Which forward could thrive as a defenseman and vice-versa? Who has the best style? William Nylander, Cale Makar, the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs rivalry, Houston and more got first-place votes in the 2026 NHLPA Player Poll.
The NHLPA released its annual player poll results, once again providing fans with answers to some intriguing questions.
A total of 348 players from all 32 clubs were surveyed during the first half of the season, making their top choices in both on- and off-ice categories for the 2025-26 NHLPA Player Poll.
Topics covered NHL expansion, which players would excel at a different position, who has the best style and social media presence, the best rivalry and much more.
Here are some of the standout results.
Which Forward Could Also Excel As A Defenseman?
Unsurprisingly, the top answer was three-time Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov.
Although the Florida Panthers' 30-year-old captain did not play a single NHL game this season, he remains at the top of players' minds when it comes to the defensive side of the game. Barkov received 18 percent of the votes.
Coming in at second was Mitch Marner with 10.8 percent, Sidney Crosby at third with 3.2 percent, then Anze Kopitar (2.9 percent) and Connor McDavid (2.6 percent).
Which Defenseman Could Also Excel As A Forward?
The runaway favorite was Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, picking up 36.3 percent of the votes.
The 27-year-old two-time Norris Trophy winner had a down season offensively by his standards, but he still notched 20 goals and 79 points in 76 games. Since his first NHL season in 2019-20, no defenseman has more points than Makar's 507 in 470 games played.
Makar's next-closest competitor, Quinn Hughes, received 21 percent of the vote. He put up 76 points in 74 games this season, his third straight campaign of averaging more than a point per game.
Following behind were Erik Karlsson (4.3 percent), who was the NHL's best offensive defenseman before Makar and Hughes emerged, Lane Hutson (3.2 percent) and Zach Werenski (2.9 percent).
Which Goalie Has The Best Puckhandling Skills?
Leading with 22.4 percent of the votes was the St. Louis Blues' Jordan Binnington.
Binnington struggled this season despite performing well at the 2026 Olympics. He finished with a career low .873 save percentage, but players around the NHL still believe in his puckhandling abilities. He recorded two assists this season and has nine in his career.
Coming in behind Binnington were Igor Shesterkin (14 percent), Joey Daccord (12.5 percent), Blues teammate Joel Hofer (4.9 percent) and Jacob Markstrom (4.7 percent).
The questions shifted to the personality section, focusing on nicknames, style and social media.
Who Has The Best Nickname In The League?
There are plenty of great nicknames around the NHL, but one stands out, and that's 'Pasta.'
Boston Bruins sniper David Pastrnak received 13.5 percent of the first-place votes, with Patrick Kane's 'Showtime' in second place, Ryan O'Reilly's 'Factor' in third and Liam O'Brien's 'Spicy Tuna' in fourth. Tied for fifth were Artemi Panarin's 'Bread Man' and William Nylander's 'Willy Styles.'
Most Fashionable Player And Best Job With Their Social Media Presence
Nylander may have finished fifth in nicknames, but the Toronto Maple Leafs right winger dominated the voting for the most fashionable player and the player who does the best job on social media.
Nylander blew away the field with his style, earning 32.9 percent of the votes. The next closest was Pastrnak at 9.7 percent, followed by Auston Matthews at 7.1 percent, Roope Hintz at 3.8 percent and Martin Necas at 3.2 percent.
As the best social media runner in the NHL, Nylander earned 17.4 percent of the votes, with Joey Daccord in second place, Matthews and Max Domi tied for third, Brad Marchand in fourth and McDavid and Jack Hughes tied for fifth.
Who Is The Best Golfer In The NHL?
Golf is many NHL players' favorite pastime in the off-season. NHL players believe Utah Mammoth captain Clayton Keller is the best at it, scoring 15.9 percent of the votes. After Keller were J.T. Miller, Sam Lafferty, Matt Boldy and Gustav Nyqvist.
Who Could Make A Great Coach? Who Has The Most Intense Training Regimen?
One of the NHL's greatest players and leaders, Crosby, was the obvious candidate and the poll winner as a possible great coach once he retires.
Crosby scored 10.3 percent of the votes, with Nick Foligno, David Perron and John Tavares following behind.
Tavares also finished fourth for the player with the most intense training regimen.
But the player who finished far ahead of the pack was Nathan MacKinnon. With 20.7 percent of the votes, NHL players believe what fans have come to learn: MacKinnon takes his craft very seriously.
The questions then shifted towards the organizations.
Best Team Rivalry In The NHL? Best Ice? Best Visitors' Dressing Room?
The longest-serving rivalry in the NHL remained at the top, as the Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens recorded 43.5 percent of the votes. The Bruins and Canadiens got second place with 17.7 percent.
The third-place rivalry will be reignited in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, with the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins getting 9.3 percent of the vote.
The Habs also dominated the question about which arena has the best ice, as the Bell Centre in Montreal scored 46.8 percent of the votes.
The Canadiens weren't anywhere to be seen when it came to the best visiting dressing room. That honor went to the Detroit Red Wings and Little Caesars Arena, with 24.1 percent. But it's no surprise that some of the league's newest-build or newly renovated rinks got most of the love, with the Seattle Kraken's Climate Pledge Arena, Mammoth's Delta Center, New York Islanders' UBS Arena and Washington Capitals' Capital One Arena rounding out the top five.
If The NHL Expands, Where Would You Want It To Go?
Expansion is always a talking point in the NHL, whether you think it should happen again or not.
This year, however, Houston was the runaway winner, notching 34.3 percent of the votes. The Texas metropolis has no income tax and warm winters. The state capital, Austin, also received five percent.
Quebec City still got a fair amount of love, finishing second with 16.9 percent.
Atlanta finished third. The city has already had the NHL's Atlanta Flames and Thrashers in the past, but two groups are looking to bring a team to the Atlanta suburbs.
Scottsdale, Arizona, finished fourth. The Arizona Coyotes are inactive two years after transferring their hockey assets to the Mammoth, and former owner Alex Meruelo relinquished his rights to the franchise. A referendum for an arena and entertainment district in Tempe failed in 2024.
Yay Or Nay: White Jerseys At Home?
Finally, players were asked if they should wear their white jerseys at home; the clear answer was no, as 68.1 percent of the NHL players polled believe the dark jerseys should be worn in front of their home crowd.
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