It’s that time of year again, the leaves are turning golden yellow in Alberta, the combines are going 24/7 in the fields and players are in NHL Camps getting ready for the season. And, of course, it’s time for TSN’s Top 50 List of NHL Players.
This is the 15th anniversary of the Canadian sports network’s top 50 list, and TSN Hockey will count down the list throughout the week of Sept. 23-26 until the full reveal special on Friday, Sept. 27.
A few key Edmonton Oilers have had their names on the list for the last eight years including Connor McDavid who, as of 2017 has been voted the number-one player seven years in a row. McDavid’s friend and teammate Leon Draisaitl has also been on the list since 2019, ranking as high as second place in the 2023 poll. Last season, Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made the list coming in as the 42nd ranked player in the world.
5 Oilers That Deserve to Be on TSN’s Top 50 List in 2024-25
Evan Bouchard
Evan Bouchard is a stud, and given his performance in 2023-24 including leading all defencemen in scoring in the NHL playoffs, I think he’s a shoo-in for making TSN’s top 50 list for 2024-25.
Zach Hyman
Last season, Zach Hyman finished third in the NHL in goal scoring with 54. He also finished with the most goals in the playoffs out of anybody with 16. Based on his past performance he still continues to trend upwards, and I’m expecting another great season out of the likable forward. That’s why he deserves to be on the list.
Mattias Ekholm
Ok, he’s a bit of a dark horse but don’t forget that the big Swedish defenceman was injured early in the 2023-24 season and still finished third in plus/minus in the NHL. He may be a year older, but he’s also healthy coming into the 2024-25 season, and I don’t expect his play to drop off anytime soon. Ekholm may not be flashy, like so many players in the top 50, but he’s as solid as a rock and should be recognized for the fact that he’s one of the top defencemen in the league.
Leon Draisaitl
It’s not a question of whether the league’s highest-paid player will finish in the top 50, it’s where he will land. With competition from Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and last season’s scoring title winner Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Lightning, it’ll be interesting to see where the TSN panel places Draisaitl. If he gets voted out of the top five this season, that means that not enough voters stayed awake long enough to truly recognize Draisaitl’s talent on a nightly basis throughout the regular season and in the playoffs.
Connor McDavid
I would bet the farm that McDavid is voted as the number one player for the eighth consecutive year in the TSN poll. He’s coming into the 2024-25 season more determined than ever to finally sip from Lord Stanley’s Cup. And I wouldn’t bet against him doing that either.
Top 50 NHL Player Honourable Mentions
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Even though Nugent-Hopkins didn’t put up the numbers last season that he did the season before, he’s still a great two-way hockey player and a key member of Edmonton’s lethal powerplay. Unfortunately based on his recent numbers, I don’t see the long-serving Oilers forward making the list in 2024-25.
Stuart Skinner
I don’t think the likeable goaltender will make TSN’s list this season but here’s a bold prediction: if Skinner backstops the Oilers to the Stanley Cup in the 2024-25 season, you can expect to see his name on the list of top 50 players next season. He has improved every season, and deserves to be regarded as one of the top four Canadian-born goalies currently playing in the NHL (along with the Vegas Golden Knights duo of Adin Hill and Logan Thompson and Pittsburgh Penguins Tristan Jarry). Skinner has played well under pressure, he’s learned some tough lessons, and is smart and resilient enough to continue to get better.
Look For the TSN Top 50 NHL Players List Sept. 23-27
TSN’s top 50 players list is always something many hockey fans look forward to. The list is legit, and sometimes I wonder if players (and their agents) who are on it aren’t using their position to leverage a salary increase when it comes time for contract negotiation. When it comes to the Oilers, the list has become a bit of a pride point in terms of McDavid and Draisaitl’s rankings.
I think that Bouchard, Hyman and Ekholm have legitimate chances of making the list this season, and I think out of those three, Bouchard will be on the list for the foreseeable future. One thing about the list, I believe Oilers fans take pride in seeing their stars getting the recognition they deserve, but nothing will come close to the pride Oilers fans would feel if the team were to win the Stanley Cup this season. You gotta have goals in life, right? (And goals in the NHL.)
