The Vegas Golden Knights were one of the most active teams in the off-season, culminating in the team landing the biggest name available.
Vegas traded centre Nicolas Roy to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of a sign-and-trade deal to bring in superstar winger Mitch Marner. The Golden Knights got Marner under contract to a fresh eight-year, $96 million deal that carries a cap hit of $12 million per season.
The move is the latest of a long line of blockbuster moves that the team has made since their inception in 2017 and indicates how badly they want return to where they were in 2023 as Stanley Cup champions.
Marner, 28, led the Maple Leafs in scoring last season with 27 goals and 102 points in 81 games as his team won the Atlantic Division. He added two goals and 13 points in 13 playoff games as Toronto fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in the second round.
He joins a Vegas team that finished in top spot in the Pacific Division last year with a 50-22-10 record and lost in the second round to the Edmonton Oilers.
Marner sits at No. 14 on the list and is expected to be on Vegas’ top line beside superstar centre Jack Eichel, who sits at No. 11.
Eichel has become part of the core or the Golden Knights since he was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in 2021 and led the team in scoring 28 goals and 94 points in 77 games last season.
Meanwhile in Toronto, William Nylander’s role with the team becomes even more magnified as the “Core Four” of Auston Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Tavares becomes a Big Three.
The 29-year-old winger continues to develop his game, scoring a career-high 45 goals to go along with 84 points in 82 games last season. He added six goals and 15 points in the playoffs before the Maple Leafs fell to the Panthers.
Nylander hits the rankings at No. 20 for the second straight year but will have to step up with the loss of Marner and opposing team’s defences focusing in on him.
20. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
2024-25 Ranking: 20
Nylander stays at No. 20 for the second straight year. The 29-year-old winger set a career-high with 45 goals last season to go along with 84 points to finish second in team scoring.
He also led the team in postseason scoring with six goals and 15 points before the Maple Leafs were eliminated in the second round.
Nylander represented Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February and was named as one of his country’s first six roster players for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
19. Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
2024-25 Ranking: N/A
At No. 19, Werenski enters the rankings as one of the best defencemen in the league last season.
The 28-year-old left-shot blueliner recorded 23 goals and 82 points in 81 games for the Blue Jackets while averaging 26:45 of ice time and sustaining a plus 11 rating. Last season also marked the first time since the 2018-19 campaign that Werenski didn’t miss significant time with injury.
Werenski finished second in Norris Trophy voting behind Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar.
The Grosse Pointe, Mich., native represented the United States in their second-place finish at the 4 Nations Face-Off and is a candidate to play for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
18. Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers
2024-25 Ranking: 26
Reinhart jumps eight spots to No. 18 after putting up 39 goals and 81 points in 79 games with the Panthers last season.
He added 11 goals and 23 points in 21 playoff games, including a four-goal performance in the deciding Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers.
The West Vancouver native had four assists at the 4 Nations Face-Off to help Canada to victory and will be on Canada’s radar for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
17. Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
2024-25 Ranking: 12
Jack Hughes New Jersey Devils Jack Hughes
Hughes comes in at No. 17 after finishing last year on injured reserve. The 24-year-old missed the Devils’ last 20 games of the regular season and the entire first round after undergoing shoulder surgery.
The 5-foot-11 centre recorded 27 goals and 70 points in 62 games prior to the injury and still finished second in team scoring to Jesper Bratt.
Hughes represented the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off in a second-place finish and will be on Team USA’s radar for their Olympic roster in February.
16. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning
2024-25 Ranking: 18
Point’s stock continues to rise as he jumps two spots to No. 16. The 29-year-old forward recorded 42 goals and 82 points in 77 games last year, finishing third in team scoring.
He added two goals in five playoff games before his team was eliminated by the Panthers in the first round.
Point had a goal and two points in Canada’s four games at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year in a first-place finish and will be looked at for his nation’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
15. Mikko Rantanen, Dallas Stars
2024-25 Ranking: 10
Rantanen sits at No. 15 after a very eventful 2024-25 campaign.
The 28-year-old winger began the season with the Colorado Avalanche but was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of the three-team trade in January when it was clear they couldn’t come to a new contract agreement.
Rantanen appeared in 13 games with the Hurricanes, recording two goals and six points before he was traded again, this time to the Stars for forward Logan Stankoven and four draft picks prior to the deadline when it was once again apparent that Rantanen wouldn’t sign an extension.
The Stars were able to get Rantanen under contract on an eight-year, $96 million deal and he made an immediate impact on the club. He had five goals and 18 points in 20 regular-season games in Dallas and then added nine goals and 22 points in 18 playoff games before the Stars were eliminated in the Western Conference Final.
Rantanen had 32 goals and 88 points in 82 regular-season games split between the three clubs.
The 6-foot-4 winger also made an appearance for Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off and is one of his country’s first six players named to roster spots for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
14. Mitch Marner, Vegas Golden Knights
2024-25 Ranking: 23
Marner is on a new team this season and jumps nine spots to No. 14 on the rankings.
The 28-year-old winger had 27 goals and 102 points in 81 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season to lead the team in scoring. He added two goals and 11 and 13 points in 13 playoff games before the Maple Leafs were eliminated in the second round by the Panthers.
The Thornhill, Ont., native recorded a goal and three points at the 4 Nations Face-Off and helped his country to a championship. He will be under consideration for Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
13. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
2024-25 Ranking: 14
Sidney Crosby Sidney Crosby
After 20 seasons, Crosby continues to be one of the best players in the world at No. 13 on the rankings.
The 38-year-old centre led the Penguins in scoring with 33 goals and 91 points in 80 games and was one of the best faceoff man in the league, taking 1,782 draws while winning 57 per cent of them.
Crosby continues to field questions about his future in the NHL and in Pittsburgh after the Penguins missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year. He is entering the first season of a two-year, $17.4 million deal and can control his destiny with a full no-movement clause.
The Cole Harbour, N.S., native captained Canada to a 4 Nations Face-Off victory last season and was named one of Team Canada’s first six players on their Olympic roster.
12. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
2024-25 Ranking: 11
Barkov’s rise as one of the best defensive forwards continues as he sits at No. 12 in the rankings.
The 6-foot-3 centre became the first player to captain a team to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles since Crosby did it with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
Barkov recorded 20 goals and 71 points in 67 games last season and won his second straight Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward. He added six goals and 22 points in 23 playoff games in the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup.
The 30-year-old captained Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off last season and was named as one of the first six players added to Finland’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
11. Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
2024-25 Ranking: 32
Eichel rocketed up 21 spots in the rankings to land at No. 11.
The 6-foot-2 centre led the Golden Knights in scoring last season with 77 goals and 94 points in 77 games, leading the team to first place in the Pacific Division. He added a goal and 10 points in 11 playoff games before Vegas was eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round.
Eichel will be getting new blood on his wing in the form of Marner, who is known to be a playmaking winger. If the pair can create good chemistry, Eichel’s production could skyrocket.
The North Chelmsford, Mass., native also had four assists at the 4 Nations Face-Off for the United States in a second place finish. He was named as one of Team USA’s first six selections for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Recapping Nos. 30-21
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