Top 50 NHL Players

[hairnova]

http://www.anguscertified.com/third-annual-top-50-nhl-players/

Thought this was very well done and deserved its own thread.

These rankings are based on trade value – similar to the NBA column Bill Simmons has been doing for a long time.

I suggest clicking the link and reading, but I'll do a quick breakdown with the list of players.

The criteria:
• Contracts matter.
• Age matters.
• Team depth charts are (largely) irrelevant for these rankings.
• Position matters.

_____

Top 50:
1. Sidney Crosby
2. John Tavares
3. Steven Stamkos
4. Jonathan Toews
5. Evgeni Malkin
6. Drew Doughty
7. Anze Kopitar
8. Erik Karlsson
9. Nathan MacKinnon
10. Patrick Kane
11. Alex Ovechkin
12. Jamie Benn
13. Tyler Seguin
14. Taylor Hall
15. Ryan Getzlaf
16. Claude Giroux
17. Shea Weber
18. Alex Pietrangelo
19. Ryan McDonagh
20. P.K. Subban
21. Duncan Keith
22. Oliver Ekman-Larsson
23. Matt Duchene
24. Patrice Bergeron
25. Logan Couture
26. Corey Perry
27. Ryan Johansen
28. Tuukka Rask
29. Carey Price
30. Zach Parise
31. Phil Kessel
32. Evander Kane
33. Gabriel Landeskog
34. Henrik Lundqvist
35. Jonathan Quick
36. Ryan Suter
37. Zdeno Chara
38. Victor Hedman
39. Seth Jones
40. Marc-Edouard Vlasic
41. Semyon Varlamov
42. Nicklas Backstrom
43. Jeff Carter
44. Milan Lucic
45. Pavel Datsyuk
46. Patrick Sharp
47. Jacob Trouba
48. Max Pacioretty
49. Joel Pavelski
50. David Backes

Honourable Mention:
• Eric Staal
• John Carlson
• Keith Yandle
• Jordan Eberle/Ryan Nugent-Hopkins/Nail Yakupov
• Kyle Okposo
• Gustav Nyquist
• Cam Fowler
• Justin Faulk
• Mark Giordano
• Kris Letang
• Henrik Zetterberg
• Martin St. Louis
• Ryan Kesler
• Daniel & Henrik Sedin

 

[TheCountofMonteCristo]

I stopped reading when I saw Karlsson at 8.

 

[Habspatrol]

I stopped reading when I saw Karlsson at 8.

Well like him or not he's really good and his cap hit is $6.5M.... hr belongs up there.

 

[CH1]

Timmins nailed 2007. Got #19, #20 and #48 with his top 3 picks.

 

[habsforever]

I stopped reading when I saw Karlsson at 8.

I took a quick look, saw where the Habs were ranked. Saw # 8 and laughed.

 

[Rolex]

Yeah seriously....with a cap hit of 6.5, his age, and the points he puts up, he belongs there....

Toews is too high at #4....especially factoring-in his salary...

 

[habsforever]

Well like him or not he's really good and his cap hit is $6.5M.... hr belongs up there.

I'd have him more at 15-25.

 

[Habspatrol]

I'd have him more at 15-25.

Did you read what the criteria is or are you just calling him the 15-25th best player?

 

[GGpX]

Contract matters, position matters, and he still has Ovechkin 11th?????? Wha??????

I'd honestly have him in the 30s.

 

[GrandWazoo]

I stopped reading when I saw Karlsson at 8.

Good for you, that way you didn't see McDonagh ahead of Subban.

 

[CH1]

Good for you, that way you didn't see McDonagh ahead of Subban.

The list is not as good as ours.

 

[GrandWazoo]

The list is not as good as ours.

There is some good in it, but there is quite a few positions that I strongly disagree with.

 

[GGpX]

10. Patrick Kane
31. Phil Kessel

#fail

If both had the same contract, I'd take Kessel over Kane. Add the fact that Kane has a $2.5M higher caphit then Kessel? This is a no brainer.

 

[GGpX]

There is some good in it, but there is quite a few positions that I strongly disagree with.

Me too.

I also agree with the list of McDonagh at his current cap hit > Subban at his cap hit.

 

[CH1]

Kessel doesn't get a lot of love from the pundits

 

[GrandWazoo]

10. Patrick Kane
31. Phil Kessel

#fail

If both had the same contract, I'd take Kessel over Kane. Add the fact that Kane has a $2.5M higher caphit then Kessel? This is a no brainer.

I dunno, with the same contract I'd take Kane over Kessel for sure. Nothing against Kessel, I just like Kane a lot.

 

[CH1]

Jamie Benn was a ridiculous draft day steal. Surrounded by first round picks, many of them top 3.

 

[hairnova]

There is some good in it, but there is quite a few positions that I strongly disagree with.

Let's hear 'em!

 

[GGpX]

Kessel doesn't get a lot of love from the pundits

Kane's only scored 30 once, Kessel's done it 5 times (and probably would have done it 6 times if not for a lockout shortened season).

It's laughable.

 

[GGpX]

I dunno, with the same contract I'd take Kane over Kessel for sure. Nothing against Kessel, I just like Kane a lot.

Kane is more dynamic and puts up more assists. Kessel scores more goals more regularly, not to mention plays on one of the worst "top" line centers in the NHL.