some issues with consistency in his career, but his skill has really begun to come out in the past couple of seasons.

Vrbata currently leads Phoenix in goal scoring and is emerging as a star for his team.

Keith Yandle: Keith Yandle exploded onto the scene last season and showed that he might be the best offensive defenseman in the league.

His production from the blue line has been vital to Phoenix's ability to win games.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Evgeni Malkin: With the absence of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin is the man who needs to step up his game.  Thus far, he has been doing his work.

Malkin has the ability to turn anything into a potential scoring play.

James Neal: James Neal started this season with something to prove after he didn't produce too much after being traded.

Neal is currently leading the team in goals and has been close to the top of the league since the beginning of the season.

Marc-Andre Fleury: Fleury is an elite goalie on a team that likes to play a fast-paced, wide-open style of hockey.

Fleury needs to be good for his team to be successful.

San Jose Sharks

Joe Thornton: Thornton has several roles on the Sharks.

In addition to being the big set-up man for his team, Thornton also takes all of the big faceoffs and is expected to play well against other team's top lines while still producing offensively.

Patrick Marleau: Thornton is the set-up guy, Marleau is the finisher.

Patrick Marleau needs to score for the Sharks to win.

Joe Pavelski: Joe Pavelski is vital to the Sharks because he provides the secondary scoring that makes teams panic.

He's the poison that he forces the other team to pick. Somebody chooses to stop Marleau and Thornton, Pavelski makes them pay.

They can win when he isn't rolling, but when Pavelski is scoring, San Jose is almost unstoppable.

St. Louis Blues

David Backes: Captain of the Blues and one of the most underrated players in all of the NHL.

He is quietly leading the team in scoring and does everything for his team.

Brian Elliott: Who would have thought that Elliott would be having the year that he is having in 2012 after the year that he had last season.

Elliott is among the league leaders in every major goaltending category.

After signing a two-way contract this year, Elliott has actually supplanted Jaroslav Halak as the starter.

Alex Pietrangelo: Pietrangelo is another very underrated player on the St. Louis roster.

He is actually the player that made Erik Johnson expendable when they made their big trade with the Colorado Avalanche last season.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Steven Stamkos

Vincent Lecavalier

Martin St. Louis

This should be pretty straight forward for Tampa Bay.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Phil Kessel: Kessel has played like a man possessed this year, having been on a goal-scoring tear since the beginning of the season.

Kessel would probably run a pretty close second to Claude Giroux in MVP voting right now.

Dion Phaneuf: Phaneuf is a player who has never really gotten enough credit for how good he is.

Phaneuf is capable of putting up numbers offensively with his huge shot and can lay a big hit in his own end.

He's a defender who can do everything for his team.

James Reimer: Reimer's season has lined up directly with the Maple Leafs.

He started out very strong, as did the Leafs.  Then he got injured and has struggled since coming back, as have the Leafs.

If Reimer can strengthen his play, then the Leafs can shore up their current struggles.

Vancouver Canucks

Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin: The Sedin brothers have led the league in scoring the past two seasons.

They once again find themselves towards the top of the league in scoring and are a huge reason for Vancouver's success.

Ryan Kesler: It's hard to be more valuable than the guy who was named the best two-way player in the league for the 2011-12 season, as Ryan Kesler was when he won the Selke last year.

He scores and he shuts down the other team's top guys.

Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin: It shouldn't surprise anybody that Ovechkin's struggles at the start of the year lined up directly with the struggles of the team.

Since he has finally been scoring lately, the team has started to improve.

Ovechkin and the Capitals have their fates tied together completely.

Nicklas Backstrom: Backstrom has been the most consistent member of the Capitals all season long.

Backstrom leads the Capitals in assists and scoring and has been the best player on the team so far.

Tomas Vokoun: Vokoun was a diamond-in-the-rough signing that has not yielded great results.

Though he has been one of the more consistent goalies in the league over the past couple of seasons, Vokoun can't seem to find any consistency this season.

If Vokoun becomes the guy he has been, then the Capitals could climb their way back to the top of their division.

Winnipeg Jets

Evander Kane: Evander Kane is becoming a great player in this league and is tied for Winnipeg's scoring lead and is the leading goal scorer on the team.

Kane is only in his third year, but he's a vital part of this Jets team.

Blake Wheeler: Wheeler is the other player tied for the scoring lead on the Jets, and he leads the team in assists.

Another guy who doesn't get too much recognition around the league.

Dustin Byfuglien: Dustin Byfuglien is a beast of a hockey player.  A guy as big as he is just shouldn't be this good at a game that is this fast.

He's a great defenseman with a huge shot that.  Other players just can't handle him.

Byfuglien can change a game with the style of game that he plays.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and NHL on Bleacher Report. For more NHL news and discussion,