THE NHL’S TOP 50 PLAYERS IN 2026-27: 10-1

There were only two rules. First, each list had to incorporate all skill sets and all positions into one 50-player ranking. Second, these rankings had to be forward-looking — they couldn’t factor in legacy or past performance, only how each player is expected to perform in the coming season.

Our full Top 50 ranking was built from these individual lists submitted by Insiders across the network. For each Insider list, players were assigned points based on how high they finished in that particular ranking — the higher they ranked on a particular Insider’s list, the more points they accrued. Each player’s position on our overall ranking is a result of how many total points they collected across all of our Insiders’ lists.

With that, here is the final installment of Sportsnet’s ranking of the Top 50 players in the NHL, concluding with Nos. 10-1.

Last Year: No. 21 

After eight steady seasons of progress in Columbus, the past two campaigns have seen Werenski step into his prime, emerging as one of the most prolific, well-rounded blue-liners in the game. The 29-year-old enters 2026-27 fresh off his first Norris Trophy win, after collecting 22 goals and 81 points for Columbus — his second-straight 20-goal, 80-point season, and his second as a Norris finalist, too.

For a spell this summer, it seemed that ascent was going to carry Werenski right out of Ohio, before the veteran rearguard doubled down on the club that drafted him eighth overall back in 2015. There’s no question he remains an essential catalyst for any success the Jackets might find moving forward. And progress will be needed to keep No. 8 in town for the long haul, with a hefty extension sure to come once the final stretch of his current deal expires.

Last Year: No. 9

Eichel finds himself enjoying something of a similar moment. The past two years have seen the veteran centreman take a step forward offensively, putting up the two most productive campaigns of his career — back-to-back 90-point efforts, and his first Selke Trophy votes, too. Then came a march to the Stanley Cup Final that saw Eichel lead the league in assists, and finish second in team post-season scoring.

Over those past two seasons, the 29-year-old has collected the ninth-most points of any NHLer, and is seventh in assists. He’s played a central role in guiding the Golden Knights to the Cup Final twice in the past four years — and led the league in playoff scoring when they lifted the trophy in 2023. Now set to begin Year 1 of an eight-year, $108-million ($13.5-million AAV) extension, the goal for Eichel and his Knights is simply to continue their current trajectory, and chart another path back to the Final.

Last Year: No. 11

Long one of the most electrifying players to watch on a nightly basis, and one of the game’s premier snipers, Pastrnak has evolved over the past four years into one of the most well-rounded offensive practitioners in the league overall. The 30-year-old is coming off his fourth straight 100-point campaign, and his fourth straight earning Hart votes, too. Over that span, only four players have collected more total points than Pastrnak’s 429, and they’re all former MVPs: Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon and Leon Draisaitl.

But the state of his Bruins has been less consistently rosy over that stretch. The past four seasons have seen Boston fall in the first round, then push to Round 2, then miss the playoffs altogether, before they made it back and got bounced in Round 1 last season. With No. 88 far and away the offensive leader for this iteration of the B’s, much pressure rests on his shoulders as Boston looks to make meaningful playoff noise once again.

Last Year: No. 6

Since putting on display the full breadth of his talent in 2023-24 — winning the first Norris of his career, and earning his first Hart votes, courtesy of a dominant 92-point season — the past two years have tested the talented defender. There was the tumult in Vancouver that saw the club’s promising core dismantled, the trade that sent Hughes to Minnesota to begin a new chapter, and the injuries that have disrupted his progress. Still, the 26-year-old amassed 76 points in each of the past two seasons, making clear where he stands among the game’s best defenders.

Now, the perennial Norris contender faces a crucial decision. Heading into the final year of his current deal, with a hefty raise on his $7.9-million AAV sure to come — in line with the new pact inked by the next rearguard on this list — Hughes must decide whether to stick in Minnesota, head East to play with his brothers in New Jersey, or begin anew elsewhere. For the Wild, who gave up a weighty package to bring Hughes to Saint Paul, giving the star defender reason to stay will be crucial.

Last Year: No. 4

Then there’s the other half of the best-defenceman-in-the-league debate. Since debuting with the club during the 2019 post-season — when he made history by becoming the first defenceman to score a playoff goal in his NHL debut — Makar has been a revelation for Colorado. In the years since, the Calgary product has topped the 90-point plateau twice, became the ninth defender in history to put up a 30-goal season, and has been a Norris Trophy finalist in each of the past six seasons, winning twice.

He’s already established himself as arguably the top blue-liner in the game, and one of the best the sport has ever seen. And he’s helped bring a Stanley Cup to Colorado, winning the Conn Smythe for his efforts in 2022. The 27-year-old has been rewarded handsomely for those accolades — in August, Makar put pen to paper on the richest deal in NHL history, an eight-year, $163-million extension that carries a record $20.4 million AAV. There’s little left to prove after his past half-decade in Denver — for the Avs, the hope is simply more cracks at the Stanley Cup summit, with No. 8 leading the way.

Last Year: No. 3

It’s difficult to fully encapsulate just how prolific Draisaitl and his fellow superstar teammate have been together over the past decade in Edmonton. Since breaking through with his first 100-point campaign in 2018-19, the German phenom has been a staple in the upper echelon of the Art Ross race. He’s collected six century seasons since then, along with an 84-point effort in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign, and has topped the 50-goal plateau four times, too. All told, over the past eight years, Draisaitl has amassed an absurd 846 points in 586 games (bested only by No. 97), and 359 goals (bested by nobody).

But the 2025-26 campaign was one to forget for both Draisaitl and his Oilers. While the 30-year-old still managed to amass 35 goals and 97 points despite being limited to 65 games due to injury, his Oilers took a step backward after two straight runs to the Cup Final, an uneven regular season giving way to a first-round exit at the hands of the younger Anaheim Ducks. Just one season into an eight-year, $112-million extension that ranks Draisaitl among the highest-paid players in the game, the Oilers faithful will be looking to him and the rest of the club’s veteran core to lead them back to the promised land in 2026-27.

Last Year: No. 43

No player on this list enjoyed as meteoric a leap up our Insiders’ rankings, and arguably no player in the league enjoyed a more electrifying 2025-26 than young Celebrini. The 20-year-old was the talk of the campaign, taking the league by storm and firmly planting his flag as one of the most prolific talents in the game. After a steady rookie debut in which the Canadian pivot collect 63 points and finished third in Calder Trophy voting, Celebrini kicked down the door in Year 2, amassing 45 goals and 115 points. The 2024 first-overall pick wound up finishing fourth in the races for both the Rocket Richard and Art Ross, and played a central role for Team Canada at the Olympic Games, too.

Now, we’ll see if he can do it all again. There will be no element of surprise when No. 71’s skates hit the ice in 2026-27, the league now well aware of just how difficult it is to contain the energetic Sharks leader. But all evidence suggests Celebrini has the drive and the talent to keep building on that sterling season — an elite young core around him in San Jose will no doubt help, as will the security of a monster five-year, $94-million ($18.8 million AAV) extension. The promise and potential have been made clear as crystal in San Jose — now it’s time for Celebrini and his Sharks to take another step, and shake up the playoff race out West.

Last Year: No. 5

There may be no more underrated undisputed future Hall of Famer in the game than Kucherov. The Bolts’ veteran leader is widely respected as one of the most prolific talents in the league, no doubt, but there’s still a sense that the hockey world doesn’t fully appreciate just how dominant he’s been since he ascended to the league’s elite. In the years since his first 100-point season back in 2017-18, the winger has reached the century mark six times, topping 120 points in four of those campaigns. He heads into 2026-27 fresh off yet another dominant display — a 44-goal, 130-point season that earned him the second Hart Trophy of his career, to go along with his three scoring titles. He remains at the peak of his offensive powers, even at age 33.

The past three seasons have been particularly dominant from the Russian phenom. Over that span, it’s Kucherov — not any of the others in this top 10 — who has reigned as the league’s top scorer, putting up 395 points over his past 235 games. The top three names on this list are no doubt in a class all their own when it comes to volume production, and Kucherov’s style differs immensely from his contemporaries. He’s all grace and finesse, more cerebral than imposing. And while it’s been a few years since his Bolts were making noise in the deep rounds of the playoffs, the club remains capable of greatness as long as Kucherov is at the helm.

Last Year: No. 2 

He may not be the consensus best player in the game, nor its highest scorer, nor its most proven winner, but there’s no denying there is something singular and downright unstoppable about MacKinnon. It’s in the numbers and the trophies, sure, but more than that, it’s simply in the way he plays the game with an untamable quality. After finding his footing as an elite power in the league nearly a decade ago, the Avalanche talisman has been on a tear, particularly over the past four seasons, during which time he’s collected four 100-point campaigns, along with two 50-goal efforts — a stretch that earned him a Hart Trophy and, last year, his first Rocket Richard.

At 31 years old, the Nova Scotia phenom appears to only be getting better — more refined in the way he attacks the opposing cage, yet still just as powerfully reckless. He’s hung one banner at Denver’s Ball Arena already, leading the league in goals as the Avs claimed that 2022 Cup, and his squad remains firmly in the thick of the contender chatter heading into 2026-27. Already one of the game’s greats, and one of the most electrifying talents in the NHL, all that’s left is to add to his legacy with more championship rings in Denver.

Last Year: No. 1

The Oilers captain took the top spot on nearly every Insider’s list, as has been the case for the past two years. After a decade as the supreme offensive force in the game, there’s little more to be said of McDavid’s greatness. There are simply no superlatives that haven’t already been rolled out time and time again. Over that time, No. 97 has won six scoring titles, three MVPs as voted on by the media, five more as voted on by his peers, along with a Rocket Richard and a Conn Smythe he won for a post-season run that was so dominant, he was given the trophy even though he lost the Stanley Cup. There is no question at this point — when it comes to pure offence, pure unfiltered scoring ability, there is no greater talent in the league, and few greater who have ever lived.

And yet, we’re getting to a key chapter of McDavid’s career, a key facet of the question of what his legacy will truly look like. Two chances at Stanley Cup glory have slipped through his grasp, as has one shot at Olympic gold. There’s little doubt the 2015 No. 1 pick yearns to be at the level of his idols, who claimed not only a bevy of personal accolades, but the collective ones, too. Heading into Year 1 of a two-year, $25-million extension that figures to be pivotal in determining the fate of the Oilers franchise, McDavid will begin a new hunt for the one trophy that’s eluded him. The longer it remains out of his reach, the louder the questions of whether he seeks a new city, a new supporting cast, and a new crest on his sweater.

The NHL’s Top 50 Players, 2026-27:

1. Connor McDavid, C, EDM
2. Nathan MacKinnon, C, COL
3. Nikita Kucherov, RW, TBL
4. Macklin Celebrini, C, SJS
5. Leon Draisaitl, C, EDM
6. Cale Makar, D, COL
7. Quinn Hughes, D, MIN
8. David Pastrnak, RW, BOS
9. Jack Eichel, C, VGK
10. Zach Werenski, D, CBJ

11. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, MIN
12. Aleksander Barkov, C, FLA
13. Sidney Crosby, C, PIT
14. Nick Suzuki, C, MTL
15. Auston Matthews, C, TOR
16. Rasmus Dahlin, D, BUF
17. Mikko Rantanen, RW, DAL
18. Mitch Marner, RW, VGK
19. Matthew Schaefer, D, NYI
20. Matt Boldy, LW, MIN
(Read Nos. 20-11)

21. Jason Robertson, LW, DAL
22. Miro Heiskanen, D, DAL
23. Jack Hughes, C/LW, NJD
24. Connor Bedard, C, CHI
25. William Nylander, RW, TOR
26. Evan Bouchard, D, EDM
27. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, TBL
28. Connor Hellebuyck, G, WPG
29. Lane Hutson, D, MTL
30. Martin Necas, RW, COL
(Read Nos. 30-21)

31. Tim Stutzle, C, OTT
32. Cole Caufield, RW, MON
33. Leo Carlsson, C, ANA
34. Jake Sanderson, D, OTT
35. Igor Shesterkin, G, NYR
36. Wyatt Johnston, C, DAL
37. Moritz Seider, D, DET
38. Mark Scheifele, C, WPG
39. Ilya Sorokin, G, NYI
40. Brandon Hagel, LW, TBL
(Read Nos. 40-31)

41. Brayden Point, C, TBL
42. Matthew Tkachuk, RW, FLA
43. Tage Thompson, C, BUF
44. Kyle Connor, LW, WPG
45. Jaccob Slavin, D, CAR
46. Jake Guentzel, LW, TBL
47. Charlie McAvoy, D, BOS
48. Artemi Panarin, LW, LAK
49. Clayton Keller, C, UTA
50. Brady Tkachuk, LW, FLA
(Read Nos. 50-41)