NHL Rank: Predicting the best players for 2022-23, from 100 to 51
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ESPN staff
The top 100 NHL players for the 2022-23 season are difficult to rank, given the incredible depth of talent at almost every position.
To create our annual ranking of the NHL’s top 100 players, we asked an ESPN panel of more than 50 hockey experts to rate players based on how good they will be in the 2022-23 season compared to their peers.
The Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche were tied for the most players in the top 100 with six, along with the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vancouver Canucks. Only three teams failed to place a player in the top 100 — and the Arizona Coyotes are not one of the three.
Emphasis was placed solely on expectations for the upcoming season and predicting potential greatness, rather than past performance, career résumé or positional value. Hence, long-term injuries to players, such as the season-ending surgery for Robin Lehner of the Vegas Golden Knights, were taken into consideration.
There may be no greater indication of the NHL’s depth than the fact that the center position — the source of the league’s star power for decades — accounted for only seven spots in the top 20. Centers do encompass four slots in the top seven players, however.
Today we reveal Nos. 51 through 100 on the list. Tune in to “The Point” on Tuesday night for a reveal of the top players, which will be available online Wednesday morning.
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 31
Eight straight seasons of more than 20 goals is what makes Kane one of the league’s more consistent wingers. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 56
Age: 24
Chychrun is a high-end talent with great defensive details and offensive upside — when he’s healthy. Injuries have defined the blueliner’s past 12 months but shouldn’t distract from what he can offer at full strength. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 28
San Jose believes the dynamic Hertl will be their top-line center of the present — and future. He’s a skilled scorer, deft playmaker and can elevate teammates, all of which the Sharks need to see more of amid a slow start to this season. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 95
Age: 28
Chicago went all-in on signing the talented Jones last offseason because of his potential to perform in all three phases. Jones is a strong passer, executes clean breakouts, and he throws his frame along the boards, all elements of a solidly well-rounded skater. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 97
Age: 27
The Canucks’ captain is a versatile cog in the system, excellent on draws and handles a matchup role well. Horvat just had a career-best 31-goal season, and he will be channeling that offensive energy into this contract year. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 35
Age: 32
Pietrangelo hit the 80-game mark for the first time in four seasons and gave a sense of stability at a time of questions for the Golden Knights. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 89
Age: 25
Chabot has a relentless motor, and he brings everything you’d want to the Senators’ blue-line group. Ottawa’s anchor regularly logs massive minutes while excelling in every on-ice scenario, proving that where Chabot goes, so go the Sens. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 35
The diminutive Norwegian was 13th among all right wings with a 0.85 points per game average over the past two seasons. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 36
Age: 35
Letang had a career-best 68 points while averaging nearly 26 minutes en route finishing in the top 10 in Norris voting for the third time in four seasons. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 37
Age: 35
Several items led to the Kings’ resurgence, and Kopitar was among them by leading the team in scoring while playing in every situation. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 69
Age: 34
Giroux may no longer be the point-per-game player he was in his prime, but the 34-year-old remains a steady playmaking presence. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 57
Age: 26
Nylander has matured into more than just a scoring threat. He’s willing to battle for pucks, create takeaways and breaks out quickly. He also has the wheels to wield a strong transition game. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 23
His regular-season efforts showed he can serve in a tandem, but the playoffs showed Oettinger has everything needed to be a No. 1 goaltender. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 24
Buffalo’s big center had a big breakout year that’s turned him into an emerging face of the franchise. Thompson’s got elite scoring ability, a killer shot and, as the Sabres discovered last season, the versatility to play important minutes down the middle. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 26
The Swedish sniper broke through in last season’s 35-goal turn. Kempe’s upping the ante already this year — three goals in three games — thanks to great chemistry with Anze Kopitar. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 20
Stutzle is already a power-play force for the Senators (26 of his 58 points last season). With Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat added to the Ottawa forward group, his even strength output should increase. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 94
Age: 28
His puck-moving ability made a difference in Florida, and it is why Calgary looks like it has another weapon on its blue line. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 27
Tristan Jarry silenced critics of his disastrous 2021 postseason by establishing himself as a consistent, effective starter for the Penguins last season. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 27
When Sorokin starts, the Islanders know what kind of effort they’re getting. He had a quality starts percentage of .713 over his first two NHL seasons. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 31
The Blueshirts got a Broadway-esque star turn from Kreider in his 52-goal effort a season ago. Surprising? Maybe, but the veteran forward has followed it up by averaging a point per game early in the 2022-23 season. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 52
Age: 32
Tavares’ game has evolved beyond just goal scoring. The Leafs’ captain is a proven playmaker who hit a decade-high in assists (49) last season that complemented his more finely tuned, 200-foot performances. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 73
Age: 28
The longtime backbone of Toronto’s defense does it all while leading by example. Rielly’s an elite skater and puck mover used in every situation, where he’s capable of generating offense without sacrificing defensive responsibilities. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 51
Age: 26
When Ekblad’s healthy, he’s a defenseman worthy of being in the Norris Trophy conversation, especially given his playmaking abilities (42 assists last season). –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 25
Terry’s 67-point season sets the expectation that he has found his footing within the Ducks’ long-term plans. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 27
Lindholm was an elite — if under-the-radar — two-way center before last season’s explosive 42-goal showing put him on the map. Former linemates Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk might be gone but Lindholm’s defensive savvy and scoring prowess continue to shine. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 68
Age: 24
This season is Sergachev’s time to shine with Ryan McDonagh having been traded to Nashville. He’s the second best offensive defenseman on the Bolts behind Victor Hedman. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 28
Trouba is best known for thunderous hits, but he can chip in offensively at even strength too. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 38
Age: 32
Doughty getting injured last season was a big loss for the Kings given he was on pace to set a career high in points. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 27
Age: 29
For all the talk in Winnipeg, Scheifele can calm those concerns by turning in another 20-goal season with the idea he could also threaten to score 30. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 93
Age: 30
Tarasenko had one of the NHL’s best “remember me?” seasons, reigniting his star with a 3.9 points per 60 minutes average. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 67
Age: 25
Boeser is one of the better pure goal scorers on the Canucks, with 46 goals in 127 games over the past two seasons. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 28
Subtlety is Slavin’s game, yet the impact he has speaks rather loudly for the Hurricanes. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 22
Dahlin relishes playing big minutes on Buffalo’s top unit, where the 22-year-old has matured before the Sabres’ eyes. This season he’s adding more offense from the blue line already, too. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 38
All he did was score a career-high 81 points, play a responsible game and have two-way consistency … in his late 30s. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 78
Age: 26
Ehlers is lethal in transition, making him a must-watch playmaker off the rush. That skill and vision planted Ehlers on Winnipeg’s top line. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 27
He’s a two-way, 25-goal-scoring power forward who is 6-foot-4 and gives the Avs another dimension. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 53
Age: 32
While he never broke through to win the Norris, Carlson has been a consistent defenseman who banks points while running Ovechkin’s power play. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 34
Age: 29
Even with fewer games, Hamilton fell a goal shy of what would have been an eighth-straight season of more than 10 goals during his first year in New Jersey. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 90
Age: 27
Nurse has averaged over 25 minutes of ice time per game the past two seasons, being tasked with playing against top competition. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 43
Age: 29
Landeskog gives the Avalanche another 20-goal scorer who could possibly reach the 30-goal mark if not for injuries (he missed the start of the season with a lower-body injury). –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 21
The video-game moves (and moves that end up in video games) made him instantly famous, but Zegras has the skills to remain an NHL offensive force. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 28
Look at his defensive and offensive metrics and you will see why Toews is so valued in Denver. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 59
Age: 23
Canucks’ bench boss Bruce Boudreau says Hughes passes the puck as well as anyone he has coached. High praise for the 23-year-old, who already is ably anchoring Vancouver’s backend. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 26
Scoring 33 goals and 85 points did more than land Fiala a new contract. It places him under a spotlight as someone who could help make the Kings even more dangerous. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 79
Age: 28
An underrated offensive force. His chemistry with Sidney Crosby is already on display this season following a second 40-goal campaign in 2021-22. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 47
Age: 31
One of the NHL’s top two-way centers. He’s had at least 50 points in nine straight seasons and won over 58% of his faceoffs in seven straight seasons. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 32
Kadri broke through to score 87 points and further raised already high expectations about doing the same now that he is with the Flames. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 29
Miller has become a top center option for the Canucks, who recently signed the big forward to a seven-year extension. His 32 goals and 99 points last season were both personal bests. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 24
Speed and skill drive Kyrou’s impressive offensive game. St. Louis gave him an eight-year extension following last season’s career totals (27 goals, 75 points in 74 games), cementing Kyrou as a face of the franchise. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 33
Age: 37
The 37-year-old Bergeron has remained so consistent, the last time he was not top 3 in Selke voting was more than a decade ago. –Ryan S. Clark
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Dan Murphy, ESPN Staff Writer
The legal efforts to unionize college athletes appear to be running out of steam this month as a new Republican-led administration gets set to take over the federal agency in charge of ruling on employment cases.
A players’ advocacy group who filed charges against the NCAA, Pac-12 and USC that would have potentially opened the door for college players to form a union decided Friday to withdraw its complaint. Their case – which was first filed in February 2022 – was one of two battles against the NCAA taken up by the National Labor Relations Board in recent years. Earlier this week, an administrative law judge closed the other case, which was filed by men’s basketball players at Dartmouth.
The National College Players Association, which filed its complaint on behalf of USC athletes, said the recent changes in state law and NCAA rules that are on track to allow schools to directly pay their players starting this summer caused them to reconsider their complaint.
“[T]he NCPA believes that it is best to provide adequate time for the college sports industry to transition into this new era before football and basketball players employee status is ruled upon,” the organization’s founder Ramogi Huma wrote in the motion to withdraw.
The NCAA and its four power conferences agreed to the terms of a legal settlement this summer that will allow schools to spend up to roughly $20.5 million on direct payments to their athletes starting next academic year. The deal is scheduled to be finalized in April.
College sports leaders, including NCAA President Charlie Baker, have remained steadfast in their belief that athletes should not be considered employees of their schools during a period when college sports have moved closer to a professionalized model.
Some industry stakeholders believe that the richest schools in college sports will need to collectively bargain with athletes to put an end to the current onslaught of legal challenges facing the industry. Currently, any collective bargaining would have to happen with a formal union to provide sufficient legal protection. Some members of Congress say they are discussing the possibility of creating a special status for college sports that would allow collective bargaining without employment. However, Congressional aides familiar with ongoing negotiations told ESPN that influential Republican leaders in Congress are firmly against the idea.
The NLRB’s national board previously declined to make a ruling on whether college athletes should be employees in 2015 when a group of football players at Northwestern attempted to unionize. Jennifer Abruzzo, the agency’s leader during the Biden administration, signaled an interest in taking up the athletes’ fight to unionize early in her tenure. Abruzzo is not expected to remain as the NLRB’s general counsel during Donald Trump’s presidency.
Under Abruzzo, the agency’s regional offices pushed both the Dartmouth and USC cases forward in the past year. Dartmouth players got far enough to vote in favor of forming a union in March 2024, but were still in the appeals process when they decided to end their effort last month.
The only remaining legal fight over employee status in college sports is a federal lawsuit known as Johnson v. NCAA. That case claims the association is violating the Fair Labor Standards Act, which does not guarantee the right to unionize but instead would give athletes some basic employee rights such as minimum wage and overtime pay. That case is currently working its way through the legal process in the Third Circuit federal court.
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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Writer
Louisiana State Police have issued an arrest warrant for former LSU receiver Kyren Lacy, who is accused of causing a fatal crash that killed a 78-year-old man on Dec. 17 and then fleeing the scene without rendering aid or calling authorities.
Louisiana State Police said on Friday that Lacy will be charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run and reckless operation of a vehicle.
Police said they have been in contact with Lacy and his attorney to turn himself in.
According to a news release from state police, Lacy was allegedly driving a 2023 Dodge Charger on Louisiana Highway 20 and “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a designated no-passing zone.”
“As Lacy was illegally passing the other vehicles, the driver of a northbound pickup truck abruptly braked and swerved to the right to avoid a head-on collision with the approaching Dodge,” a Louisiana State Police news release said.
“Traveling behind the pickup was a 2017 Kia Cadenza whose driver swerved left to avoid the oncoming Dodge Charger. As the Kia Cadenza took evasive action to avoid impact with the Dodge, it crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a southbound 2017 Kia Sorento.”
Police alleged that Lacy, 24, drove around the crash scene and fled “without stopping to render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash.”
Herman Hall, 78, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, who was a passenger in the Kia Sorrento, later died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to state police.
The drivers of the Cadenza and Sorento also sustained moderate injuries, according to police.
Lacy played two seasons at Louisiana before transferring to LSU in 2022. This past season, he had 58 catches for 866 yards with nine touchdowns and declared for the NFL draft on Dec. 19, two days after the crash.
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