Crosby checks in among players ranked 11th to 19th on TSN's Top 50 list
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With a new NHL campaign upon us, TSN Hockey has compiled its annual list of the Top 50 players - a projection of the top players this season - ahead of the full reveal special on Friday.
Today we reveal the players ranked 19th to 11th.
Sidney Crosby has nothing left to prove entering his 20th season in the NHL.
The 37-year-old superstar is a two-time Hart Trophy winner (2007, 2014), three-time Ted Lindsay Award winner (2007, 2013, 2014), led the NHL in scoring (2007, 2014) and goals (2010, 2017) twice, and won the Mark Messier Leadership Award (2010).
More importantly, he helped the Pittsburgh Penguins to three Stanley Cups (2009, 2016, 2017) and joins fellow Penguins legend Mario Lemieux as the only players to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in back-to-back seasons (2016, 2017)
Entering his 20th NHL season, Crosby sits 10th all-time in scoring with 1,596 points and is 45 points back of Joe Sakic for ninth.
Crosby has shown no signs in slowing down, recording his best offensive campaign in five seasons with 42 goals and 94 points last year. His goal total was the best he’s registered since the 2016-17 season, and he has been able to stay healthy, appearing in all 82 games the past two seasons.
After being named the No.1 player on TSN’s Top 50 NHL Player list for the first seven years since the survey was introduced in 2010, Crosby has since ceded that title to Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid.
However, the Cole Harbour, N.S., native has never been too far from view, only falling out of the top 10 in 2022 and being listed at No. 13 last season.
Despite all of Crosby’s individual recent success, the Penguins have missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons.
With this in mind, Crosby has dropped one spot on this year’s list to No. 14. But after signing a two-year, $17.4 million extension in the off-season, he is committed to returning the Penguins to their former glory.
19. Adam Fox, New York Rangers
2023-24 Ranking: 16
Fox continues to be one of the premier defencemen in the NHL, appearing at No. 16 on the list. The 26-year-old finished sixth among defencemen in scoring with 17 goals and 73 points and was a second-team all-star last season. Fox added eight assists in the playoffs before his team was eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
18. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning
2023-24 Ranking: 17
Point put together another superb season last year, recording 46 goals and 90 points in 81 games. The 5-foot-11 centre found chemistry with Nikita Kucherov and will likely have another all-star on his other wing in newly acquired Jake Guentzel.
17. Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
2023-24 Ranking: 20
Shesterkin went 36-17-2 last season and was among the league leaders with a 2.58 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. The 6-foot-1 netminder led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final with a 2.34 GAA and .927 save percentage before bowing out to the Panthers.
16. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
2023-24 Ranking: 29
Josi, 34, continues to prove he is among the NHL’s elite defencemen, recording 23 goals and 85 points to finish third in the position last season. The 6-foot-1 blueliner finished second in Norris Trophy voting after helping carry the team to the playoffs by scoring 10 goals and 28 points over the last month of the season.
15. Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
2023-24 Ranking: 12
Kaprizov comes in on our list at No. 15 after registering 46 goals and 96 points in 75 games last season. The 27-year-old winger put his team on his back to close out the season, putting up 20 goals and 33 points in the last 21 games as the Wild fell short of the playoffs.
14. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
2023-24 Ranking: 13
Crosby has missed the playoffs the last two seasons and dropped slightly to No. 13 on this list. However, he had his best offensive season since the 2018-19 campaign, recording 42 goals and 94 points in 82 games last year. The 37-year-old centre is entering his 20th NHL season and is fresh off signing a two-year, $17.4 million extension.
13. Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
2023-24 Ranking: 6
After two years of reaching the 40-goal plateau and surpassing 100 points, Tkachuk’s offensive production dropped last season to 26 goals and 88 points. Despite this, the 26-year-old winger was still shining in the playoffs, recording six goals and 22 points as he helped lead his Panthers to their first Stanley Cup victory in franchise history.
12. Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
2023-24 Ranking: 9
Hughes had an injury-riddled season last year and, combined with an off-year by the Devils as a whole, Hughes drops three spots on our list. The 23-year-old forward still managed to put up 27 goals and 74 points in 62 games despite missing 20 games with a shoulder injury that eventually needed surgery to repair.
11. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
2023-24 Ranking: 22
Barkov sparkled during the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup, recording eight goals and 22 points in the playoffs. He was a key factor in keeping opposing team’s top offensive stars off the scoresheet, including holding Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid scoreless in Games 6 and 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The 29-year-old forward won his second Selke Trophy last season while registering 23 goals and 80 points in 73 games.