On Monday, the staff of hockey writers at ESPN released its annual list of the Top 100 players in the NHL. Men who wear Bolt blue are so well represented we feel obliged to respond. Let’s do that and add, of course, add our own takes:
No. 2: Nikita Kucherov. No one should be surprised that last season’s league-leading scorer is found high on the list. What’s heartening is that only Connor McDavid is higher. Kucherov went into 2023-2024 ranked No. 7 and then had a season that should have earned him his second Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. No way the Tampa Bay Lightning sniff the playoffs without the man who led them in scoring by a whopping 54 points as he became the first wing and fifth player of any position to record 100 assists.
At least in this one place Kucherov is given more esteem than that of run-away 2023-2024 Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon (No. 3). That the Hart vote wasn’t even close was lunacy; it’s as if MacKinnon’s spin-a-roos earned him style points from the judges. This ranking is small consolation for Kucherov but we take correct opinions wherever we can find them.
Nikita Kucherov leads the charge of Lightning players that made ESPN's Top 100
No. 18: Jake Guentzel. The newest Lightning receives his first accolade before he’s played his second game with the team. Heck, the Amalie Arena crowd hasn’t even seen him yet. That will happen tonight as the Lightning finally has their home opener when Vancouver comes to town. Not that the $9 million replacement for the most iconic player in team history (Steven Stamkos) needed any more pressure.
No. 21: Brayden Point. Well, this is fitting since he’ll be wearing his ranking on the back of his sweater tonight and every night this season. After scoring 51 goals in 2022-2023, Kucherov’s little buddy at the pivot scored at a furious pace at the end of 2023-2024 and came up four goals short of a second half-century season. Not too shabby. After a goal in the season opener, he’s on his way again. If Kucherov, Guentzel, and Point all stay healthy, this is, arguably, the top forward line — at least among those that don’t include McDavid — in the NHL. We’ll understand if they need some time to click. Is next week too soon for you?
No. 23: Victor Hedman. This seems high but then Hedman is an awfully tall man. If you’re scoring at home, this places Hedman as the game’s fifth-best defenseman during a season in which he will turn 34. Possibly, we were reading too much into things (it’s been known to happen), but Hedman seemed especially engaged in the 4-1 win at Carolina. And not just because he had three assists. Maybe having the third letter of the alphabet floating on his chest means he knows all these fresh faces on the roster are watching to see whether playing for Tampa Bay means everyone hustles all the time.
No. 27: Andrei Vasilevskiy. This ranking might be based as much on reputation as anything, but then the Big Cat has earned more than a little cred. ESPN has Vasilevskiy ahead of reigning two-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, which is pretty crazy. The Lightning need this ranking to prove justified if they want to play games in May.
It’s noteworthy that the Lightning has five players in the Top 27. It’s also noteworthy that the Lightning have no other players in the Top 100. (No, not Brandon Hagel.) Recent history tells us that teams that win the Stanley Cup are teams that have depth. Tampa Bay is top-heavy. At least according to ESPN, and quibble as you will, few would argue they are wrong on this inadvertently larger point.
So, should Lightning fans be excited or nervous by these rankings? One of the fun things about a hockey season is seeing whether surprises emerge. Maybe the Bolts have more depth than we think. Then again, maybe Kucherov took the MVP snub to heart and is just going to score so many goals this depth thing will become overrated.