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NHL Network unveiled its annual ranking of the league's top twenty wingers on Sunday, the first installment of a series that will scrutinize every position before the season resumes. Unsurprisingly, Nikita Kucherov sits atop the list after a 130-point season crowned with a second Hart Trophy. Behind the Russian from Tampa Bay, David Pastrnak and Matthew Tkachuk complete a podium that no one seriously contests.
A Hart, 130 points, and a spring snub
Kucherov compiled 130 points last season, grabbing his second career Hart and confirming his status as the best winger in the world.
The verdict is clear-cut. Kucherov compiled 130 points last season, grabbing his second career Hart and confirming his status as the best winger in the world. The Lightning player dominated offensive debates from September to April with metronomic consistency: 48 goals, 82 assists, production that places him in a category of his own.
Yet spring delivered a cold shower. Tampa Bay, considered among the favorites in the East, was eliminated in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens in a series where Kucherov stayed silent in the decisive game. This contrast between a stratospheric regular season and aborted playoffs gives the ranking an almost ironic dimension: the league's best winger watched the playoffs from his couch as early as mid-April.
Pastrnak-Tkachuk, the podium of consistency
David Pastrnak occupies the second step. The Bruins winger remains a goal machine (52 goals last season) and the offensive face of a Boston team in transition. NHL Network's ranking honors both his production and his longevity at the top: Pastrnak has not left the top 5 of best wingers in four years.
Matthew Tkachuk closes the podium. The Florida Panther, champion in 2025, embodies the prototype of the modern winger: physical, creative, decisive in the playoffs. His ability to elevate his game when stakes rise weighs heavily in the evaluation. Three Panthers appear in this top 20 — tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning — making Florida the best-represented state in the ranking.
Ovechkin fourth, Caufield in the top 10
Alexander Ovechkin climbs to fourth place. At nearly 41 years old, the Capitals captain defies time and continues to pad his tally toward Wayne Gretzky's absolute record. NHL Network places him just behind the podium, a strong signal to skeptics who announce the Russian's decline every summer.
Cole Caufield makes his entry into the top 10. The Canadiens forward, who scored 47 goals last season, embodies the rising young guard alongside players like Jason Robertson (Dallas). Conversely, no representative from the Pittsburgh Penguins or the St. Louis Blues appears in this ranking, fueling debates about the offensive depth of these two historic franchises. For Pittsburgh, the reliance on the Crosby-Malkin duo — both centers — partly explains this absence among wingers.
The "Top Players Right Now" series continues this week with the defensemen ranking, then goaltenders. Until then, one certainty remains: Kucherov stays the undisputed master of a caste where the slightest misstep can drop a player five spots in twelve months.