The age-old debate when it comes to any sport, any league, any team:who arethe best of the best?With the NHL's preseason on the horizon, let's takes a look at the top 25 players at each position right now: forward, defenseand goalie. This list takes into account both recent NHL performance and what is expected from the playerin the year to come.MORE:|
Kevin Pillar Jersey Here are the top 25 NHL defensemen for the 2019-20season:Honorable mentions: Ryan Ellis (Nashville Predators); Charlie McAvoy(Boston Bruins); Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg Jets); Shayne Gostisbehere(Philadelphia Flyers). 25. Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars Stars fans fell inlove with Heiskanen after just oneseasonand for good reason just take a look at his first-ever NHL shift from last October.Miro Heiskanen's first NHL shift was pretty, pretty, pretttttttty good. (via r/hockey) Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) Heiskanen chargeddown the ice with the puck the second he felt it on his stick and immediately createdscoring chances for Dallas. When the puck cameback into his zone, the then 19-year-oldcalmly puthis body between his man and the puck, shiftedthe puck back to his partnerand createdanother zone entry for the Stars. Reminder:that was his first shift in the league.Heiskanen rode those kinds of shifts to the tune of 33 points in his rookie season, enough to place him directly behind Buffalo's Rasmus Dahlin for fourth inCalder Trophyvoting.NHL farm system rankings: 24. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres Speaking of Dahlin, he scored 44 points on a Sabres team that can't seem tofind its way out of the league's basement. While his time on ice numbers place him as the teams'fourth-best defenseman last season, theSwede consistently showed skill on both ends and a keen ability to play in his own zone wellahead of his years.Rasmus Dahlin tracking his man, causing a turnover and leading the rush the other way. Buffalo Hockey moments (@SabresPlays) In his second NHL season, Dahlin will likely be given more difficult matchups to continue his
Toronto Blue Jays Jersey development. He could fall victim to the sophomore slump, but if his rookie year was any indication, it's only the beginning of the Dahlin era of hockey in Buffalo.23. Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes Call Hamilton a risky pick for No. 23, but among defensemen,only Brent Burns has scored more goals than Hamilton over the last three seasons. The 26-year-oldwas initially pegged as the next-big-thing in Boston, and although he has not quite reached a "dominant" level at the position, he is one of the more effective point producers from the blue line in the NHL.Dougie Hamilton notched his 15th goal of the season last night in DC. Carolina Hurricanes (@CanesNHL) A native of Toronto, Hamiltonjoined his third NHLteam lastseason andcontributed 39 points to the Hurricanes' succe sful year, helping them reach the Eastern Conference finals. More must be seen from himthis season if he is to climb up this list, but for now, the goal-scoring makes him a valuable a set. 22.Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins Letang finished sixth in Norris Trophy voting last season after tying a career-high in goals (16
J.A. Happ Jersey ) and setting a new high in points (56). He did all of this inonly 65 games giving the Penguins' top defenseman one of the best points per game (0.86) marks among all players in his position last year.GOAL! Kris Letang fires home the OT winner for the Penguins. Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) The 32-year-oldregularly puts in the work in all facets of Pittsburgh's game whether offensively or defensively. He faces a challengekeeping the Penguinscompetitive as he and the team's other stars age into their 30s, but it's a safe bet to a sume Letang will continue producing for a few more years to come.MORE:21. Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets Werenski, 22,has excelled at the NHL level since he entered the league with Columbusat age 19. He isyounger than teammate and fellow defenseman Seth Jones by two yearsbutalready has three35-plus point campaigns under his belt.Werenski plays a simple, opportunistic game in the offensive zone many of his goals come when he jumps into the play in his opponent'send and receives the puck in the slot. Once it's on his stick, Werenski is hard to stopbut it's even more difficult to stop him from getting to an optimal shooting spot in the first place
Toronto Blue Jays Hats .NHL free agency: 20. Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia Flyers Another 22-year-old, Provorov has logged more than 20 minutes per game since his very first oneat age 19. By the 2018-19 season,he was playing upto 25 minutes a night, leading all Philadelphiaskaters. He can score with a powerful slapshotand has a physical edge to his game, too.Ivan Provorov DESTROYS Matt Barzal then checks to see if hes alright ... Bar South N Celly (@BarSouthNCelly) Provorov's goal-scoring dipped back to single-digits (7)last season but he plays harder minutes than most defensemen his age are given.His stats may not reflect it on paper, but the 2015 first-round pick is on the cusp of becoming a household name for fans around the league.19. Thomas Chabot, Ottawa Senators Chabot, 22,is another youngsterwho hasquickly developed into a top-notch,point-scoring defenseman a skill the Senators needed after the Erik Karl son era ended. As a rookie in 2017-18,he saw le s than 18 minutes of ice time per game on average and still netted 25 points. In his secondseason, those minutes went up as he a sumed first-pairing duties he played nearly seven more minutes per game on average and the 2015 first-round pick ultimately scored 55 points.Thomas Chabot turns the defensive stop at one end of the ice into a goal at the other. Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) Considering the Senators' top scorers last season were both traded at the deadline, Chabot emerged as the team's scoring leader by the end of the year. Knowing that Ottawa will be hard-pre sed to score goalsthis coming season, Chabot's skill at both ends of the ice will be tested frequently.MORE: 18. Jacob Trouba, New York Rangers Trouba found a new home in New York whenthe Jets traded him to the Rangers in June, . Fans still mi sing what former captain Ryan McDonagh offered the team, will find Trouba a more than suitablereplacement.Jacob Trouba's playing quarterback on Super Bowl weekend. Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) The American defenseman broke out for 50 points for the first time in 2018-19 and has been playing second-pairing minutes or more in Winnipeg since his rookie season. Atjust 25, and the Rangers' rebuild nearing completion, he should grow into a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden.17. PK Subban, New Jersey
Dalton Pompey Jersey Devils It's rare to see such a top-tier player be traded twice in the first 10 years of his career; Subban moves to Ne
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