After taking some time and painstakingly making this list, you’ll notice a couple of things. First, that Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel aren’t on this list. I disqualified them out of this discussion since they have yet to play an NHL regular season game, but once they do they will surely be on this last. Second, enjoy this list because it isn’t debatable – this list is perfect.
25. Jaden Schwartz
With a couple of 50-point plus seasons under his belt, Schwartz is about to be due a nice payday. He is lower on this list mostly due to his anonymity around the league, but over time will continue to become a bigger name as older names on the Blues retire.
24. Nikita Kucherov
After scoring 65 points last regular season and 22 points in the post season, Kucherov made his presence known last year. He is on a very similar path to that of Vladimir Tarasenko which bodes well for the Lightning. The question starts to become with all these great young players, who stays and who goes.
23. Alex Galchenyuk
The early returns on Galchenyuk have been underwhelming as he has only averaged around a half point per game output. It is not known when he will get a more prominent role in the lineup. He has been mostly used as a left wing but it is thought that he will be moved to center some time shortly. He will need to have a breakout season shortly to live up to the hype surrounding him or he will find himself even lower on these types of lists.
22. Jacob Trouba
After a somewhat disappointing sophomore campaign where he scored seven fewer points in the same amount of games, Trouba is still the future of the Winnipeg Jets. Some of that may be due to a sky high shooting percentage in his rookie year and Trouba coming back down to earth. He played harder minutes and was on the ice for 50% of PK minutes for the Jets.
21. Seth Jones
At 20 years of age Jones is one of the most promising defensemen in the league. Son of former basketball player Popeye Jones, athleticism oozes from the player every time he steps onto the ice. Jones only has a couple of 20 point seasons under his belt but people believe he is enough of a player that it has inspired a couple of articles stating that Shea Weber may be expendable. High praise for a player still getting his feet under him.
20. Filip Forsberg
After a rookie year that would normally land a player a Calder Trophy, the sky is the limit for Forsberg. He didn’t slow down in the playoffs either as he scored at a rate of a point per game. After the Predators took the league by storm last year, it will be fascinating to follow a team that no one will be overlooking this year. Can Forsberg repeat a similar performance as all eyes remain on him?
19. Sean Monahan
Monahan is anything but boring, that’s for damn sure. After a good rookie campaign where he scored 34 points, he exploded in his second year and scored 62 points. It is no coincidence that the Flames made the playoffs last year behind the strong play of a player like Monahan. He may have had one of the most inconspicuous 30-goal seasons in history last year.
18. Johnny Gaudreau
Gaudreau was impressive in his time with Boston College so when he made the jump to the Flames, it didn’t surprise many when he had an All-Star worthy season. When you are as small as Johnny Hockey, others will whisper about whether or not his game will translate to the pro level. Gaudreau answered the detractors and then some. He joins a deadly Flames core that should be contenders for some time.
17. Dougie Hamilton
Hamilton was involved in an off-ice circus this past summer, but luckily he found a better home in Calgary. After a career-high output last year with 42 points, he believed he earned a big payday with the Bruins but they thought otherwise. Hamilton will be given an opportunity early this year to play with perennial Norris contender Mark Giordano who will do wonders for his overall numbers.
16. Ondrej Palat
When you aren’t a goal scorer, you’ll go through the NHL under the radar. Such isn’t the case when you are Ondrej Palat. Palat has over 80 assists in two seasons for the Lightning which is a large number, but becomes even more impressive when you realize that he is a wing player. The value that the Lightning got for this seventh-round pick is impressive and continues to show that GM Steve Yzerman has done a great job in his tenure with Tampa Bay.
15. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
When you are selected number one in the NHL, the expectations are enormous and often times can crush a player. Nugent-Hopkins is a part of an Oilers squad that has constantly disappointed but he is a player that has done great despite his team. It is actually amazing how consistent he has been even though his team has been underwhelming. He will slide into a more comfortable role as a number two center this year which should allow for him to play weaker competition and improve his point total. Look for a good year from the former Red Deer Rebel.
14. Aaron Ekblad
After winning the Calder Trophy last year, the sky is the limit for Ekblad. No one was expecting the kind of year that they got from him, but everyone came to realize that Ekblad is gifted beyond his years. The Panthers are finally coming into their own and it will put Ekblad front and center – a role he will surely relish.
13. Justin Faulk
As far as offensive defensemen go, Faulk had been seen as an afterthought but he is starting to show that it is his time to shine for the Hurricanes. A total of 49 points last year is a great mark on a below average team. The Hurricanes may not be the best team this year, but they may end up being must-see hockey due to Faulk and a possible new d partner in Noah Hanifin.
12. Gabriel Landeskog
While compiling this list, I had almost forgotten Landeskog solely because he has been around the league for so long. It came as a surprise that he was only 22 years old. At such a young age, Landeskog already has four years in the league scoring 50+ points in three of those years (the only other year was the lockout shortened year). The Avalanche continue to have one of the best young cores in the game and are hoping that with it they can make it back to the playoffs this year.
11. Brandon Saad
The only two-time Stanley Cup champion on the list has a title that many won’t get at any point in their career, let alone when you are 22 years old. While he doesn’t have similar scoring panache as some others on this list, Saad will be playing on a line with Ryan Johansen and Nick Foligno. It will surprise many if he doesn’t break his previous career best of 52 points this year as Saad is eager to prove himself.
10. Ryan O’Reilly
One of the most experienced players on the list, O’Reilly has multiple 50-point seasons under his belt and is now seeing the first change of scenery in his career. Will the move to the Sabres help him? You would have to think so as he is going to either play on the first or second line as Jack Eichel will receive most of the attention this season. That means O’Reilly will get the opportunity to play his game and do so with none of the attention of the other players on his team.
9. Nathan MacKinnon
The dreaded sophomore slump hit MacKinnon hard and it put some doubt in many eyes. Can he bounce back? Will he bounce back? Regression hit a lot of the Avalanche hard but there isn’t any reason to believe he won’t be the player he was in his rookie year. Injuries derailed part of his year and because of those injuries, he wasn’t able to get back on track.
8. Matt Duchene
Considered one of the smoothest skaters in the game, Duchene is a cornerstone of a franchise that slowly but surely has become one of the most promising teams in the league. Despite their possession woes, Duchene has had four 50+ point seasons out of the six he has been in the league. The shifty player will continue t0 dazzle, but it may be up to the coaching staff to determine whether or not the team will succeed.
7. Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Eternally steady on a terrible Coyotes team, it stands to reason that Ekman-Larsson deserves some medal for the time he has played in Arizona. Ekman-Larsson has been a standout since his days in Sweden and hasn’t regressed since then. He has a couple of 40-point seasons under his belt which is good, but is even more impressive when you look at the teams that he was on. This team is going through a long rebuild but the question remains whether or not OEL will be around for the playoff years.
6. Victor Hedman
Hedman has been a legitimate Norris contender for two seasons now and his playoff performance this past year has ensured that Hedman will stay that way for years to come. His size is imposing and his skating is underrated and the one knock against Hedman has been his durability. The issue isn’t anything to fret about but brings up an interesting point about a player whose skill should outweigh the grit he tries to bring to his game. Look for Hedman to be in the Norris conversation this year as the Lightning contend for a Stanley Cup.
5. Taylor Hall
For a period of time, Hall was the strongest player from the 2010 draft, but with a little bit of time passing by he has dropped down a little bit through no fault of his own. Only two seasons removed from an 80-point season, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if this power forward returns back to that form with the help of Connor McDavid. The Oilers may be bitten by some otherworldly force at the moment, but expect more from Hall in the near future.
4. Ryan Johansen
Seen as a late bloomer in his draft year, it doesn’t come as any surprise that Johansen took a little bit longer to develop than his other 2010 counterparts. Coming off of a 71-point season last year on a decimated Blue Jackets team, he will be playing on a line with Brandon Saad (who appeared earlier on this list) and Nick Foligno, which should produce big point totals for all three. His possession woes have been documented but it looks like for now Johansen will buck the trend and continue to shoot at the high percentage he has shown the past two years.
3. Vladimir Tarasenko
Perhaps the most electrifying player on this list, it isn’t hard to see why Tarasenko was awarded a big contract this offseason. Tarasenko was tied for 10th in the league in scoring – a mark that was only bested by two other people on this list. His play brings a whole different element to the Blues which may finally get them over the playoff hump.
2. Tyler Seguin
After being given the bad boy persona by the Boston media, it wasn’t clear whether or not Seguin was going to be able to come out on the other side of that drama. Luckily, Seguin never lost his game and has performed admirably in Dallas. After posting above a point-per-game pace his past two years, Seguin is a bonafide star. Playing with Jamie Benn is doing wonders for his game and should allow for him to blossom into an even better player over the course of the next few years.
1. John Tavares
As Tavares goes, so goes the Islanders. He is an unbelievable talent that leads one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. He has established himself as a top-five player in the league and that is mostly due to his playmaking abilities. As a distributor, he is on par with names like Crosby and Malkin, which are names you don’t take lightly when making comparisons. As a recent Art Ross nominee, it might take a lot to surprise but I have a feeling he will as the Islanders are looking to move into the upper echelon of the league.