Wysh List: What NHL execs think of ESPN's top 100 player rankings

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  Greg WyshynskiOct 8, 2026, 08:00 AM ET

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  Greg Wyshynski is ESPN's senior NHL writer.

"Why do you do this to yourselves?"

That was the first reaction from an NHL general manager as he perused the latest NHL Rank, the top 100 player list that publishes at the start of every season. It was a reaction that signaled some discontent with the ranking -- and he wasn't alone -- as well as a twinge of sympathy for the inevitable backlash that accompanies such an undertaking.

Here's the method to this madness: 15 individuals from the ESPN hockey family, from front-facing talents to ink-drenched scribes to analytics virtuosi, submitted their own ranking of the top 100 NHL players based on how well they're expected to perform in the 2026-27 regular season. Those ballots are combined to come up with a final Top 100.

So, in theory, this is a projection of greatness rather than a coronation for past efforts. Does that explain why Connor Hellebuyck, currently suspended by the Winnipeg Jets after a trade request, could be ranked 22nd if he's not even playing? Well, no, it doesn't, but then there are plenty of other questions for those who debated it this week.

I spoke with several NHL executives about this year's ranking. They had questions of their own.

"Why is Alex Ovechkin ranked here? Like, at all?" one executive asked.

The Washington Capitals' captain was ranked No. 78.

"He barely skates anymore. Ovechkin being on this list is silly. What year is this?"

Oh, c'mon ... let the man retire with dignity!

Another NHL executive believed there was another glaring gaffe in the ranking: New York Islanders phenom Matthew Schaefer at No. 16. Last season's rookie of the year had 59 points in 82 games while skating 24:41 per night. That ice time ranked 14th among all defensemen, and many of those defensemen who skated more finished well behind the 19-year-old in this ranking.

"Not many young defensemen have that kind of impact, that early," they said.

Speaking of Schaefer: "So two of the top six defensemen in the NHL got cut by Hockey Canada? Because Colton Parayko, Travis Sanheim and Drew Doughty are nowhere to be found on this list, and they all played in the Olympics," pondered one NHL executive, in reference to Schaefer and Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers.

(For what it's worth, Doughty made last year's list at No. 54 while the others did not.)

A few other reactions to our player ranking from NHL front office suits:

• Two execs believed that the voters had succumbed to the siren's song of scoring, rather than accounting for the actual sway players have over their team's fortunes. "I think you have some high rankings on players who have more points scored than actual impact," one GM said. Another team exec lamented: "Too many empty-calorie point guys that don't drive winning," while specifically calling out Montreal winger Cole Caufield (25th).

• A few players were cited by multiple NHL executives as being undervalued in this ranking: New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (51), Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone (73) and Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel (55). "Brandon Hagel is a superstar, and people don't realize it. Way too low," one executive said.

• More than one exec noted that our ranking of the 100 best players didn't exactly honor the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes. Center Sebastian Aho (48) was the only Cane to crack the top 50, and he was down from 28th on last year's list. Jaccob Slavin (62), Seth Jarvis (74), Andrei Svechnikov (84) and Nikolaj Ehlers (96) also made the cut. "Where's anyone from the best line from the reigning Cup winners?" one executive asked, referring to the trio of Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake.

I'm not going to deny there are a few shots that missed the net on this list. Schaefer is way too high. So is Martin Necas of the Colorado Avalanche at 24th; he had a career year skating 82% of the time with Nathan MacKinnon -- a luxury not afforded to several wingers ranked behind him. Would I have Brandt Clarke ranked ahead of Shea Theodore? I would not. Would I have had Darren Raddysh on this list at all, let alone at No. 90? I also would not.

On the flippity flop, Leo Carlson (36th) and Stone should be much higher. I would have liked Florida defenseman Seth Jones somewhere on this list -- although perhaps the toxic stink cloud from his time with the Blackhawks still follows him in South Florida despite helping the Panthers to their second Stanley Cup win.

But here's my scorching hot take on this year's NHL Rank on ESPN. Prepare yourself. Maybe get a tall glass of milk to handle the ghost pepper sear of this take.

The NHL Rank list is overall pretty ... good?

Qualms and quibbles aside, the top of the list seems about right. Proper respect was given to emerging talents (Macklin Celebrini at No. 4 and Nick Suzuki at No. 19) and established stars (Sidney Crosby, hanging tough at No. 23). Heck, we even found a way to get Evgeni Malkin in at No. 100, so Pittsburgh fans can finally extinguish the torches they light whenever this ranking dropped without him in it.

During my conversations around the league about the list, I found out I wasn't alone.

"This looks absolutely fine to me. I've got nothing to criticize here," one NHL assistant general manager said.

An NHL veteran player who scanned the list agreed.

"I think everyone is actually where they should be," the player said when shown the top 100. "It's a nice list. No notes."

Based on my texts, my inbox and my mentions, everyone else had more than enough notes to share. Some even without profanity!

Jump ahead:
Winners, losers of the week
Favorite on-ice moment
Must-see games
Puck headlines

WINNERS AND LOSERS

Winner: Alex Ovechkin

Last season, Ovechkin explicitly didn't want a farewell tour because he felt his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's record in 2024-25 overshadowed everything about the Capitals, including his teammates. But after deciding in the summer that this season would be his last in the NHL, Ovi decided to just put the issue to bed early, sparing his teammates from questions about his status for the next 80-plus games.

It also sets up the NHL for a one-of-a-kind farewell tour. Consider other recent transcendent stars. Wayne Gretzky didn't let his fate be known until there were just a few games left in the 1998-99 season. Mario Lemieux played until he couldn't. Jaromir Jagr was an afterthought on the Calgary Flames before spending the next decade in Kladno, Czechia. Ovechkin will visit 31 other teams for the final time, giving fans the chance to react to his last NHL days.

That includes what could be the emotional apex of his season on April 4 in Washington's home finale against Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins. If you don't have tickets and want to attend, prepare to sell a kidney.

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Alex Ovechkin's sons introduce him in final home opener

Loser: Brady Tkachuk

The Florida Panthers didn't have a regulation loss in their first four games (2-0-2). Their losses were on the roster. Aleksander Barkov's lower-body injury thankfully wasn't as bad as feared, but their best player is still on the shelf for about six weeks. Brad Marchand was helped off the ice Tuesday after collisions with the net and the boards in Los Angeles. As of this writing, his status was unknown, but it didn't look good.

Another point of concern through four games: Brady Tkachuk has put out more podcasts (two) than put up points (zero), despite leading the Panthers with 11 shots. Granted, the loss of Barkov in Game 2 affected him -- witness Sam Reinhart also sporting goose eggs on his stat line through four games -- but Tkachuk was acquired to help the Panthers through significant lineup losses like they had last season. Plus, he has had to watch his old friends in Ottawa thriving in his absence.

Tkachuk will be fine. But it's not the start he or the Panthers wanted statistically.

Winner: GQ covers hockey

It's always interesting to see how a writer who doesn't cover hockey processes our silly little sport. Nick Remsen of GQ profiled San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini, and gave NHL fans some artful new descriptions of backhand shots ("[He] pushed the puck into the net with the convex side of his blade, body twisting with near balletic torque...") and routine goal celebrations ("He was so happy after ricocheting a puck into the net's far outer edge that he all but flung himself into the sideboards...").

Loser: GQ makes it weird

Given the "Heated Rivalry" and "Off Campus" phenomenon and the NHL's now shuttered "Hot For Hockey" experiment, it's not out of bounds to ask someone like Macklin about the para-social relationship between fans and players. Where things got weird in the Celebrini profile: Asking about the "fan fiction element" in his fandom. Given the content in some of those stories, that question felt invasive and put him in an awkward spot.

Celebrini understandably punted on the answer, which isn't something for which he should have to answer for anyway. Besides, it's not as if fan fiction involving NHL players started with Macklin Celebrini.

Winner: Dylan Larkin drama

A few sources around the league I spoke with previously didn't believe we'd see Larkin wear a Detroit sweater again, but the now-former Red Wings captain returned to the lineup from injury Tuesday night, his first game since requesting a trade from Detroit. The fans booed him as they booed him on opening night when he was introduced in street clothes; Larkin responded with a goal and an assist to reignite the dormant Detroit offense.

There were some cheers interspersed with the boos when he was announced as the No. 1 star. After the game, Larkin said, "I'm just happy to be a hockey player today and go out and try to help the team win."

Give Larkin this credit: He has spoken to reporters. He has faced the fans. He wore a uniform that he has asked to no longer wear. How this all ends up is anyone's guess, but we're here for the soap opera: "As The Winged Wheel Turns."

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Dylan Larkin gets booed at Wings home opener

Loser: No-trade clauses

The aftermath of Larkin's trade request was put into sharp relief last week when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is monitoring how players are using their no-movement and no-trade clauses. Larkin, then Detroit's captain, asked out with five years left on an eight-year contract, and limited the field of suitors to three teams with his no-trade clause.

Just like how the NHL enacted offside reviews because one player (Matt Duchene) was a country mile offside and the officials missed it, Larkin's trade request appears to have lit the fuse for this potentially contentious labor dispute.

What I can report: Bettman is speaking to players to get feedback on the way trade protection is currently being used and potential changes to the system down the line. It'll be fascinating to hear how they feel about Larkin's gambit.

Favorite on-ice moment

It's always fascinating to see what the league's preeminent agitators use for material. Ottawa forward Nick Cousins pantomiming the letter "C" and pointing to his chest as he taunts Dylan Larkin getting the captaincy stripped from him? Chef's kiss, especially if you want to add the subtext of having reminded Larkin that he's stuck in some kind of trade demand purgatory.

Must-see games coming up

Toronto Maple Leafs at Vegas Golden Knights

Thursday, 10 p.m. ET | ESPN+

The vibes are good for the Leafs. They're 2-2-0. Auston Matthews scored an overtime winner against Nashville in a game that saw No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna finally hit the scoresheet. But starting with this game against old pal Mitch Marner and the Golden Knights, we're going to learn about more about Toronto: The Leafs are at Colorado, at Utah and then get Buffalo at home.

Edmonton Oilers at San Jose Sharks

Saturday, 4 p.m. ET | ESPN+

Celebrini is day-to-day, and one hopes he's available for a showdown against Connor McDavid. But no matter his status: This is a four-point divisional game for the Sharks, and if they're going to be a playoff team then these are the games they need to win.

Colorado Avalanche at Dallas Stars

Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN

The first meeting between the two best regular-season teams in the Central Division last season. Three of their four games in 2025-26 went to a shootout. An early test for both teams.

From your hockey friends at ESPN

• Ryan Clark went to Houston to find out why that city believes it deserves an NHL expansion team more than Austin, Texas, does. Said Mayor John Whitmire on what the city will do to get a team: "We're not going to start selling dope out of an arena or anything. But if it's lawful, we'll pull that trigger."

• Sean Allen looks at hits and blocks in fantasy hockey, and who could be the most valuable players this season to that end.

• Kalan Hooks with a wild story out of New Jersey, as a youth hockey team owner is under fire after threatening to suspend the children on his under-10 hockey team after their parents created their own merchandise.

• Finally, Rachel Kryshak has a deep dive into which NCAA teams have the most high-end talent. How did we end up with so many kids named "Ryker" playing hockey?

Jersey Foul

I appreciate the integration of Larkin's name into this Protest Jersey about his trade request. Much more impressive than just using the "L" and taping the word "LOSER" on the back or just covering the whole thing with the word "TRAITOR," which is what other fans decided to do.

Puck headlines

DATELINE: TEAM USA GROUP CHAT

One of the greatest bits of hockey lore going these days is the power of the U.S. men's Olympic team group chat, which has been credited with having players like Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck demand a trade to the U.S.

Gold medalist Vincent Trocheck of the Utah Mammoth says he believes its power is overstated.

"I think people make it a bigger thing than it is," he told me this week. "Obviously, people want the headlines, but the whole Canada thing or guys wanting out of Canada that are from the U.S., I think it was more situational than it was anything else."

But is there a thriving group chat among the players?

"There's one from Team USA. But not, like, a trade talk one," he said. "It's been dormant for a little bit. It's sad. I might have to fire it back up."

DATELINE: CONNOR HELLEBUYCK

It was a bit surprising when Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff didn't rule out the possibility that Hellebuyck could remain with the team after going public with a trade demand.

But one former teammate of the star goaltender I spoke with actually didn't rule it out.

The thinking here: Hellebuyck will eventually grow frustrated with losing pay after having been suspended by the Jets, as it has been reported he'll lose around $39,000 a day. But more than that, he's still on friendly terms with his teammates -- some of them neighbors -- who theoretically would welcome back the multitime Vezina Trophy winner if he decides to pull a Larkin and suit up again.

DATELINE: UTAH MAMMOTH

One sign the Mammoth are really starting to thrive in Salt Lake City? The lack of enemy fans in the stands. Team president Chris Armstrong told me that when Utah opened its season against the Blackhawks at home, there were very few Chicago fans in the building "in comparison to the inaugural season" in Salt Lake City.

"I feel like maybe that people are switching their allegiance to the Mammoth now," Armstrong said.

If they keep playing the way they're playing to start the season, who wouldn't?

The Wysh List is created by senior writer Greg Wyshynski and appears every Thursday on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.