Eichel, trio of Flames among Nos. 31-40 on TSN's top 50 players

TSN’s panel of hockey experts has put together its annual list of the Top 50 NHL Players ahead of the 2022-23 season, counting them down each day in the lead up to the full reveal on our Top 50 special on Thursday, Oct. 6 (11:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. PT on TSN4, 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on TSN 4/5).

Today, we look at players who ranked 40th to 31st.

Coming in at No. 40 is Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (not ranked last season). After sharing the net with Predators’ legend Pekka Rinne for his first four seasons in the NHL, Saros got his shot as No. 1 netminder during the 2021 shortened season. He took his game to the next level last season where he finished third in the NHL in wins (38) and eighth in save percentage (.918) to go along with 2.64 goals-against average. This was good enough to finish third in Vezina Trophy voting.

No. 39 is Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog (No. 44 last season), who captained his team to a Stanley Cup championship last season. The 6-foot-1 winger registered 30 goals and 59 points in 51 regular season games and 11 goals and 22 points in 20 playoff games. Injuries have been an issue for Landeskog as he missed 16 games during the 2019-20 season with a lower-body injury, missed the final 23 games of the regular season last year after having knee surgery, and is expected to miss the start of the 2022-23 season with an ongoing lower-body issue.

Florida Panthers defenceman Aaron Ekblad (not ranked last season) slots in at No. 38 after a strong 2021-22 season. The 26-year-old defenceman had 15 goals and set career highs with 42 assists and 57 points in 61 games last year. Unfortunately, his season was cut short after sustaining a fractured leg, causing him to miss the Panthers’ last 21 regular season games. The 2014 first-overall selection returned for the playoffs where he had a goal and four assists in 10 playoff games.

Calgary Flames centre Nazem Kadri (not ranked last season) settles in at No. 37. Kadri, who will turn 32 on Oct. 6, scored 28 goals last season and shattered his career highs with 59 assists and 89 points.  The 6-foot playmaker added seven goals and 15 points in 16 playoff games en route to winning the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche. Kadri signed a seven-year, $49 million deal with the Flames on Aug. 18 where he will be teamed up with winger Jonathan Huberdeau as part of a new-look Flames offensive core.

No. 36 is Flames centre Elias Lindholm (not ranked last season). In his fourth season in Calgary, Lindholm set career highs with 42 goals and 82 points. The 27-year-old shattered his career high with a plus/minus 61, which was good for second in the NHL, and his ability to block shots and create takeaways led him to finish second in Selke Trophy voting.

Vegas Golden Knights centre Jack Eichel lands in the same spot he was in last season at No. 35. The 25-year-old forward requested a trade from the Buffalo Sabres after a dispute with the team over an experimental surgery and the direction of the organization. A month into the 2021-22 season, Eichel got his wish and was traded to the Golden Knights in exchange for forwards Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, and two draft picks. Eichel recovered from his surgery in time to register 14 goals and 25 points in 34 games, but the Golden Knights failed to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Eichel is looking to stay healthy for a full season and make the playoffs for the first time in his seven-year career.

Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom (not ranked last season) is No. 34 after helping lead his team to win the Pacific Division title in 2021-22. The 6-foot-6 netminder finished second in Vezina Trophy voting and was named a second team all-star last season after putting up a record of 37-15-9 with a .922 save percentage and 2.22 goals against average. In the playoffs, he helped the Flames survive a hard first-round series with the Dallas Stars, but then gave up 24 goals in a six-game loss to the Edmonton Oilers in round two.

No. 33 is Boston Bruins centre Patrice Bergeron (No. 25 last season) who is returning for his 19th NHL season. The 37-year-old won the Selke Trophy for a record-breaking fifth time after leading the league with 991 faceoff wins (a winning percentage of .619) and had the best puck possession numbers among players who skated in 50 games. Offensively, the Bruins captain scored 25 goals and 65 points in 73 games last season. After contemplating retirement in the offseason, Bergeron elected to return to the Bruins signing a one-year, $2.5 million contract on Aug. 8.

New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad (No. 27 last season) slots in at the No. 32 spot. The 29-year-old forward registered 29 goals and set career highs with 52 assists and 81 points in 81 games to finish second on the team in scoring. In the playoffs, Zibanejad continued his torrid pace in the playoffs, scoring 10 goals and 24 points in 20 playoff games to lead the Rangers into the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning where they went on to lose in six games.

Just missing out on getting into the top 30 is Predators centre Filip Forsberg (not ranked last season) who lands at No. 31. The 28-year-old sniper shattered his career highs last season scoring 42 goals and 84 points in 69 games, including eight game-winning goals, to finish third in team scoring. The 6-foot-1 forward signed an eight-year, $68 million contract on July 9 to be a part of the Predators’ core for years to come.

On Tuesday, we reveal players No. 21-30.