NHL Player Rankings: A Few New Players Appear in the Top 10. But Who Exactly Falls Where? Well, We're Here to Let You Know With Our Weekly Player Rankings!
Detroit Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg makes the biggest rise while Capitals defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk takes the biggest plunge. A Few more new players also appear in this week's NHL Player Rankings.
Welcome back to our NHL Player Rankings, a compilation of lists showing you who is on top, as well as who is on the bottom in every position. We'll also show you the best player of the week for all three zones of the ice, new players appear, while some still hold their position.
For forwards and defenseman, the main factor will be based on points-per-game averages. This statistic shows us how well a player has scored in the games they have played. When given an advanced look it lets us know how much they could end up scoring on the season and if they would lead the league or not.
Goalies will be decided by save percentage and shutouts. While goalies are obviously going to let in pucks, this stat is fundamental in watching their overall success and potential to where they could be in the league if playing for a better defensive team.
Legend:
LW = Last Week
NR = Not Ranked
**Minimum 50 Games Played** (Forwards/Defense)
**Minimum 40 Games Played** (Goalies)
Jan 12, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (22) reacts during a NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. The Kings defeated the Blues 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Top 10 Centers:
1 (LW/-) – Sidney Crosby (PIT) – 58GP, 34G, 35A, 69PTS, 1.19PPG
2 (LW/-) – Evgeni Malkin (PIT) – 57GP, 29G, 38A, 67PTS, 1.18PPG
3 (LW/-) – Connor McDavid (EDM) – 65GP, 22G, 52A, 74PTS, 1.14PPG
4 (LW/-) – Mark Scheifele (WPG) – 63GP, 27G, 39A, 66PTS, 1.05PPG
5 (LW/-) – Nicklas Backstrom (WSH) – 64GP, 20G, 45A, 65PTS, 1.02PPG
6 (LW/-) – Tyler Seguin (DAL) – 65GP, 22G, 43A, 65PTS, 1.00PPG
7 (LW/-) – Mikael Granlund (MIN) – 63GP, 21G, 38A, 59PTS, 0.94PPG
8 (LW/-) – Jeff Carter (LA) – 65GP, 30G, 26A, 56PTS, 0.86PPG
9 (LW/-) – Auston Matthews (TOR) – 64GP, 31G, 24A, 55PTS, 0.86PPG
10 (LW/-) – Joe Pavelski (SJ) – 64GP, 21G, 34A, 55PTS, 0.86PPG
Top 10 Left Wingers:
1 (LW/-) – Brad Marchand (BOS) – 65GP, 29G, 38A, 67PTS, 1.03PPG
2 (LW/-) – Jamie Benn (DAL) – 61GP, 24G, 38A, 62PTS, 1.02PPG
3 (LW/-) – Artemi Panarin (CHI) – 65GP, 20G, 38A, 58PTS, 0.89PPG
4 (LW/+1) – Max Pacioretty (MTL) – 66GP, 31G, 27A, 58PTS, 0.88PPG
5 (LW/-1) – Alex Ovechkin (WSH) – 64GP, 27G, 28A, 55PTS, 0.86PPG
6 (LW/+3) – Henrik Zetterberg (DET) – 63GP, 14G, 37A, 51PTS, 0.81PPG
7 (LW/+3) – Nikolaj Ehlers (WPG) – 66GP, 21G, 31A, 52PTS, 0.79PPG
8 (LW/-2) – Johnny Gaudreau (CGY) – 56GP, 13G, 31A, 44PTS, 0.79PPG
9 (LW/NR) – Filip Forsberg (NSH) – 65GP, 26G, 24A, 50PTS, 0.77PPG
10 (LW/NR) – Mike Hoffman (OTT) – 56GP, 19G, 24A, 43PTS, 0.77PPG
Top 10 Right Wingers:
1 (LW/+1) – Nikita Kucherov (TB) – 57GP, 28G, 35A, 63PTS, 1.11PPG
2 (LW/-1) – Patrick Kane (CHI) – 65GP, 29G, 41A, 70PTS, 1.08PPG
3 (LW/-) – Patrik Laine (WPG) – 58GP, 32G, 26A, 58PTS, 1.00PPG
4 (LW/+1) – David Pastrnak (BOS) – 58GP, 26G, 28A, 54PTS, 0.93PPG
5 (LW/-1) – Phil Kessel (PIT) – 64GP, 21G, 38A, 59PTS, 0.92PPG
6 (LW/-) – Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) – 64GP, 28G, 28A, 56GP, 0.88PPG
7 (LW/-) – Cam Atkinson (CBJ) – 64GP, 29G, 26A, 55PTS, 0.86PPG
8 (LW/NR) – Blake Wheeler (WPG) – 66GP, 20G, 36A, 56PTS, 0.85PPG
9 (LW/-1) – T.J. Oshie (WSH) – 51GP, 24G, 19A, 43PTS, 0.84PPG
10 (LW/-) – Jakub Voracek (PHI) – 64GP, 17G, 35A, 52PTS, 0.81PPG
Top 10 Defenseman:
1 (LW/-) – Brent Burns (SJ) – 64GP, 27G, 40A, 67PTS, 1.05PPG
2 (LW/+1) – Victor Hedman (TB) – 61GP, 12G, 43A, 55PTS, 0.90PPG
3 (LW/-1) – Erik Karlsson (OTT) – 63GP, 11G, 45A, 56PTS, 0.89PPG
4 (LW/+1) – Justin Schultz (PIT) – 61GP, 11G, 33A, 44PTS, 0.72PPG
5 (LW/+2) – Duncan Keith (CHI) – 65GP, 5G, 40A, 45PTS, 0.69PPG
6 (LW/-) – Roman Josi (NSH) – 56GP, 11G, 27A, 38PTS, 0.68PPG
7 (LW/-3) – Kevin Shattenkirk (WSH) – 64GP, 11G, 32A, 43PTS, 0.67PPG
8 (LW/NR) – Dustin Byfuglien (WPG) – 66GP, 9G, 35A, 44PTS, 0.67PPG
9 (LW/-1) – Torey Krug (BOS) – 65GP, 6G, 36A, 42PTS, 0.65PPG
10 (LW/-) – Dougie Hamilton (CGY) – 65GP, 10G, 31A, 41PTS, 0.63PPG
Top 10 Goalies:
1 (LW/-) – Braden Holtby (WSH) – 49GP, 34W, .931SV%, 1.89GAA, 8SO
2 (LW/-) – Peter Budaj (TB) – 54GP, 27W, .916SV%, 2.16GAA, 7SO
3 (LW/-) – Tuukka Rask (BOS) – 51GP, 30W, .913SV%, 2.26GAA, 6SO
4 (LW/+2) – Devan Dubnyk (MIN) – 50GP, 35W, .933SV%, 2.01GAA, 5SO
5 (LW/-) – John Gibson (ANA) – 48GP, 23W, .922SV%, 2.24GAA, 5SO
6 (LW/-2) – Cam Talbot (EDM) – 58GP, 33W, .919SV%, 2.39GAA, 5SO
7 (LW/+1) – Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ) – 51GP, 34W, .929SV%, 2.09GAA, 5SO
8 (LW/+1) – Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) – 46GP, 22W, .910SV%, 2.76GAA, 4SO
9 (LW/NR) – Carey Price (MTL) – 50GP, 29W, .922SV%, 2.31GAA, 3SO
10 (LW/NR) – Jake Allen (STL) – 47GP, 23W, .907SV%, 2.60GAA, 3SO
We also cover the bottom ten in each position, it's good to know who is also trending downwards for instance if you have that player in a hockey pool, you know now not to keep them around.
**Minimum 40 Games Played** (Forwards/Defense)
**Minimum 20 Games Played** (Goalies)
NHL Trade Rumors: Dallas Stars goalie Antti Niemi (31) and goalie Kari Lehtonen (32) skate in warm-ups prior to the game against the Colorado Avalanche at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Bottom 10 Centers:
1 (LW/-) – John Mitchell (COL) – 56GP, 2G, 2A, 4PTS, 0.07PPG
2 (LW/-) – Vernon Fiddler (NSH) – 52GP, 2G, 2A, 4PTS, 0.08PPG
3 (LW/-) – Derek Grant (BUF) – 46GP, 0G, 4A, 4PTS, 0.09PPG
4 (LW/+1) – Brendan Gaunce (VAN) – 55GP, 0G, 5A, 5PTS, 0.09PPG
5 (LW/-1) – Sergey Kalinin (TOR) – 43GP, 2G, 2A, 4PTS, 0.09PPG
6 (LW/-) – Joe Colborne (COL) – 53GP, 4G, 1A, 5PTS, 0.09PPG
7 (LW/+2) – Michael Chaput (VAN) – 51GP, 3G, 3A, 6PTS, 0.12PPG
8 (LW/NR) – Lance Bouma (CGY) – 46GP, 3G, 3A, 6PTS, 0.13PPG
9 (LW/-1) – Logan Shaw (ANA) – 45GP, 2G, 4A, 6PTS, 0.13PPG
10 (LW/-3) – Jay McClement (CAR) – 60GP, 5G, 3A, 8PTS, 0.13PPG
Bottom 10 Left Wingers:
1 (LW/+1) – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (PHI) – 64GP, 3G, 3A, 6PTS, 0.09PPG
2 (LW/-1) – Brandon Tanev (WPG) – 42GP, 2G, 2A, 4PTS, 0.10PPG
3 (LW/+1) – Matt Martin (TOR) – 64GP, 4G, 3A, 7PTS, 0.11PPG
4 (LW/-1) – Roman Lyubimov (PHI) – 45GP, 4G, 1A, 5PTS, 0.11PPG
5 (LW/-) – Cody McLeod (NSH) – 43GP, 4G, 1A, 5PTS, 0.12PPG
6 (LW/-) – Andreas Martinsen (MTL) – 56GP, 3G, 4A, 7PTS, 0.13PPG
7 (LW/-) – Joakim Nordstrom (CAR) – 62GP, 3G, 5A, 8PTS, 0.13PPG
8 (LW/-) – Lawson Crouse (ARI) – 55GP, 3G, 5A, 8PTS, 0.15PPG
9 (LW/-) – Kyle Clifford (LA) – 58GP, 5G, 5A, 10PTS, 0.17PPG
10 (LW/-) – Benoit Pouliot (EDM) – 51GP, 5G, 5A, 10PTS, 0.20PPG
Bottom 10 Right Wingers:
1 (LW/-) – Jared Boll (ANA) – 41GP, 0G, 2A, 2PTS, 0.05PPG
2 (LW/-) – Chris Neil (OTT) – 52GP, 1G, 2A, 3PTS, 0.06PPG
3 (LW/-) – Chris Thorburn (WPG) – 49GP, 3G, 1A, 4PTS, 0.08PPG
4 (LW/+1) – J.T. Brown (TB) – 51GP, 2G, 3A, 5PTS, 0.10PPG
5 (LW/-1) – Dale Weise (PHI) – 50GP, 2G, 3A, 5PTS, 0.10PPG
6 (LW/-) – Jimmy Hayes (BOS) – 49GP, 2G, 3A, 5PTS, 0.10PPG
7 (LW/-) – Jack Skille (VAN) – 52GP, 4G, 3A, 7PTS, 0.13PPG
8 (LW/+1) – Nikita Soshnikov (TOR) – 49GP, 4G, 3A, 7PTS, 0.14PPG
9 (LW/-1) – Ryan Reaves (STL) – 62GP, 3G, 6A, 9PTS, 0.15PPG
10 (LW/-) – Devante Smith-Pelly (NJ) – 51GP, 4G, 5A, 9PTS, 0.18PPG
Bottom 10 Defenseman:
1 (LW/-) – Mark Borowiecki (OTT) – 55GP, 1G, 1A, 2PTS, 0.04PPG
2 (LW/-) – Josh Gorges (BUF) – 50GP, 0G, 3A, 3PTS, 0.06PPG
3 (LW/-) – Ben Lovejoy (NJ) – 65GP, 1G, 5A, 6PTS, 0.09PPG
4 (LW/NR) – Carl Gunnarsson (STL) – 42GP, 0G, 4A, 4PTS, 0.10PPG
5 (LW/-) – Roman Polak (TOR) – 59GP, 3G, 3A, 6PTS, 0.10PPG
6 (LW/-2) – Luke Schenn (ARI) – 61GP, 0G, 7A, 7PTS, 0.11PPG
7 (LW/-1) – Kris Russell (EDM) – 52GP, 1G, 5A, 6PTS, 0.12PPG
8 (LW/-) – Kevin Gravel (LA) – 42GP, 1G, 4A, 5PTS, 0.12PPG
9 (LW/NR) – Yannick Weber (NSH) – 64GP, 1G, 7A, 8PTS, 0.13PPG
10 (LW/NR) – Danny DeKeyser (DET) – 63GP, 3G, 5A, 8PTS, 0.13PPG
Bottom 10 Goalies:
1 (LW/-) – Michal Neuvirth (PHI) – 24GP, 10W, 2.90GAA, 0SO, .887SV%
2 (LW/-) – Michael Hutchinson (WPG) – 21GP, 4W, 3.21GAA, 1SO, .894SV%
3 (LW/+3) – Antti Niemi (DAL) – 31GP, 11W, 3.22GAA, 0SO, .897SV%
4 (LW/-) – Semyon Varlamov (COL) – 24GP, 6W, 3.38GAA, 1SO, .898SV%
5 (LW/-2) – Louis Domingue (ARI) – 26GP, 7W, 3.20GAA, 0SO, .899SV%
6 (LW/-4) – Petr Mrazek (DET) – 40GP, 15W, 2.97GAA, 1SO, .902SV%
7 (LW/+1) – Kari Lehtonen (DAL) – 44GP, 15W, 2.89GAA, 1SO, .903SV%
8 (LW/NR) – Jaroslav Halak (NYI) – 21GP, 6W, 3.23GAA, 1SO, .904SV%
9 (LW/NR) – Cam Ward (CAR) – 50GP, 21W, 2.65GAA, 2SO, .904SV%
10 (LW/-5) – Brian Elliott (CGY) – 36GP, 18W, 2.65GAA, 0SO, .905SV%
Top Forward of the Week: Nikita Kucherov (TB) – (4GP, 5G, 4A, 9PTS, +1)
When Steven Stamkos went down with injury yet again all of the Bolts brass were worried about their team once again. However, some forgot that they still have Nikita Kucherov who is just as good, if not better. He can score at the same rate and is just as clutch, and with nine points in four games over the last week should be evidence enough if you're second guessing how good he is, cause he does this weekly.
Top Defenseman of the Week: Victor Hedman (TB) – (4GP, 2G, 4A, 6PTS, -1)
Victor Hedman has grown into a top five defenseman in the NHL and so far this season is the second-highest scoring defenseman. The backbone of the Bolts success Hedman will continue to climb the ranks as the top player in the NHL as the years go on.
Top Goalie of the Week: Carey Price (MTL) – (3GP, 3W, 0.66GAA, .974SV%, 1SO)
Carey Price and Capitals goalie Braden Holtby keep trading punches on who the best netminder in the NHL is and even the World. Often going back and forth every week, Carey has come out ahead this week with some amazing statistics. He's been through a slump recently but is now back to top form which is exactly what Montreal needs since the playoffs are right around the corner.
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