Three NHL Stars Who Could Challenge McDavid For The No. 1 Player Honor In 2026-27

Edmonton Oilers superstar center Connor McDavid wasn't out of the No. 1 spot for long.

After being ranked second among The Hockey News' "top 100 NHL players right now" list in 2024-25 behind Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, McDavid was back on top this year. He led the league in scoring and played all 82 games, compared to just 67 last year.

McDavid won the 2025-26 Ted Lindsay Award as the most outstanding player, as voted on by NHL players. It was the fifth time McDavid has won the Ted Lindsay, and it underscores why The Hockey News had him back where likely many believe he belongs.

That said, every season is different, and just because McDavid's individual career accomplishments are arguably more outstanding than any other in the league right now doesn't mean someone else can have a better campaign next year.

Which players could knock McDavid off his perch as the next No. 1 player in the league next season? It's an intriguing question to debate, and there are very few players with that potential. Even still, it's not all that likely that somebody can unseat McDavid.

That being said, here are three players who may have a shot at being the top NHLer next year.

Sometimes, a hard question like who could unseat McDavid has a very straightforward answer. In this case, it's likely to be another veteran star center who has won a Ted Lindsay.

We're referring to MacKinnon, who led the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2021-22 and won the Ted Lindsay Award and Hart Trophy in 2023-24. 

MacKinnon earned a spot as the finalist for this year's Hart Trophy as regular-season MVP, and he was the best player this year on the best regular-season team. So it's not at all out of the realm of possibility that MacKinnon surges once again next season, finishes with more points than McDavid and reclaims the No. 1 spot.

At 30 years old, MacKinnon is in his prime, and he benefits from playing on the deepest team in the league. If he shakes off the disappointment of Colorado's post-season performance and comes back with his best effort yet, nobody should be surprised.

Kucherov won the Ted Lindsay for the first time in 2018-19, then again in the 2024-25 campaign. The 32-year-old had another banner season this year, putting up 44 goals and 86 assists for 130 points.

The Russian superstar proved his worth this season, winning the Hart Trophy with just 10 more voting points than McDavid. The award goes to the player who's the most valuable to their team, but if you think it goes to the player of the year, then that only proves Kucherov has what it takes to be ranked the top NHLer in the future.

Kucherov has the pure skill and vision for the game that separates him from 99.9 percent of the rest of the NHL. He's part of a deep and skilled Bolts team that's going to keep his point totals at or near the very top of the league.

That's not going to change for him next season, and if McDavid and MacKinnon stumble with their point production, Kucherov could surpass them and earn his fourth career Art Ross Trophy as the league's top point-producer.

That type of development could vault Kucherov to the No. 1 spot in THN's top 100 list.

Your first reaction may be the 19-year-old Celebrini is too young to be crowned the best player in the NHL.

But there's a reason why Celebrini was a finalist for this year's Ted Lindsay. He took a massive leap forward in his sophomore season, putting up 45 goals and 115 points, which is nearly double the 63 points Celebrini generated in his rookie campaign.

Not only is Celebrini about to get another year older and another year better, but the players around him on the Sharks are also going to make him better.

So the idea that Celebrini could win the Ted Lindsay before he is old enough to drink alcohol in many NHL markets isn't so far-fetched. Instead, it would be an acknowledgment that Celebrini is a true generational talent who will be a superstar until further notice.

Celebrini is tracking to be a Hart and Ted Lindsay winner multiple times in his NHL career, and there's nothing stopping him from winning his first one next season. And sure, maybe he doesn't get ranked above McDavid in The Hockey News' top 100 players next year, but after climbing to seventh place this year, he has an outside chance.

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