NHL Top Players: Nos. 30-21

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 30-21 were revealed Sunday in the seventh of a nine-part series. Here is the list:

30. Alex Ovechkin, F, Washington Capitals

Ovechkin became the third player to score 800 goals when he completed a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 13, and he passed Gordie Howe for second on the all-time list when he scored his 802nd goal, against the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 23. The 38-year-old left wing scored 42 goals in 73 games last season, and with 822 in his career is 72 away from tying Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894. It was a League-record 13th 40-goal season for Ovechkin, passing Gretzky. Ovechkin also led the Capitals with 75 points; it was the 14th time in his 18 NHL seasons he's led Washington in scoring.

"Last year was an off year. Still (scored) north of 40 (goals)," NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp said. "Now it is getting close. Now he can smell it. ... When you give that guy space, he lets that shot off or uses his body, I think that's what makes him so dangerous."

29. Erik Karlsson, D, Pittsburgh Penguins

Karlsson, who won the Norris Trophy last season for the third time in his career, was traded to the Penguins by the San Jose Sharks in a three-team deal involving the Montreal Canadiens on Aug. 6. He began 2023 by setting a Sharks record 13-game point streak on Jan. 1, one that eventually reached 14 games. Karlsson became the sixth defenseman in NHL history and the first since Brian Leetch (102) in 1991-92 to have a 100-point season by recording 25 goals and 76 assists after playing in all 82 games. The 33-year-old had his first NHL hat trick in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 1, 2022. On Nov. 27, Karlsson had two assists in a 4-3 win against the Canucks to become the first defenseman in Sharks history to get at least 20 points in a calendar month (five goals, 16 assists). His Norris Trophy win came 11 years after his first with the Ottawa Senators in 2011-12, the longest gap in NHL history.

"It's amazing to see him come all the way back," NHL Network analyst Mike Johnson said. "You forget how injuries have sort of slowed his career for the last couple of years before he brought it all the way back. ... He just is out there making plays all the time. When you make as many good ones as he does, they end up having great years, piling up points."

28. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo Sabres

The No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft set NHL career highs in goals (15), assists (58) and points (73) in 78 games last season and finished third in the NHL with an average ice time of 25:47 per game. Dahlin opened 2022-23 by becoming the first defenseman in NHL history to score in each of his first four games. The 23-year-old was the second in Sabres history at the position to reach 70 points in one season after Phil Housley, who did so three times, and was the fourth different Buffalo defenseman to score at least 15 goals in one season.

"He is an absolute stud right now," Rupp said. "... He had over 100 hits this year (105), [132] blocked shots... he's doing a little bit of everything. ... The more confident you feel, the better you are going to play and I think we're starting to see that with him."

27. Tage Thompson, C, Buffalo Sabres

Thompson showed his breakout season in 2021-22 (38 goals and 68 points in 78 games) was no fluke with 47 goals, 47 assists and 94 points -- each an NHL career high -- in 78 games last season. He also had career bests in power-play goals (20), power-play points (34), game-winning goals (seven) and ice time per game (18:35). The 25-year-old finished sixth in goals and 15th in points in the NHL last season.

"You put all that together (his skill, strength, hockey IQ), and you package it also with one of the best shots in the League," Johnson said. "... getting to a new team, the right situation with the right players really allowed him to explode the last couple of years."

26. Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver Canucks

Pettersson smashed his NHL career highs with 39 goals, 63 assists and 102 points in 80 games last season, leading the Canucks in goals, points, plus-minus (plus-16), and tying for the NHL lead in short-handed goals (five) and points (nine) with teammate J.T. Miller. Pettersson skated 20:33 per game and tied for third in the League with three overtime goals. The 24-year-old has had at least 27 goals and 66 points in four of his five NHL seasons.

"He's that good, plays in every situation," Johnson said. "Wants to take on tough matchups. Wants to take on Connor McDavid. He wants those kind of challenges. He's wired not just to score points but also to be hyper competitive in all aspects of the game. They have got a really, really good one in Pettersson."

25. Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston Bruins

Though an injury sidelined McAvoy until Nov. 10, he averaged 22:18 of ice time, ranking second on the Bruins, and finished with 52 points (seven goals, 45 assists) and a plus-29 rating in 67 games. His 131 blocked shots led Boston skaters and his 19 power-play points ranked third. The 25-year-old helped Boston win the Presidents' Trophy as the top team during the regular season, and was tops on the Bruins with 25:28 of ice time per game in the playoffs.

"Most of the high-end defenseman, you're playing so many minutes you almost need to pace yourself a little bit. There's no pacing with Charlie McAvoy. He plays the game one way and one way only and thats hard. In your face," Rupp said. "... There's so many more elements to his game (than scoring)."

24. Roman Josi, D, Nashville Predators

Josi missed the final 15 games of last season with an upper-body injury, but still led the Predators in assists (41), points (59) and time on ice per game (25:10). He reached 600 NHL points in his 823rd game with two assists in a 5-4 overtime win at the Ducks on March 12, becoming the second-fastest active defenseman to reach the milestone after Karlsson. Josi's six seasons with at least 40 assists are the most in Predators history and he is their all-time points leader (601). The 33-year-old had 96 points (23 goals, 73 assists) in 80 games in 2021-22 to finish second in voting for the Norris behind Makar.

"The fact that he keeps leading [the Predators] in scoring tells you that [Nashville doesn't have superstar forwards] otherwise they'd be leading the team in scoring," Johnson said. "I think the fact that he knows he has to be so impactful offensively that he foregoes some of the defensive responsibly because he knows it's more important that he brings the team along offensively"

23. Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

Hedman's production dipped to 49 points (nine goals, 40 assists) in 76 games last season from 85 (20 goals, 65 assists) in 82 games the previous year, with his nine goals the lowest total since he scored nine in the 56-game 2020-21 season. However, Hedman was second on the Lightning in average ice time per game (23:43), led their defensemen with three short-handed points and ranked second at the position in even-strength points (32). Hedman won the Norris Trophy in 2017-18 and was a finalist for six straight seasons prior to last season. The 32-year-old won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP in 2020, and is Tampa Bay's all-time leading scorer among defensemen (652).

"He's been so good defensively and offensively, that ... he's been the bar." Rupp said. "Even when Cale Makar burst onto the scene, I was like 'Still give me Vic. Give me Vic because he's got the size (). You can't teach that. ... It's really hard for me to get off the Victor Hedman  wagon because this guy can do everything right."

22. Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers

Barkov continues to be one of the best two-way players in the game. He had 23 goals and 78 points in 68 games in 2022-23, the eighth consecutive season he scored at least 20. He had 30 power-play points, six game-winning goals and won 54.9 percent of his face-offs while averaging 21:13 of ice time per game and leading the Panthers in takeaways (56). The 28-year-old is Florida's all-time leader in goals (243) and points (631) in 664 games, and has finished top five in Selke voting in four of the past six seasons.

"He's a great player. A two-way player, one of those guys, he's put up great numbers," Johnson said. "He's the franchise leading scorer. But it feel like he probably could put up more if he chased that side of the game. When you think about Barkov, we celebrate him first maybe for his defense, his ability to match up against other team's best players before you think about the offense, which he can put up 80-90 point seasons."

21. Ilya Sorokin, G, New York Islanders

Sorokin was 31-22-7 with a 2.34 GAA, .924 save percentage and an NHL-best six shutouts in 62 games (60 starts) last season. He was third in save percentage, sixth in GAA among goalies to play at least 20 games and tied for third in games played. Sorokin made at least 30 saves in 25 games and was 5-0-2 when making at least 40 saves in a game last season. The 28-year-old is 70-46-18 in 136 games since entering the NHL in the 2020-21 season; his .924 save percentage in that span is second to Linus Ullmark of the Bruins (.926) and his 2.34 GAA ranks third (minimum 50 games).

"[The Islanders] don't score a lot of goals, they don't give him a lot of run support," Rupp said. "When I watch this guy play, how he plays, I'm not sure there's anybody better than him in the NHL right now."