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The ability to score thrilling goals, make eye-popping passes, and go to the net with superb skating are the hallmarks of an elite wing. NHL Network producers and analysts chose the top 20 wings in the League right now, and they were revealed Sunday in the second of a nine-part series. Here is the list:
20. Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Stone had 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) but was limited to 37 games last season because of injury, averaging 18:21 of ice time per game. Prior to that, he had scored at least 21 goals in seven straight seasons and had at least 61 points in six of seven seasons. One of the best two-way players in the game, Stone led the NHL in takeaways (58) in 2020-21 for the fifth time in his seven full NHL seasons. The 30-year-old right wing has 165 points (56 goals, 109 assists) in 175 games since being acquired in a trade from the Ottawa Senators in 2019.
19. Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators
Forsberg became the Predators all-time leading goal scorer (220) when he had 84 points (42 goals, 42 assists) in 69 games last season. He had 10 power-play goals and 27 power-play points and led Nashville with eight game-winning goals while averaging 18:06 of ice time per game. The 28-year-old left wing has scored at least 21 goals seven times and has been one of the most dynamic forwards in the NHL the past decade.
“He’s got this filthy wrister that just fools a whole lot of goaltenders across the NHL,” NHL Network analyst Stu Grimson said. “He’s really remarkable in this sense. He’s got this great ability to finish. He’s really sturdy on his feet. I call him one of the most resourceful players in the game today. He thinks of things in the moment, responds to the moment, and is able to execute and do things that just look a little unconventional out there.”
[RELATED: NHL Top Players: Top 20 Centers]
18. Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche captain for the past 10 seasons, Landeskog had 59 points (30 goals, 29 assists) in 51 games to average more than a point per game for the second time in his 11 NHL seasons (also 2018-19). He had a plus-27 rating and 15 power-play points in 20:19 of ice time per game. The 29-year-old left wing has scored at least 20 goals nine times, and had 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games to help Colorado win the Cup.
17. Alex DeBrincat, Ottawa Senators
DeBrincat, who was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks on July 7, had 78 points in 82 games last season, leading Chicago with 41 goals to tie his NHL career high set in 2018-19. He also was second among Chicago forwards in ice time per game (20:51) and played in the NHL All-Star Game. The 24-year-old left wing has scored at least 28 goals in four of his five NHL seasons, and his 160 goals since 2017-18 rank eighth. Of the 160 goals, 52 have come on the power play and 21 were game-winners.
16. Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
The 31-year-old left wing set NHL career highs in goals (52) and points (77) in 81 games, finishing third in the League in goals last season. He led the NHL with 26 power-play goals and tied for the lead with 11 game-winning goals. Kreider topped the Rangers in shots on goal (258) and shooting percentage (20.2, minimum 50 shots), averaging an NHL career-best 18:44 of ice time per game. He has scored at least 20 goals in seven of his eight full NHL seasons.
15. Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
Robertson showed his rookie season was no fluke, leading the Stars in goals (41) and finishing second in points (79) in 74 games last season while averaging 18:07 of ice time. The 23-year-old left wing led them with 13 power-play goals and tied for the NHL lead with 11 game-winners. He was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, voted to the NHL rookie of the year, in 2020-21, when he had 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) in 51 games. In 128 regular-season games, Robertson is averaging almost a point per game, with 125 points (58 goals, 67 assists).
14. Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
Guentzel set his NHL career best in points (84) and tied his best of 40 goals in 76 games last season, leading the Penguins in goals and tying Sidney Crosby in points. He also led them in shots on goal (264) and tied for second in power-play points (22). Guentzel had seven game-winning goals (second) and was first among Pittsburgh forwards, averaging 20:06 of ice time per game. The 27-year-old left wing has scored at least 20 goals in five straight seasons and has 34 goals in 58 playoff games, including leading the playoffs with 13 in 2017 when the Penguins won the Cup.
“He is the most underappreciated player in all of the NHL,” NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp said. “He thinks the game, wits it, he is an elite presence on the ice like Sidney Crosby. This guy can hold his own in carrying offense too, so I love his game. He’s tenacious, he’s not very big (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) but he’s fearless out there.”
13. Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
Since the 2017-18 season, five players have more goals than Connor (176). He set career highs in goals (47), assists (46) and points (93) last season, averaging 21:47 of ice time in 79 games. The 25-year-old left wing had 28 power-play points and tied for seventh in the NHL with three shorthanded goals. Connor won the Lady Byng Trophy last season, awarded for sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability; he was assessed two minor penalties all season.
12. Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
Tkachuk, who was traded from the Calgary Flames on July 22, had an NHL career-high 104 points (42 goals, 62 assists) in 82 games last season and ranked third in the NHL with a plus-57 rating. He averaged 17:54 of ice time per game. The 24-year-old left wing led Calgary with 12 power-play goals and 29 power-play points. Tkachuk’s 62 assists, 104 points, 75 even-strength points and 26 multipoint games each ranked second on Calgary.
“I think he adds a whole lot,” Grimson said. “We’re fond of referring to him as a unicorn and I think he really is that. You rarely see this high skill level fitted with this kind of bite in a single package. … This is a kid that’s been to north of a hundred points over the course of the last season, was a playoff performer as well. But this is a young guy, I don’t know if we’ve seen the ceiling, and I really have high expectations for what he’ll bring to the mix as he transfers over to the Eastern Conference.”
11. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Pastrnak scored 40 goals last season, the second time in three seasons he had at least that many, and the sixth straight season he had at least 20 goals. The 26-year-old right wing was first on the Bruins in power-play goals (15), game-winning goals (nine), and shots on goal (312). He was second on the Bruins in points (77) and averaged 18:36 in ice time per game. Pastrnak’s 215 goals in the NHL since 2016-17 rank fifth.
10. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Kane, who was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017, led the Blackhawks in points for the seventh straight time last season, when he had 92 points (26 goals, 66 assists), and averaged 21:49 of ice time in 78 games. Few players have been more dominant over the past decade as the 33-year-old right wing; he’s scored at least 20 goals 14 times and at least 30 five times. A three-time Cup winner (2010, 2013, 2015), Kane leads the NHL in assists since entering the League in 2007-08 (750), is third in points (1,180) and fourth in goals (430).
9. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
The 34-year-old left wing led the Bruins with 80 points (32 goals, 48 assists) and 97 penalty minutes. He had 25 multipoint games, 27 power-play points, six game-winning goals and a plus-16 rating in 70 games. Of his 19:15 of ice time per game, which led Boston forwards, he played 3:24 on the power play and 1:38 shorthanded, scoring two shorthanded goals. Marchand ranks second in goals since the 2013-14 season with 284, trailing only Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (409).
“This guy doesn’t have to get points,” Rupp said. “He certainly can get points, he puts up some big-time numbers, but he can kill that penalty. He can provide that energy, he could block that shot, he can draw that penalty to get them on the power play. This guy does everything and I’m a huge fan of Brad Marchand. I just think that this is one of those guys again, he influences games like not many can in the NHL.”
8. Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
Panarin led the Rangers with 96 points (22 goals, 74 assists) in 75 games last season, his third with New York. He was second among Rangers forwards in average ice time per game (19:13) and first in power-play points (37). The 30-year-old left wing has 249 points (71 goals, 178 assists) in 186 games with the Rangers, ranking fifth in the NHL over that span. His plus-71 rating in that span is second among forwards behind Patrice Bergeron of the Bruins (plus-76). Panarin has 569 points (187 goals, 382 assists) in 508 regular-season games and has averaged more than a point per game in each of his past five seasons. He ranks third in the NHL in assists (382) since entering the League in 2015-16.
7. Johnny Gaudreau, Columbus Blue Jackets
Gaudreau left Calgary as a free agent, signing a seven-year contract with the Blue Jackets on July 13. The 29-year-old left wing led the Flames and was tied for second in the NHL last season with 115 points (40 goals, 75 assists) in 82 games. He led the League with a plus-64 rating and had nine game-winning goals, averaging 18:34 of ice time per game. Gaudreau has 609 points (210 goals, 399 assists) in 602 NHL games.
“If you give him time, you give him space, and he’s very good at creating it on his own. He’ll eat you up,” Rupp said. “He’ll simply eat you up, and I can’t wait to see what he can do in Columbus with Patrik Laine on the other side.”
6. Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche
The 25-year-old right wing led Colorado in goals (36) and points (92) in 75 games last season and was second among forwards in average time on ice (20:59). He has scored at least 30 goals in three of the past four seasons and is a big reason the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup last season; Rantanen had 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 20 playoff games, second on the team behind defenseman Cale Makar (29). He has 408 points in 408 NHL games (165 goals, 243 assists).
“He facilitates offenses, he’s very good at it, doesn’t quite get the love, but maybe we start getting more recognition because he can still climb on this list, I think, in future years,” Rupp said.
5. Jonathan Huberdeau, Calgary Flames
Huberdeau had an NHL career-high 115 points (30 goals, 85 assists), averaging 19.25 of ice time in 80 games last season, when he led the League in assists and tied Gaudreau for second in scoring. The 29-year-old left wing helped the Panthers win the Presidents’ Trophy last season for the first time in their history as the team with the NHL’s best record. Florida’s all-time leader in points (613) and games played (671), Huberdeau has had at least 20 goals and 61 points in five straight seasons.
4. Mitchell Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
Marner had an impressive season, posting career highs in goals (35) and points (97) and averaging 20:53 of ice time in 72 games for the Maple Leafs. The 25-year-old right wing had three shorthanded goals and five game-winners and had 12 games with at least three points and four games with at least four points. He was one of four players to get at least six points in a game last season. Marner has been a factor since his rookie season in 2016-17 with at least 61 points in each, and he has at least 21 power-play points in five of his six seasons.
3. Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
The 2020-21 Calder Trophy winner, voted to the NHL’s top rookie, Kaprizov took it to another level last season, ranking fifth in the NHL in points (108) and goals (47) and 13th in assists (61). He led Minnesota in virtually every offensive category (goals, assists, points, power-play goals (14), power-play points (31) and shots on goal (289). The 25-year-old left wing had a plus-27 rating and led Minnesota forwards in ice time per game (19:06). Kaprizov had seven goals in six playoff games, including the first postseason hat trick in Wild history last season. He has an NHL career shooting percentage of 16.6, with 74 goals on 446 shots.
“This guy would be my No. 1 winger,” Rupp said. “… The thing about him that separates him from some of these other guys on the list is the way he dogs the puck. If you take the puck away from Kirill, he is all over you. He’ll fight, he’ll do everything he can to get it back. His play away from the puck is light years beyond his age. That’s something that’s going to serve him well, and it already has.”
2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
A two-time Stanley Cup winner (2020, 2021), Kucherov led the playoffs in scoring in each of those seasons, with 34 points in 2020 and 32 in 2021. The 29-year-old right wing was limited to 47 games because of injury last season but had 69 points (25 goals, 44 assists), including 30 on the power play, averaging 19:59 of ice time to lead Lightning forwards. Despite missing an entire season because of injury (2020-21), Kucherov ranks tied for 12th in the NHL in points since the 2017-18 season (382). Kucherov won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2018-19, when he had 128 points (41 goals, 87 assists) in 82 games.
“He brings a lot of emotion and a lot of passion to the game,” Grimson said. “He cares a great deal, and that rubs off on the rest of the group. But just in terms of the skillset and the contribution, I think he’s one of the most cerebral players in the game today. I call him the best half-wall guy in the business. … He really, really is an important piece to what has been one of the most successful franchises in the NHL in the 2000s.”
1. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Ovechkin scored 50 goals last season for the ninth time in NHL history, tying the NHL record also held by Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy. Ovechkin’s 90 points were his most since he had 109 in 2009-10. He was second in the NHL in shots on goal last season (334) and averaged 20:34 of ice time per game. Named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players, Ovechkin is third in goals (780) and 20th in points (1,410) in NHL history. The 36-year-old left wing ranks first in power-play goals (285).
“Two things kind of stand out to me,” Grimson said. “His durability, the way he plays, the brutal pounding he puts on his body year after year after year. That should take a toll. It’s a testament to him as an athlete and the way he looks after himself that he’s been able to be that durable over time. But then, No. 2, and this maybe goes more towards the results that we’ve seen, the heart that ticks inside this guy that drives him to do what he does night after night after night. It’s a combination of those two components that make him great.”
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