What do a three-time 40-goal scorer, a player who’s tallied 40 goals twice and recently topped 100 points and the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer have in common?
They’re all ranked below the Detroit Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin on the NHL Network’s ranking of the league’s top 50 players.
Larkin checked in at No. 41, which is exactly where the NHL Network ranked him a year ago. He’s coming off his fourth consecutive 30-goal season and tallied 70 points.
NHL Network’s ratings are “based on player performance over the past several seasons, with an emphasis on the 2024-2025 regular season and 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. Future performance was also taken into consideration by NHL Network researchers, producers, analysts and hosts when determining the final ranking.”
Players 41 through 50 were revealed on Sunday.
Larkin ranked ahead of, among others, Jake Guentzel, who’s coming off his third 40-goal season (41 goals, 80 points) in his first season with Tampa Bay, and Jason Robertson of Dallas, who’s notched 40 goals twice and tallied 109 points in 2022-23. He was nine spots ahead of Alex Ovechkin, who last season broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record and is up to 897 after scoring 44 at age 39.
Here is NHL Network’s rankings from Nos. 41-50:
41. Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings
42. Tim Stützle, C, Ottawa Senators
43. Jake Sanderson, D, Ottawa Senators
44. Jake Guentzel, W, Tampa Bay Lightning
45. Jesper Bratt, W, New Jersey Devils
46. Brandon Hagel, W, Tampa Bay Lightning
47. Brady Tkachuk, W, Ottawa Senators
48. Clayton Keller, W, Utah Mammoth
49. Jason Robertson, W, Dallas Stars
50. Alex Ovechkin, W, Washington Capitals
The series continues on Sunday when NHL Network reveals players 31 through 40.
Larkin last month ranked 15th on NHL Network’s ranking of the top centers. Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat did not rank among the network’s top 20 wingers and Moritz Seider was not among its top 20 defensemen.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
