The Hockey News' Top 80 Players In The NHL: 80-71

In celebration of The Hockey News' 80th year as the pre-eminent publication for the sport, our digital writers and editors have compiled a consensus ranking of the top 80 NHL players in the league entering the 2026-27 regular season.

To keep readers discussing and debating our top-80 list, we're parceling out the rankings, in reverse order, in eight groups of 10 players. You may not agree with our choices, but that's part of the fun that comes with debating and discussing hockey's top league. 

With that out of the way, let’s start the process with players 80-through-71:

The 28-year-old Geekie was a late bloomer, producing only 16 goals over his first two NHL seasons, both of which came with the Seattle Kraken.

But a change of scenery was exactly what Geekie needed, and after one season acclimating to his new environment in Boston, Geekie's goal production exploded, rising to 33 goals in 77 games in 2024-25, then to 39 goals in 81 games last season.

The Bruins need more generational talent, but in Geekie, they've discovered and developed a legitimately elite scoring threat to be part of their core.

The 41-year-old's days as the planet's best scorer are well in the rearview mirror, but Ovechkin posted 32 goals last season – the 20th time in 21 NHL seasons he produced at least 30 goals.

The Capitals are moving into a new era, adding talent including Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou, and that talent infusion could spur Ovechkin to slightly improve his goal total. But he's far past his prime, and at this time next year, he'll likely be outside the top-80.

Stamkos is a clear-cut Hall-of-Famer thanks to his heyday years with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but all those years of long playoff runs took their toll on the 36-year-old. When he only posted 27 goals in his first year with the Predators — 13 fewer goals than his previous season — many people worried about Stamkos' effectiveness as a top-six player.

However, Stamkos bounced back with 42 goals last season for hist most productive seasonssince 2021-22. He's clearly on the back nine of his career, but Stamkos still has something worthy to contribute.

When the Ducks drafted LaCombe 39th overall in 2019, he was not immediately heralded as Anaheim's No. 1 defenseman of the future. But that's exactly what LaCombe has become. His offensive numbers are surging, jumping from 43 points to 58 last season, and he's only 25 years old.

As his fellow young Ducks stars mature beside him, LaCombe's ceiling is only going to rise, and he's already an elite force to reckon with.

The Stars already had a world-class defenseman in Miro Heiskanen when Harley first appeared on the scene in 2021. He needed time to adjust, including a full season in the American League in 2022-23.

But beginning in the 2023-24 campaign, Harley asserted himself as a bona fide NHLer on the rise, generating 47 points in his rookie season. That number rose to 50 points the following year. His production took a dip this past season, but Harley still remains a highly-regarded D-man whose stock will likely skyrocket from here.

There is a lot of wear-and-tear on Hyman, mostly because he's a ferocious battler who can easily finish scoring plays around the net. But Hyman is a key contributor for the Oilers, even if he may never reach the same heights of his 54-goal campaign back in 2023-24.

If he's in the lineup — and as he ages, that's a bigger and bigger 'if' — Hyman can still do damage. At 34, it will be interesting to see how much quality time he has left.

Since he made his NHL debut in 2018, Batherson has slowly increased his effectiveness every season. He produced nine points in his first 20 NHL games with the Senators, and his offense jumped from 44 points in 2021-22, to 68 points in 2024-25, to 71 points last year.

The 28-year-old has blossomed into one of Ottawa's key offensive players, and there's still a sense that Batherson has more to give.

He's starting the 2026-27 season sidelined by injury, but Gustavsson is a valued puzzle piece for the Wild. The netminder's  numbers in recent years — including a .914 save percentage two seasons ago, and the same .914 SP in the 2025 playoffs — are well above-average.

Gustavsson benefits from Minnesota's savvy defensive players, but give him credit; he's one of the best at the game's most important position. 

It isn't just Wilson's fearless play that makes him so effective for the Capitals. He's matured into a legitimate scoring force, putting up a combined 63 goals and 127 points in the past two seasons.

The 32-year-old has a Cup-winner's pedigree, and his multi-dimensional game is a key component of Washington's game plan. The physicality may eventually catch up to him, but in the moment, right now, Wilson does a very hard job very well. 

It's hard to believe that Chychrun is on his third NHL team, but sometimes, top defensemen need more time to round out their game, and that’s true for the 28-year-old Washington blueliner.

In the past three seasons, Chychrun has produced 148 points, including a 60-point campaign in 2025-26. He put up three goals and five points in 10 playoff games in 2024-25, but he's hungry to be part of a deep-run playoff team, and the retooled Capitals could give him that.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.

See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.