5 best NHL players at each position for 2018-19 season

By Ben Gotz

Las Vegas Review-Journal

6 years ago

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) skates with the puck during the second period of Game 4 of the NHL Eastern Conference finals hockey playoff series against the Washington Capitals, Thursday, May 17, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, of Russia, controls the puck against the St. Louis Blues during a preseason NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. The Blues won 5-1. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin celebrates a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period of Game 7 of the NHL hockey playoffs Eastern Conference finals Wednesday, May 23, 2018, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid (97) skates during NHL hockey training camp in Edmonton, Alberta, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Golden Knights are coming off a Stanley Cup Final appearance and boast a few players considered among the elite of the NHL’s elite.

But it’s hard to make a case for any Knights skaters to be within the top 10 at their position except for maybe William Karlsson, who was ranked as the No. 17 center by NHL.com this offseason. Wings like Jonathan Marchessault and Max Pacioretty didn’t crack the top 20 in the website’s rankings, but could make a case for themselves with another strong season and a bounce-back year, respectively.

But who are the top players at each position in the NHL, and does any Knight make the cut (spoiler alert: yes)? Here’s one reporter’s opinion:

Vancouver Canucks’ Jay Beagle (83) and Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid (97) work in the corner during the second period of an NHL hockey preseason game Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Center

■ 1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

■ 2. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

■ 3. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

■ 4. John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs

■ 5. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Good luck arguing with the top two on this list, with a generational talent who can do it all (McDavid) and a generational talent who has done it all (Crosby). A lesser version of that is taking place in Toronto, as the Maple Leafs are now pairing their 21-year-old superstar in Matthews with a 28-year-old one who has been around the block a bit and has steadily improved. Tavares will really have to play well to live up to the seven-year, $77 million contract he signed this offseason, but his defense gives him a slight edge over Malkin.

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates after defeating the Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final to win the series at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday, June 7, 2018. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Wing

■ 1. Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

■ 2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

■ 3. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

■ 4. Taylor Hall, New Jersey Devils

■ 5. Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets

Ovechkin, one of the great pure goal scorers in NHL history, now has a Stanley Cup to his name. Kucherov has a great chance to win one this season with center Steven Stamkos dishing him the puck. Kane has enough pure talent to outrank the reigning Hart Trophy winner (Hall) on this list despite a down year. Laine is only 20 years old and will only get better.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) before an NHL preseason hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Defensemen

■ 1. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

■ 2. Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks

■ 3. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings

■ 4. Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

■ 5. PK Subban, Nashville Predators

Hedman is the reigning Norris Trophy winner after a standout season offensively and defensively. Putting Karlsson and Burns on the same team is brutally unfair for opposing penalty killers. Doughty, who signed an eight-year, $88 million contract this summer, is well-known to Knights fans for his trash talking, but he also led the NHL in ice time for the second straight time last season. Subban and Max Pacioretty will likely share a laugh one day over the joys of escaping Montreal.

Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, of Russia, is seen against the St. Louis Blues during a preseason NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. The Blues won 5-1. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Goaltenders

■ 1. Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets

■ 2. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning

■ 3. Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals

■ 4. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings

■ 5. Marc-Andre Fleury, Golden Knights

Bobrovsky is one season removed from finishing third in the Hart Trophy voting. Vasilevskiy only turned 24 in July, a scary proposition for the rest of the Eastern Conference. Holtby will forever live in infamy in Las Vegas (and in Washington, D.C., lore) for his incredible save on Alex Tuch in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. It was a series-changing play. Quick is a two-time Cup winner and as steady as they come in net. Fleury, with group of unproven defensemen in front of him, led his team to three playoff series wins last season. That doesn’t happen if he’s not in net.

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Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.