#NHLTopPlayers: Nos. 40-31

NHL Network is getting ready for this season by ranking the top 50 players in the League. Researchers, producers and on-air personalities compiled the list, and players 40-31 were revealed Sunday in the premiere of the second program in a five-part offseason series. Here is the list:

RELATED: [#NHLTopPlayers: Nos. 50-41]
40. Kyle Connor, LW, Winnipeg Jets
Connor led the Jets with 26 goals last season and was second with 50 points, behind forward Mark Scheifele (63). Since 2017-18, Connor leads the Jets with 129 goals, 18 more than Scheifele. Connor has scored at least 26 goals and at least 11 power-play points in each of his past four NHL seasons. He is one of four players to score at least 26 goals in each of the past four seasons (Brad Marchand, Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews).
"The hardest thing to do in the NHL is to score goals and Kyle Connor has a great gift of it," NHL Network analyst Mike Johnson said. "We talk about his goal scoring. ... You don't score as much as he does without being able to score in every different kind of way. He has all the kinds of shots, whether it's in tight, from distance, wrist shot, backhand, snap shot, dekes, whatever it might be, he can do it all."

39. Mika Zibanejad, C, New York Rangers
After scoring 41 goals in 2019-20, Zibanejad got off to a slow start last season, scoring three goals in his first 27 games before scoring 21 goals and 39 points in his final 29 games. That included scoring three goals and six points in a game twice in a span of five games from March 17-25. Zibanejad led the Rangers in goals (24) and game-winning goals (seven), and his 50 points were second, behind forward Artemi Panarin (58).
"I think what we saw at the beginning of last year was the aberration," Johnson said. "What we saw at the end is something closer to what he is, which is a point per game player, or more, a half a goal per game player, or more. He is really blossoming into one of the best offensive centermen in the League in New York."

38. Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver Canucks
Pettersson scored 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 26 games last season. He was second on the Canucks in goals behind forward Brock Boeser (12) on March 2 but missed the remainder of the season because of a wrist injury. His 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 17 Stanley Cup Playoff games helped the Canucks advance to the Western Conference Second Round in 2020, when they lost in seven games to the Vegas Golden Knights. Pettersson scored 66 points in each of his first two NHL seasons.
"He is so slick with the puck and not many players can beat guys 1-on-1 with stick-handling and undress goaltenders to the degree that Pettersson can," Johnson said. "He's got that unique skill. ... He is not a big, heavy player (6-foot-2, 176 pounds). I was wondering if he was going to be able to score from distance. ... When you average 32 [goals] every 80 games that tells me yes, you can absolutely shoot the puck past goalies. Wrister, snap shot, one-timer, he can score from 35, 40 feet out. When you can open up your offensive zone that much with those kind of opportunities, when you're a threat from that far away, it makes his other skills that much better."

37. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Chicago Blackhawks
Fleury, who was traded to the Blackhawks by the Vegas Golden Knights on July 27, won the Vezina Trophy voted as the best goalie in the NHL last season. The 36-year-old was 26-10-0, third in the NHL in wins and shutouts (six), and among goalies to play at least 20 games he was third in goals-against average (1.98) and save percentage (.928). He and Robin Lehner shared the William M. Jennings Trophy for Vegas allowing the fewest goals during the regular season (122). Fleury is third in NHL history with 492 wins, behind Martin Brodeur (691) and Patrick Roy (551).
"You don't get better at any position in the NHL in your mid-30s, and for Marc-Andre Fleury, he has," Johnson said. "He's a great athlete, keeps himself in great shape. ... I think part of the reason why he's so effective later into his 30s is that he is an athletic goalie who has not lost his athleticism."

36. John Carlson, D, Washington Capitals
One season after leading NHL defensemen in points (75), Carlson was tied for fifth at the position with 44 points (10 goals, 34 assists) in 52 games last season. He led the Capitals in ice time per game (23:47); was second in even-strength points (29), two points behind forward Nicklas Backstrom; and was called for six minor penalties. Since the 2017-18 season, Carlson leads defensemen in assists (204) and points (257) and is tied for third in goals (53), behind Dougie Hamilton (59) and Zach Werenski (54).
"He's just got a great offensive mind," Johnson said. "He understands time and space, where to attack it, where guys want the puck, where the opposition might be vulnerable. You watch him play, he makes so many good decisions, and you combine that with the excellent skill he has with the puck to go along with it."

35. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Minnesota Wild
The winner of the Calder Trophy, voted as NHL rookie of the year, Kaprizov led rookies in goals (27), points (51), power-play goals (eight) and shots on goal (157) in 55 games last season. He was second in even-strength points (38; Jason Robertson, 39) and power-play points (13; Josh Norris, 14) and tied for third in plus/minus rating (plus-10). He led the Wild in goals, points, points per game (0.93) and overtime goals (two), and scored three game-winning goals. Kaprizov averaged 18:18 of ice time per game, had a shooting percentage of 17.2 percent, and had the most goals, assists (24) and points by a rookie in Wild history.
"He didn't just jump in with other high-end players, he was the high-end player and was dynamic," Johnson said. "Well worth the wait to get over to Minnesota and he was fantastic when he finally got there."

34. Dougie Hamilton, D, New Jersey Devils
Hamilton, who signed a seven-year contract with the Devils on July 28, scored 42 points (10 goals, 32 assists) and was plus-20 in 55 games with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. He led NHL defensemen in shots on goal (180), was third on the Hurricanes in ice time per game (22:43), behind Jaccob Slavin (22:59) and Brett Pesce (22:48), and tied for first on Carolina with 18 power-play points (Vincent Trocheck, Sebastian Aho). Hamilton is the only NHL defenseman to score at least 10 goals in each of the past seven seasons.
"To really appreciate the value of Dougie Hamilton you've got to look beyond just the traditional stats of goals and assists and points and plus/minus," Johnson said. "… When he gets on the ice, the ice tilts in his team's favor. They get more shots, they get more chances, they get more goals. That's what you want for all your players, but specifically Dougie Hamilton."

33. Evgeni Malkin, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
Although he was limited to 33 games because of a knee injury, Malkin scored 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists), and his 0.85 points per game were third on the Penguins, behind forwards Sidney Crosby (1.13) and Jake Guentzel (1.02). It was the first time since 2010-11 (37 points in 43 games) that Malkin didn't average at least 1.00 points per game. Prior to last season Malkin scored at least 20 goals in seven straight seasons and at least 70 points in six of them. Malkin is third in Penguins history in points (1,104), behind Mario Lemieux (1,723) and Crosby (1,325).
"In a difficult, injury-plagued season he was basically a point-per-game player," Johnson said. "That is great production. ... He has a chance to get healthy, a full summer of training. ... He's got great competitive spirit. So I would expect him to not love the result from last year, not playing all the games, not getting as many points as he would have liked, and he's going to bounce back and have a great year."

32. Miro Heiskanen, D, Dallas Stars
Heiskanen scored 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) in 55 games last season, and he led the Stars and was ninth in the NHL in average ice time per game (24:58). That came one season after he scored an NHL career-high 35 points (eight goals, 27 assists) in 68 regular-season games and set a Stars/Minnesota North Stars postseason record for points by a defenseman with 26 (six goals, 20 assists) in 27 games to help them advance to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.
"He uses his skating ability both ways, both offensively and defensively," Johnson said. "What makes Miro Heiskanen so interesting to me is that the numbers are great. He plays 25 minutes a night, 27 points last year, that's really, really good. But I think you look at the stuff he does, look at a lot of the underlining numbers he creates, and it is not yet reflected in traditional goals and assists how good he is. … He has a lot more to give and to grow, because the foundational pieces of his game are there, a lot of the process stuff that he does on the ice is there."

31. Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston Bruins
McAvoy led the Bruins in average time on ice per game last season (24:00), a total which has increased in each of the past three seasons. With defenseman
Zdeno Chara
signing with the Capitals, McAvoy was used more on the penalty kill and averaged 2:24 of shorthanded ice time per game, up from 1:49 in 2019-20. McAvoy scored 30 points (five goals, 25 assists) in 51 games, two fewer than his NHL career high of 32 points done twice previously (2019-20, 2017-18). He led the Bruins in blocked shots (80) and was first among Boston defenseman in takeaways (20) and power-play points (eight).
"I don't think he gets enough attention for how good he is," Johnson said. "He is exactly what you want as a coach or as a teammate to be on the ice with because he's going to make good decisions, he's going to play good defense, and the best part of good defense is then he has the skill to transition it to good offense. He might not always pick up points in that regard, but he's always on the ice when good things are happening for Boston."