NHL Network releases final top-50 list ahead of 2021-22 season

On Sunday, the NHL Network finished it's five-part series where they listed off the top-50 players currently in the league. There are no real shocks or surprises in today's top-ten list, but without further ado, let's take a look.

10. Brad Marchand (2020-21 rank: 12)

"He's one of the best two-way guys in the entire NHL," NHL Network analyst Mike Johnson said. "He's got all of the tools you need to be one of the very best. The fact that he gets to play in every situation, that he's not just being carried by (Patrice) Bergeron and (David) Pastrnak. When you have that kind of skill, you're always a threat."

9. Artemi Panarin (2020-21 rank: 4)

"He makes it go on the wing," Johnson said. "He's just one of the most gifted offense players in the League. He does it with his brain. Obviously he has great skill, his puck skills. But he is not the biggest, not the fastest, not the strongest, can't shoot the best, but he understands how to create."

8. Victor Hedman (2020-21 rank: 9)

"Even at his not very best, he is still elite," Johnson said. "Dealt with an injury (knee) a lot this year and fought through it and still won another Stanley Cup and was very effective even with that injury. He really does a great job of appreciating what he wants; that's the puck. He's as good as there is in the NHL."

7. Andrei Vasilevskiy (2020-21 rank: 17)

"He has separated himself from every other goalie as the cream of the crop," Johnson said. " I don't think he gets enough credit for how good he is asked to be at times for Tampa. He is a big, huge part of the reason why they win, why they are back-to-back champs. And he is, unquestionably, the best goalie in the League which is the most important position in our game."

6. Auston Matthews (2020-21 rank: 10)

"Five-on-five, this guy is doing it at a level we haven't seen," Johnson said. "And it's getting harder to scored he did it last year with a bum wrist for the second half of the year and still ran away with the Rocket. As far as greatness, individual greatness, goal-scoring greatness, he's the best in the world right now."

5. Sidney Crosby (2020-21 rank: 5)

"The fact that he keeps on chugging, evolving, improving, figuring out where it's going, how it's going to be different and how he will be successful in that new game is amazing," Johnson said. "And he's still right there with the very best in the League. You have to tip your hat to him, he's one of the best of all time."

4. Nikita Kucherov (2020-21 rank: 7)

"To step back in after not playing the whole year and dropping a 32-point postseason, it really was amazing," Johnson said. "He really just finds so many different ways to score. Not to mention, he might be a better passer than he is a goal scorer. We saw what he does in the playoffs. He gets better."

3. Leon Draisaitl (2020-21 rank: 3)

"He is able to drive his own line, create his own offense, prove that he is great on his own, even though he is fortunate enough to play with Connor McDavid," Johnson said. "He can do it all in that regard. Just an excellent, excellent player. I think people can appreciate just how great he is and how great he is not just because of Connor McDavid. I think that was maybe the narrative a few years ago, but not so much any more."

2. Nathan MacKinnon (2020-21 rank: 2)

"As great as he is in the regular season, he gets better in the playoffs," Johnson said. "Playoffs more intense, powerful, faster, and more emotional. All the things that he brings at a heightened level and can elevate more and draw from than most players. The fact that his numbers jump, pop, to that extent in the playoffs, I think speaks volumes."

1. Connor McDavid (2020-21 rank: 1)

"He is the most evolved offensive player that the game of hockey has ever seen," Johnson said. "He can skate faster just about than anyone ever has. His hands, and maybe most importantly, his mind, operate at a speed that we have almost never seen. You're not supposed to be able to do what he has done in his career. To be widely recognized as the best player in the world as he already is as young as he is (24), is a testament to his greatness."

The list is FINAL! Presenting the Top 50 Players in the @NHL. #NHLTopPlayers pic.twitter.com/y8c0Ggg4F3— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) September 26, 2021

Source: NHL Network

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