Ranking the Most Creative Players in the NHL

Creativity, the ability to do the unexpected with the puck in order to advance the attack, is a valuable skill to have in the NHL. We will now list the 10 most creative players in the NHL today.

To most people, creativity is equated with passing, but players can also be creative in the way they move the puck, fake out opponents, make room for themselves or teammates and create scoring chances.

These ranking are based on where these players are right now in their careers. Certainly, some older players on this list would have been higher on this list a few years ago. Some younger creative players haven't cracked the top 10 just yet.

Feel free to mention any players you feel deserve to be on this list that I omitted. Please mention why you feel your player belongs among the 10 most creative players in the league today.

10. Henrik Zetterberg

Veteran forward Henrik Zetterberg is one of the NHL's most creative players.

Not only is the talented Swede able to create chances, he usually rises to the occasion and plays his best in big games. One big example was the team's win in Game 7 of their opening-round series against the Anaheim Ducks where Zetterberg and linemate Pavel Datsyuk stepped up their game and led the Wings to the upset victory.

Teammate Niklas Kronwall remains impressed by Zetterberg and Datsyuk. "They bring it every night and in games like this is when they shine the most," Kronwall told Corey Masisak of NHL.com. "They just seem to find that comfort zone and go out there and produce and make things happen out of nowhere."

That ability to make things happen out of nowhere is what makes Zetterberg so dangerous. He already has six seasons with 40 or more assists and would have had a seventh if this past season wasn't shortened by the lockout.

Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2008, the last time Detroit won the Stanley Cup.

9. Jonathan Toews

Jonathan Toews' creativity exists both on and off the ice.

On the ice, the Blackhawks captain has good hockey sense and anticipates plays well which keeps him around a point-per-game average.

Off the ice, Toews is already considered one of the great leaders in the NHL today despite the fact that he is only 25.

Veteran Jamal Mayers, who did not appear in the playoffs for Chicago, noticed what a great leader Toews' has become. "He's turned into an unbelievable leader," Mayers said shortly after the Blackhawks won their second Stanley Cup in four years. "Everyone knows what he does on the ice, but his conscience and ability to see all pieces of the pie are what separate him at such a young age. He reminds me what people used to say about Messier."

Toews shows creativity both on the ice and in the locker room and that earned him a place on our list.

8. Joe Thornton

Joe Thornton has been one of the best passers in the NHL over the past decade.

The 34-year-old native of London, Ontario, has won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer and a Hart Trophy as the league's MVP mostly on the strength of his ability to see the ice and set up teammates with the perfect pass.

Twice in his career, Thornton has had more than 90 assists in a season and three times he has gone over the 100-point mark.

Mark Emmons of The San Jose Mercury-News called Thornton "one of the NHL's preeminent passers" and that hasn't changed. 

Over the course of his career, he has set up some great goal scorers like Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Jonathan Cheechoo and Dany Heatley.

Thornton remains one of the league's most creative players.

7. Martin St. Louis

Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis remains one of the league's best passers and set-up men.

The Laval, Quebec, native may only be 5'8" and weigh 180-pounds, but he sees the ice very well and is determined to help his team score.

Players like Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier had better numbers over the course of their careers as a result of playing on a line with St. Louis.

Hockey analyst Barry Melrose once said of St. Louis, "If you have a player in a slump, play him with St. Louis and that player will be working and playing better very quickly."

The results have been obvious for St. Louis. He has won a Hart Trophy as league MVP, three Lady Byng Trophies for gentlemanly play and has twice won the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points. He was also a big part of Tampa Bay's Stanley Cup win in 2004.

6. Pavel Datsyuk

Pavel Datsyuk is considered by many to be the best all-around talent in the NHL.

Datsyuk won three straight Selke Trophies as the league's best defensive forward, has won four consecutive Lady Byng Trophies and once led the league in plus/minus. The Russian star accomplished all of this while still averaging nearly a point-per-game over the course of his NHL career.

Brian Stubits of CBS Sports described Datsyuk recently as "electric" and "treating fans to some of the best play-making ability in the league.

Detroit general manager Ken Holland called his captain, "one of the best two-way players in the world, if not the best...Pavel is a player who can win you games in a lot of different ways."

Datsyuk's consistency and variety of skills earned him a place on this list.

5. Nicklas Backstrom

Washington's Alex Ovechkin has been among the top goal scorers in the NHL over the past six seasons and one big reason for that is the skills of his center, Nicklas Backstrom.

Backstrom has averaged more than a point-per-game over the course of his NHL career and has 306 assists in 413 career games.

In 2007-08, Backstrom became the first NHL rookie to record four assists in back-to-back games.

His teammates certainly appreciate what Backstrom brings to the table. "He slows everything down, he makes great plays and he makes the players around him better," defenseman Mike Green said.

Marcus Johansson, who has played on a line with the talented Swede, added, "He's probably one of the best passers in the world and in the league. He puts the puck where you need to have it and he does it consistently."

If you need any more evidence about Backstrom's importance, remember that Ovechkin slumped badly during the second half of the 2011-12 season when Backstrom was out of the lineup due to injury.

4. Henrik Sedin

The Sedin twins have a unique chemistry that may be part biological and partly due to the fact that they've played together for so long.

Whatever the cause, Daniel is the goal scorer and Henrik is the creative play maker.

Greg Beacham of the Associated Press said the Sedins have "draw-dropping offensive creativity."

Henrik led the league in assists for three straight seasons and was the league's leading scorer and MVP in 2009-10.

He was also a part of the Vancouver club that reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2011, only to fall to the Bruins in a tough, seven-game series.

Few players pass the puck as well as Henrik Sedin and that's why he's earned a spot on our list.

3. Evgeni Malkin

Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins is a player opponents always have to be wary of when he gets control of the puck.

Malkin is capable of beating the other team in so many ways. He's creative, strong, quick and sees the ice extremely well.

Michael Faber of Sports Illustrated once said of the Russian star, "Malkin doesn't hog the puck, but he is so poised with it that he compels defensemen and goalies to overplay him, creating shooing lanes for [his] wingers."

If defenseman back off Malkin and try to cover his wings, he is capable of finding creative ways to get around them and get off a dangerous shot.

Malkin has already won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie, the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer (twice) and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

He is also one of the NHL's most creative players.

2. Alex Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin is capable of making so many highlight-reel plays.

The Russian sniper has already won three Rocket Richard Trophies, one Art Ross Trophy, the Calder Trophy and three Hart Trophies.

Ovechkin can make creative passes and make creative moves with the puck that leave defensemen grasping at air.

Adam Oates, one of hockey's best passers in his playing days and now coach of the Capitals, told Dave Stubbs of The Montreal Gazzette, that "Alex is such a weapon and his physical attributes are so unique, that [opponents] have to worry about him every shift."

With 735 points in 601 career NHL games, Ovechkin gives them plenty to think about.

1. Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby is the most creative player in the NHL when healthy.

Crosby finds way to score and places to pass the puck that few players can think of, let alone execute.

ESPN's Pierre LeBrun spoke about what he saw after watching Crosby play live rather than on TV. "Watch Crosby with or without the puck on this night and you appreciate that the full package has returned: little chip passes from in close, behind-the-back passes, a step on his pursuer, the sense of anticipation--it was all there on display."

Wayne Gretzky, who knows a thing or two about hockey creativity added, "In my mind, I don't think there's any question that Sidney Crosby is the best all-around player in the game. His hockey sense is so strong and so solid, combined with his God-gifted talent of being able to see the ice, seeing the entire picture in front of him."

Crosby's numbers and accomplishments speak for themselves. Right now, he is he most creative player in hockey.