Who's the second-best player in the NHL? A group of NHLers chime in
Sam Reinhart is one of two NHL forwards to finish in the top five in Selke Trophy voting in each of the past two seasons. He is, in many ways, the epitome of a two-way forward - extremely detailed with and without the puck.
Still, one opponent is virtually impossible to contain.
"There are some other superstars who you can defend - you can make it tough on them. But with (Connor) McDavid, it's a full 20 guys who are trying to defend him," Reinhart said recently at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour.
"That stress is a little higher when he's out there as opposed to anybody else in the league."
McDavid is the best player on the planet. Everybody knows it.
And yet it's revelatory when Reinhart - whose Panthers defeated McDavid's Oilers in back-to-back Stanley Cup finals - notes that No. 97 puts extra stress on an entire team. NHLers compete with and against each other while we watch on TV or from the press box. Nothing beats the ice-level perspective.
Reinhart slots McDavid in the top spot without issue, but he struggles to name the next-best player in the world. First of all, there are a bunch of worthy candidates. Secondly, Reinhart argues, any gap between one megastar and another can be mostly attributed to external factors. "You've got guys in all different positions, all different scenarios, all different teams," he said.
We surveyed 10 other NHLers at the player media tour about the ongoing second-best-player debate. Some were indecisive, like Reinhart. Others immediately offered a name (or two) to fill in the No. 2 spot. Here are four takeaways from the picks and rationales.
Maybe MacKinnon deserves his own tier
Three years ago, the No. 2 debate included Auston Matthews, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Leon Draisaitl, and Nikita Kucherov. All six remain in the mix to varying degrees, while hipster cases could be made for Quinn Hughes and Aleksander Barkov.
That's a lot of options with truly no wrong answer. As Islanders center Mat Barzal put it, "On any given night, it can be Leon, Nate, Kucherov, or Makar."
Kings winger Adrian Kempe cast a vote for MacKinnon, who won the 2023-24 Hart Trophy with 140 points, then posted 116 last season. Matt Boldy of the Wild picked the "absolute beast" that is MacKinnon. Utah captain Clayton Keller also went with MacKinnon. Chicago's Connor Bedard - yep, MacKinnon.
"MacKinnon is up there. I think they're pretty close," Kempe said of the electric Avalanche center challenging McDavid. "It's their one-on-one skills. When you're out there against MacKinnon ... I don't know how to explain it. (It's amazing) how powerful he is and what he can do with the puck."
Added Bedard: "McDavid's the best, and I really don't think there's any argument. But MacKinnon's the closest thing to that. Kind of similar (styles)."
MacKinnon receiving the most votes isn't surprising. However, the lack of variety in the responses is a bit odd with so many other strong cases. (Of course, the extreme results could be a product of a tiny sample size.)
Players cited MacKinnon's unparalleled mix of power and quickness. His skating is somehow both explosive and beautiful, and he combines those darting strides with rapid stickhandling to tear defenses apart. Nobody peppers goalies with more shots from the slot area than MacKinnon, who's also an excellent playmaker, strong defensive player, and respected leader.
"MacKinnon comes up. That's probably the name that comes to mind first," 36-year-old Red Wings winger Patrick Kane, a top-five player during the prime of his career, said. "Cale Makar's incredible as well. Those guys are examples of guys who are pushing the envelope to get better every year. They're never really satisfied with what they're doing. They're pushing the league (forward)."
San Jose's Macklin Celebrini and Buffalo's Tage Thompson couldn't decide between MacKinnon and Kucherov, the 2024-25 Ted Lindsay Award winner for "most outstanding player" as voted on by NHL Players' Association members. (The Hart, or MVP award, is picked by the pro writers' association.)
"It's tough to compare those two types of players just because they're so different," Celebrini said of his dual pick. "But the calm and the smarts that Kucherov has - there's so much to learn from him, with the way he plays and the speed he plays at. Nate: he hits you with force and steps on your throat."
Kucherov's brain operates on a different frequency than any other NHLer. The Lightning winger's exceptionally deceptive and creative, and rivals gush over his bag of tricks. Case in point: If a puck is rimmed along the boards, most players have to handle it before making a play, whereas Kucherov can smoothly pick the puck off the dasher and fire it to a teammate in one motion.
"The game," Thompson said, "looks so easy for him."
Kucherov doesn't play a premium position, and he can be lazy on defense. Those factors probably held him back from properly challenging MacKinnon.
Matthews' stock is down - for now
Courtesy of the Flames' Dustin Wolf, below is another example of a player unsure how to answer and ultimately settling on no one in particular.
"There's so many guys who can be No. 2," the young goalie said. "You can look at (Draisaitl) - he's remarkable. You've got Sid, who's done incredible things over his career. Honestly, I don't know if I can pinpoint one guy. Everyone is so unique in their own way. McDavid encompasses a lot of it."
Notice anything about the quote? No mention of Matthews.
Wolf wasn't alone in leaving the Maple Leafs captain out of the discussion. In fact, not a single player uttered his name - not even at the end of a long list.
The omission is noteworthy for a few reasons. One, Matthews is arguably the greatest goal-scorer in the game today, and scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in hockey. Two, the 2023-24 Selke finalist also boasts a well-rounded skill set. Three, the Arizona native led our 2022 second-best player survey (which included 11 other participants) with four full votes and two partial votes.
At the time, Matthews was fresh off scoring 60 goals in 73 games. He then potted 40 in 74 contests in 2022-23, a spectacular 69 in 81 in '23-24, and 33 in 67 last season. The game count is key context, given Matthews' injury history. Toronto's postseason struggles surely aren't helping his stock, either.
All of that said, it wouldn't be shocking if Matthews got more love in the No. 2 debate next year. He's a prodigious sniper and, with premier passer Mitch Marner no longer by his side, producing a high goal total would be persuasive.
Old-man Crosby's still got it!
Crosby didn't receive any full votes, but he got name-dropped a few times.
He's 38, about to start his 21st season, and still holds a special place in the hearts of NHLers. He's been the north star for multiple generations - millennials first, Gen Zers now - and remains supremely effective on the ice.
Crosby banked a record 20th point-per-game season last year despite playing for a rebuilding Penguins that finished tied for 24th in the standings.
"Sid's the bar in our league, not just as a player but as an ambassador for the NHL," 35-year-old Kraken forward Jordan Eberle said. "The way he goes about his business - as a human, as a professional - every kid should look up to that example and strive toward that."
"Generational talent," Eberle added. "He's going to be on the Mount Rushmore of hockey."
Seth Jarvis, 23, grew up watching Crosby. Now they're Team Canada teammates.
"They always say, 'You don't want to meet your heroes.' But I'm so happy I got to meet him because he is the best person," the Hurricanes forward said of interactions at the 4 Nations Face-Off and Olympic orientation camp.
Barkov receives obligatory shoutout
Barkov will miss seven-to-nine months as he recovers from knee surgery. It's devastating news. The proud Finn won't be representing his country at the Olympics and is out of the Panthers' lineup for at least the regular season.
Weeks before Barkov went down with the injury last Thursday, Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal picked him as the world's second-best player - well, sort of.
"It's very hard to put someone No. 2," Dostal said. "But if you would ask me, 'Who's the most underrated player?' I would say Sasha Barkov. The fans, they look at the points and all that, but the impact he has (on) the game (is enormous). And what he has done in Florida is just unbelievable."
Barkov has his fingerprints all over three straight Cup Final appearances. He's the NHL's consensus best defensive forward, strong and rangy, and elite at so many nuanced parts of the game. For instance, countless players over the years have marvelled at how good Barkov is at knocking pucks out of the air.
"When I skated with him, I had to focus 100% or he's going to beat you," Dostal said of offseason skates in Finland. "That's just the fact. He's so good in tight. People don't even realize how good he is."
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter/X (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email ([email protected]).