Top 10 players at each position at the mid-way mark

[NoName]

Since we are (roughly) half-way through the season, I thought it would be a good time to see which players are the absolute "cream of the crop" for their positions (centre, wings, defense and goal). NOTE: this is going by their "listed positions" on NHL.com, not necessarily where they play the bulk of their ice-time.

Centre

1) McDavid
2) MacKinnon
3) Crosby
4) Matthews
5) Point
6) Bergeron
7) Scheifele
8) Eichel
9) Tavares
10) Barkov

HM: Draisaitl Monahan, Stamkos, Duchene, Lindholm


Wing

1) Kucherov
2) Rantenen
3) Gaudreau
4) Ovechkin
5) Marner
6) Pastrnak
7) P. Kane
8) Panarin
9) Wheeler
10) Landeskog (+HM)

HM: M. Tkachuck, Huberdeau, Kessel, Stone, Skinner


Defense


1) Burns (+1)
2) Rielly (-1)
3) Giordano
4) Hedman
5) Letang
6) Chabot
7) Josi
8) Byfuglien
9) Carlson
10) E. Karlsson

HM: Yandle, Jones, Barrie, Suter

NOTE: I will totally admit that defense is the toughest here to order, particularly near the top. I think most people here have pretty similar top-5/top-10 lists but what you particularly value (passing, scoring, own-zone play ability to munch minutes) will shape how we order them.


Goaltending

Gibson
Rinne
Andersen
Bishop
Vasilevskiy
Lehner
DeSmith
Halak
Rittich
Fleury

HM: Hutton, Howard, Greiss, Dubnyk

NOTE: This is also a tough one to rank since beyond just sv% you also have to look at what team/blue line they are playing behind as well as their volume of work. I tried to avoid just going by "name brand" here. Work-horses get favor from he here.


Rookies

1) Petterson
2) Dahlin
3) B. Tkachuk
4) Heiskanen
5) White


So what do you guys think? What are your own mid-way of the season top-10 lists? If someone raises a convincing argument, I am totally willing to modify my lists; I admit, I don't regularly watch all 31 teams, so I might have missed something here having just relied on the paper stats for a bunch of these guys. After feedback, I will make any changes in an edit and highlight how those changes affected the overall rankings of all guys in the top-10 (+ or - from original position).

Click to read more...

 

[ottawa]

Howard should be in the top 10 imo...shit team in front of him and still putting up good numbers.

Otherwise good list for the most part...might as well add a top 10 rookies list too for fun.

 

[Backhandbeauty]

Larkin deserved an honorable mention. What he's doing night and night out with nothing surrounding him is Incredible. I hate being that Homer fan but the kid is ruining our tank.

 

[Bronxxx]

Fleury should be top 5. Where would L.V. rank without him. Marner top 5 as well. Toronto would not be in a playoff position without him. Otherwise a really good list for all 3 position. Cheers.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Fleury should be top 3 for Goalies

 

[NoName]

Howard should be in the top 10 imo...**** team in front of him and still putting up good numbers.

Otherwise good list for the most part...might as well add a top 10 rookies list too for fun.

Howard has put up solid numbers with a weak team and that is why I have him as an honorable mention. Can you tell me, which of the top-10 I have listed do you think should come out to open a spot for him and why?

 

[NoName]

Fleury should be top 3 for Goalies

He has played a ton of games (38, which is the most in the NHL) and that really helps his case, but the .912 sv% does hurt him. It would be hard to justify putting him ahead of Gibson, Andersen or Rinne who all have also played 30+ games and have significantly higher save percentages. I could definitely be underrating him a bit at 10th though given just the sheer amount of games he eats.

 

[SI90]

Not bad. I’d definitely have Jones in the top10 Defensman though. Kids a monster

 

[NoName]

Fleury should be top 5.

His volume of work does offset his less than stellar save percentage. I am not sure about top-5 (who out of Gibson, Rinne, Andersen, Bishop and Vasilevskiy would you move out to make room for him?), but I am coming around to thinking I may be underrating him at 10.

Marner top 5 as well. Toronto would not be in a playoff position without him. Otherwise a really good list for all 3 position. Cheers.

First off to be upfront, I am a Leafs fan as well as a Jets fan so I am trying to avoid homerism here as much as I can (was so uncomfortable with putting Rielly at 1, and I can absolutely see the arguments for Giordano or Burns or Hedman), but as much as I love Marner, I just can't put him ahead of Kucherov or Rantenen (who are putting up video-game scoring numbers), Gaudreau who is also on pace for nearly 120 points and Ovechkin who is leading the NHL in goals with 30 (on pace for a whopping 61). If I may ask, who would you move out of those four guys to make room for Marner?

NOTE: I lumped LW and RW together for this because the positions as a whole looked like they had less depth then centre or defense. If this were top-5 RW, then I would have Marner higher right now.

 

[NoName]

Not bad. I’d definitely have Jones in the top10 Defensman though. Kids a monster

Jones was one of my final cuts, so it was hard to leave him out, particularly given he has been solid recently. He has slid under the radar a bit I think because he has missed some games, but he is indeed putting up a solid season when he has played. Who would you say he should replace on the top-10 list, because for him to move in someone else has to move out?

 

[Zack Kelly]

No Tavares for center eh? I respect it

 

[PeterForsberg]

Wouldn’t have expected Skinner to be there but can’t deny it.

 

[NoName]

No Tavares for center eh? I respect it

I have him at 9th. His stats are solid, no doubt and he has adapted well in his new role, but there are a lot of centers putting up great seasons who are ahead of him.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Tavares >>>> Monahan

 

[SI90]

Jones was one of my final cuts, so it was hard to leave him out, particularly given he has been solid recently. He has slid under the radar a bit I think because he has missed some games, but he is indeed putting up a solid season when he has played. Who would you say he should replace on the top-10 list, because for him to move in someone else has to move out?

It’s close but maybe Buff. They have similar amount of points but Jones is pkaying 26min a night. That’s insane.

 

[NoName]

Wouldn’t have expected Skinner to be there but can’t deny it.

Goals do get weighted a bit more heavily then assists, so Skinner makes my cut, by a very narrow margin. Time will tell if he manages to hold on to that position. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the guys on the honorable mentions list passes him before the year is out.

 

[lebdafor norris]

Dubnyk out of the top 10 is too premature considering how he has been, one the the most consistent goalies during the last 4-5 seasons and that despite his recent struggles, he is still putting some pretty decent numbers.

 

[NoName]

Tavares >>>> Monahan

Well, he is 9th whereas Monahan is an honorable mention.

Remember, this is over the first half of the season, not careers. Monahan is putting up some great numbers this season; 52 points in 43 games would easily get a guy into the top-10 in any other season. Tavares gets the edge due to goal-scoring (and his track record suggests that his pace may be more sustainable), but it isn't a gaping chasm between the two right now.

 

[NoName]

Dubnyk out of the top 10 is too premature considering how he has been, one the the most consistent goalies during the last 4-5 seasons and that despite his recent struggles, he is still putting some pretty decent numbers.

This top-10 is for performance this season only. Track record may tell us something about whether a player's current play is sustainable however. Who would you suggest I should move out to make room for him in the top-10?

I am trying to avoid falling into just tossing together this list based on name-brand, but I will admit, the perception of goalie does indeed suffer more of a "what have you done for me lately?" position then any of the skating position though which can make ranking them a bit tough and certainly hurts Dubnyk here.

 

[NiL8r87]

I'd put Pastrnak ahead of Marner by a hair, but pretty good list.

 

[lebdafor norris]

This top-10 is for performance this season only. Track record may tell us something about whether a player's current play is sustainable however. Who would you suggest I should move out to make room for him in the top-1?

I am trying to avoid falling into just tossing together this list based on name-brand, but I will admit, the perception of goalie does indeed suffer more of a "what have you done for me lately?" position then any of the skating position though which can make ranking them a bit tough and certainly hurts Dubnyk here.

If this list is based on performance for this season alone then I would actually agree with Dubnyk's current ranking.

 

[mphmiles]

I'd have Jones over Josi, personally. Better relative corsi/fenwick, similar point production/game, and 2 less blocked shots, more hits, and more takeaways in 8 fewer games.

 

[NoName]

It’s close but maybe Buff. They have similar amount of points but Jones is pkaying 26min a night. That’s insane.

I agree it is close. Buff gets the edge on offense (four more points in two less games) and physicality, but Jones does have an advantage in being able to be a big-minute work-horse on that blue line (3rd among blue-liners). I will take a look at both their advanced stats and then reconsider it.

I'd have Jones over Josi, personally. Better relative corsi/fenwick, similar point production/game, and 2 less blocked shots, more hits, and more takeaways in 8 fewer games.

Not having watched many Predators games, I admit, I do tend to give Josi the benefit of the doubt due to anchoring that elite Nashville blue-line while putting up respectable offensive numbers this season, but I may indeed want to compare his (and other defensemen) advance stats more thoroughly when I have the time.

Full disclosure is that blue-liners are probably the position I feel least confident ranking this season.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Well, he is 9th whereas Monahan is an honorable mention.

Remember, this is over the first half of the season, not careers. Monahan is putting up some great numbers this season; 52 points in 43 games would easily get a guy into the top-10 in any other season. Tavares gets the edge due to goal-scoring (and his track record suggests that his pace may be more sustainable), but it isn't a gaping chasm between the two right now.

There is a gaping chasm between the two, that's my point.

 

[NoName]

There is a gaping chasm between the two, that's my point.

Care to clarify why you believe that? Because just looking at their stats it doesn't seem to be the case.