Players on the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs and more appear among the bottom 10 in The Hockey News' top 100 NHL players ranking.
The best of the best. That's the best way to describe the top 100 NHL players right now.
The Hockey News' top 100 NHLers 2026 print edition was published right before the playoffs. It's not just a list of the top players of the season, though.
From the group of roughly 700 players, we select the top 100. That's the top 14 percent of the league.
This is our 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.
Around 30 other players were considered for the top 100 but ultimately fell short. The fluid nature of this ranking is such that the next version of it will include some of them.
TheHockeyNews.com is rolling out the top 100 list that appeared in the magazine online over the next 10 days. 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: 91 To 100
100. Darren Raddysh, D, Tampa Bay Lightning
Age: 30
Last Year: Not Ranked
It took a long time for Raddysh to land a regular NHL gig, but lessons learned early on taught him to always put in the work. Now, after a boffo season, he's set to cash in.
99. Seth Jones, D, Florida Panthers
Age: 31
Last Year: Not Ranked
98. Erik Karlsson, D, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 35
Last Year: 94
97. Alex Tuch, RW, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 30
Last Year: Not Ranked
Potentially the crown jewel of what will be a rather weak UFA class, Tuch is an offensive player whose two-way game might be a little underrated. Equally effective as both a scorer and playmaker, Tuch is a consistent force all over the ice. His two-way excellence has been a major factor in the Sabres' success.
96. Matthew Knies, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Age: 23
Last Year: Not Ranked
95. Ivan Provorov, D, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 29
Last Year: Not Ranked
Yes, it's been the Zach Werenski show in Columbus, but he's not the only blueliner logging big ice time. Provorov has been playing nearly 25 minutes a night for the Blue Jackets, and those minutes have been very effective. When he's patrolling the pond, Columbus is outscoring opponents by a fair clip at five-a-side.
94. Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, Montreal Canadiens
Age: 22
Last Year: Not Ranked
93. Nick Schmaltz, C, Utah Mammoth
Age: 30
Last Year: Not Ranked
92. Lukas Dostal, G, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 25
Last Year: Not Ranked
91. Pavel Dorofeyev, RW, Vegas Golden Knights
Age: 25
Last Year: Not Ranked
Jaws will drop when Dorofeyev signs his next contract. Over the past two seasons, he has carved out a spot among the NHL's top 20 goal-scorers. He can beat goalies from anywhere without cheating defensively. Vegas doesn't build much through the draft, but this third-round pick from 2019 was a bull's-eye.
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.