The Penguins' Sidney Crosby, Jets' Connor Hellebuyck and Bruins' David Pastrnak are listed between 11th and 20th on The Hockey News' top 100 NHL players ranking following the regular season.
Sidney Crosby is 38 years old and still producing at a level most NHLers won't reach.
Despite missing time with an injury after the Olympics, Crosby finished this season with 74 points in 68 games, extending his all-time NHL record to 21 consecutive point-per-game campaigns.
Crosby's early-season heroics helped put the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoff race, and his place after returning from the injury kept them there.
'Sid the Kid' ranks between 11th and 20th place among the top 100 NHL players right now.
The Hockey News' top 100 NHLers 2026 print edition was published right before the playoffs. We're rolling out the list that appeared in the magazine online.
Catch up on the players ranked 21st to 30th, 31st to 40th, 41st to 50th, 51st to 60th, 61st to 70th, 71st to 80th, 81st to 90th and 91st to 100th, and keep reading to learn the criteria for the list.
Check out the entire list now with bios on each and every player by subscribing to The Hockey News. The bios were written by Ryan Kennedy, Ken Campbell, Jared Clinton and Carol Schram.
Top 100 NHL Players: 11 To 20
20. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Dallas Stars
Age: 29
Last Year: 21
19. David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins
Age: 30
Last Year: 15
On a roster that's in transition, Pastrnak is the last link to the Bruins' past when they were a perennial Stanley Cup contender. Though his goal totals have dipped this season, he's highly productive and dynamic, averaging well over a point per game. He sits top five in league scoring since the start of 2022-23.
18. Moritz Seider, D, Detroit Red Wings
Age: 25
Last Year: 45
17. Matthew Tkachuk, LW, Florida Panthers
Age: 28
Last Year: 11
16. Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers
Age: 30
Last Year: 19
It's pretty easy to connect these dots. With Barkov out all season with a knee injury, the Panthers went from back-to-back Stanley Cups to out of the playoff race by the end of February. Coach Paul Maurice, who is admittedly a little biased, opined that a case could be made for Barkov being the best player in the world.
15. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 26
Last Year: 33
Dahlin has emerged as the undisputed alpha dog for the Sabres. He's battled through enormous off-ice setbacks (with his fiancee's health issues) to become a legitimate Norris Trophy contender. And as a bonus, he's become a sneaky-dirty guy, which has also made him something of a target for opponents.
14. Jack Eichel, C, Vegas Golden Knights
Age: 29
Last Year: 17
13. Miro Heiskanen, D, Dallas Stars
Age: 26
Last Year: 16
12. Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 38
Last Year: 12
11. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets
Age: 33
Last Year: 5
Never let it be said again that Hellebuyck can't win the big one. He was heralded as the hero for Team USA at the Olympics. Back in Winnipeg, it was a down year (how could it not be after last year's heroics?), but his .956 SP in Milan was the third-best ever in an Olympic tournament featuring NHL talent (minimum five games).
Criteria
- The greatest emphasis was put on how they're playing this season, with a smaller emphasis placed on how they played the previous year (2024-25). There was also slight consideration for how they played two or three seasons prior to that. We structured it this way because we didn't want any one-year wonders making the list. Moreover, sometimes star players can have a down year.
- We attempted to construct the top 100 to reflect a 20-man lineup, where 12 players are forwards, six are defensemen and two are goalies. So an evenly distributed top 100 should have 60 forwards, 30 D-men and 10 goalies. We aimed to keep that structure consistent within every group of 10 or 20.
- We don't forecast a young player's bright future. If they were excellent this year, they made the list. If they were just very good but showed exceptional promise for the future, they likely didn't make this year's list.
- At the other end of the age spectrum, we're not concerned if a player is nearing the end of his career. If they were a standout this year, they made the list. See Sidney Crosby.
- We don't consider a player's career achievements for a list about the here and now. Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are top 10 players in the history of the game. But they're not top 10 players this season.
- A player's salary was not taken into account, and we made no attempt to include at least one player from each of the NHL's 32 teams.
We count down the very best the NHL has to offer in our 2026 edition of the top 100 players, available to purchase as a single issue or for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News today.
Also in the issue: we examine the effectiveness of unusual training methods, look back at the Americans' win at the Paralympics, explore the Extreme Ice Hockey League and learn more about inline hockey being played outside of the White House.
Plus, you'll find features on Connor McDavid, Macklin Celebrini, Martin Necas, Thomas Harley, Tim Stutzle, Tom Wilson, Travis Konecny, Nick Schmaltz, Darren Raddysh and much more.