The Montreal Canadiens' Nick Suzuki, Ottawa Senators' Tim Stutzle, Toronto Maple Leafs' William Nylander and more are listed between 41st and 50th on The Hockey News' top 100 NHL players ranking.
The Montreal Canadiens may not have advanced to the Stanley Cup final, but they've answered questions about the present and the future.
With a 101-point season and a second straight point-per-game campaign, any doubts about captain Nick Suzuki being a bona fide No. 1 center have been quashed.
He's one of a few stars in Canadian markets who appear in The Hockey News' top 100 NHL players ranking from 41st to 50th place. Toronto Maple Leafs right winger William Nylander and Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle are the others.
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 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: 41 To 50
50. Tom Wilson, RW, Washington Capitals
Age: 32
Last Year: 77
There are many ways one could describe the Capitals' star power forward, but to the man himself, nothing fits better than simply saying he's "living the dream." Read more
49. Mikhail Sergachev, D, Utah Mammoth
Age: 27
Last Year: 76
48. Nick Suzuki, C, Montreal Canadiens
Age: 26
Last Year: 61
47. Igor Shesterkin, G, New York Rangers
Age: 30
Last Year: 35
Despite the Rangers having a pitiful season, Shesterkin was still the rock-solid netminder he's been throughout his career. Sure, the wins are down, but his save percentage is remarkable, and his goals saved above expected was top five in the league. Get him some support, and the Rangers will be back in the hunt.
46. Evan Bouchard, D, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 26
Last Year: 97
45. Jeremy Swayman, G, Boston Bruins
Age: 27
Last Year: Not Ranked
44. Artemi Panarin, LW, Los Angeles Kings
Age: 34
Last Year: 44
43. Tim Stutzle, C, Ottawa Senators
Age: 24
Last Year: 59
The Senators center began his NHL career playing in empty rinks, but now he's one of the principal figures tasked with helping to grow the league's presence in new markets. Read more
42. William Nylander, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Age: 30
Last Year: 24
41. Jake Guentzel, LW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Age: 31
Last Year: 46
One of the rare players who produces just as prodigiously in the playoffs as he does in the regular season, Guentzel makes up for a lack of size with an elite ability to read the game and a firm grasp of what to do with the puck in scoring areas. That makes him a power forward without the size.
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.