Top 100 NHL players: 50-41
Leading up to the start of the 2019-20 season, theScore will be counting down the top 100 players in the game today, as voted on by our NHL editors. We'll reveal 10 players every day until the top 10 is unveiled on Oct. 2.
100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
50. Logan Couture, Sharks
The Sharks' new captain is a fierce competitor and one of the most clutch performers in the game. Couture set career highs with 43 assists and 70 points last season and was sensational in the playoffs again, leading all players with 14 goals in 20 contests.
49. Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks
Many observers wrote off Toews after a poor 2017-18 campaign, but he bounced back in a big way, setting career highs in goals (35), assists (46), and points (81) last season. An elite defensive player, he remains one of the better two-way centers in the league.
48. Sean Monahan, Flames
Monahan was solid during his first five seasons in Calgary, but he broke out last year, recording career highs in goals (34), assists (48), and points (82). Despite the success, Monahan went cold at times. If he can eliminate the streaky nature of his play, he'll be a true pain for the opposition.
47. Jonathan Huberdeau, Panthers
The now-26-year-old's talent has always been there, but the forward took his undeniable chemistry with Aleksander Barkov to even greater heights last season, exploding for a career-high 92 points. Huberdeau also potted 30 goals for the first time and should continue to excel for an up-and-coming Florida squad.
46. John Carlson, Capitals
The 6-foot-3 rearguard has anchored the blue line for one of the league's elite clubs this decade and is seemingly still improving. Carlson topped his impressive 68-point 2017-18 season with a career-high 70 points in 2018-19. An impact defender, Carlson also finished ninth in the NHL with 164 blocks last season.
45. Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers
Bobrovsky may have been feeling the pressure of a contract year early in 2018-19, but he settled in nicely. He recorded a .933 save percentage and seven shutouts in his final 23 games and was fantastic during the Blue Jackets' first-round upset of the Lightning. The 31-year-old will look to be the answer in goal for the Panthers.
44. Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals
Backstrom has been the model of consistency in Washington, scoring at least 70 points for six seasons in a row, though only topping 80 points once over that span. He was a huge part of the Capitals' Stanley Cup-winning squad in 2018 and will be counted on to try to bring the Caps back to glory.
43. Alex Pietrangelo, Blues
The captain of the reigning Stanley Cup champions remains one of the NHL's elite blue-liners as he enters his 12th season at just 29 years old. Pietrangelo is as steady as they come on the back end, and he was a major reason the Blues captured their first title back in June.
42. Morgan Rielly, Maple Leafs
Rielly has established himself as one of the most elite offensive defensemen in the NHL with 26 goals and 124 points over the last two campaigns. In 2018-19, the 25-year-old became just the third Leafs blue-liner to break the 70-point mark (72) - and the first since the 1979-80 season.
41. Claude Giroux, Flyers
The move from center to left wing over the last few years has helped Giroux maximize his offensive abilities and hide some of his defensive deficiencies. He's one of just six players with 60 assists in each of the last two seasons. The other five? Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid, Blake Wheeler, Sidney Crosby, and Johnny Gaudreau.