Power rankings: Top 50 NHL stars lighting up the Stanley Cup playoffs

As the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs come to life, the most exceptional players in the league take centre stage for what would be a grand finals day celebration for their teams. Here's the annual top 50 hostile boy skaters and goalies competing in the playoffs, according to the latest rankings that feature players by performance in the last three seasons.
Top 5 performers in Stanley Cup playoffs 1. Connor McDavid , C, Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid is raising the standards of excellence in the NHL as he is the pillar for offensive efficacy for the Oilers with his unmatched speed, vision, and playmaking. Clearly, with such a league-leading 123 points, McDavid heads into the playoffs - a force to compete against to bring Edmonton as far in playoff contention as possible.
2. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche Nathan MacKinnon's skating is explosive and deadly; he can be a real scoring threat. He is among athletes who consistently accumulate above one point per game and has produced almost all of the ingredients required for success as the captain of the Avalanche, delivering vital conversions on typical breaks along with motivational leadership.

Nathan Mackinnon extended his home point streak to 30 games...

You read that right 👆#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/grvCcratli

— x - Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 5, 2024

3. Cale Makar , D, Colorado AvalancheCale Makar has proven himself to be a special player in the realms of offensively contributive defensemen as well as two-way players. He possesses the talent to manage the timing of a game and also puts his name up on the scoreboard, which makes him even more valuable to the playoff hopes for Colorado.
4. Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton OilersLeon Draisaitl's innate size combined with his superior skills and ability to score complements that of McDavid. Season 110 points from an otherwise blank slate underscores how Draisaitl is important to the Oilers and how unsuccessfully he seems to find failure in high-pressure situations.
5. Igor Shesterkin , G, New York Rangers Igor Shesterkin has a .924 save percentage, and that's how, because of his pretty solid goaltending for the team, which in turn becomes pronouncedly important for any playoff run, he builds up confidence and calmness at home.

Igor Shesterkin is not afraid to play the puck. 😤

Watch the @NYRangers vs. @penguins today at 3p ET on ABC & @ESPNPlus! pic.twitter.com/erYTuLXPez

— NHL (@NHL) March 16, 2024

Players ranked 6–50:

Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins

Mikko Rantanen, RW, Colorado Avalanche

Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins

Roman Josi, D, Nashville Predators

Artemi Panarin, LW, New York Rangers

Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers

Jack Eichel, C, Vegas Golden Knights

Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning

Mitch Marner, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs

Matthew Tkachuk, LW, Florida Panthers

Brayden Point, C, Tampa Bay Lightning

Sebastian Aho, C, Carolina Hurricanes

Mark Stone, RW, Vegas Golden Knights

Kyle Connor, LW, Winnipeg Jets

Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver Canucks

Steven Stamkos, C, Tampa Bay Lightning

Alex Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals

Juuse Saros, G, Nashville Predators

John Tavares, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks

Patrice Bergeron, C, Boston Bruins

Brad Marchand, LW, Boston Bruins

Mark Scheifele, C, Winnipeg Jets

William Nylander, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs

Anze Kopitar, C, Los Angeles Kings

Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Calgary Flames

Dougie Hamilton, D, New Jersey Devils

Frederik Andersen, G, Carolina Hurricanes

Ryan O'Reilly, C, Nashville Predators

Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Colorado Avalanche

Morgan Rielly, D, Toronto Maple Leafs

Zach Werenski, D, Columbus Blue Jackets

Jordan Binnington, G, St. Louis Blues

Teuvo Teravainen, LW, Carolina Hurricanes

Jake Guentzel, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins

Mathew Barzal, C, New York Islanders

Timo Meier, RW, New Jersey Devils

Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings

Filip Forsberg, LW, Nashville Predators

Seth Jones, D, Chicago Blackhawks

Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets

Thomas Chabot, D, Ottawa Senators

Jesper Bratt, RW, New Jersey Devils

Even though the players have brought their names into the list of the top performers this year for the Cup, there might be some flux in their performance level.

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