With a new NHL campaign upon us, TSN Hockey has compiled its annual list of the Top 50 players – a projection of the top players this season – and today we begin by revealing the players ranked 50th to 41st.

Alexander Ovechkin proved a lot of doubters wrong last season.

The Washington Capitals captain entered last season coming off a 31-goal and 65-point performance in the 2023-24 campaign, which was his worst career offensive output in a full 82-game season.

The 6-foot-3 winger fell off TSN’s annual Top 50 Player rankings for the first time in his 20-season career, and there were questions about whether he had enough left in the tank to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record with him sitting 41 behind the legend to begin the year.

Ovechkin bounced back in a huge way, recording 44 goals and 73 points despite missing two weeks with a leg injury, and became the NHL’s all-time goal scoring leader near the end of the season.

The Russia native’s progress rubbed off on the rest of the Washington Capitals, who finished as the top team in the Eastern Conference with a 51-22-9 record – a 10-point improvement from the year prior.

Ovechkin added five goals and six points in 10 playoff games before his team was eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.

Entering his 21st NHL season at the age of 40, Ovechkin has not yet made a decision about his hockey future beyond this year. However, he has an opportunity to become the first player in NHL history to reach the 900-goal plateau this season and, depending on how many more years he’s willing to play, he could aim for 1,000.

Ovechkin jumps back into our rankings at No. 49 this season and the future Hall of Famer is hoping a second Stanley Cup title is in his future to go along with his personal success.

50. Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars

2024-25 Ranking: 33

Stars forward Robertson kicks off the list at No. 50. The 26-year-old winger continues to be one of the most productive forwards in the league, recording 35 goals and 80 points in 82 games last season.

Robertson was limited in the playoffs after sustaining a lower-body injury in the Stars’ regular season finale, recording four goals and six points in 11 games.

Robertson enters the 2025-26 season looking for a new contract as his four-year, $31 million deal is set to expire at the end of the campaign.

49. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

2024-25 Ranking: N/A

Coming in at No. 49, Ovechkin had a bounce-back season, recording 44 goals and 73 points in 65 games. His 44 goals helped him surpass Gretzky as the NHL’s all-time goal scorer and he is closing in on becoming the first player to reach 900 goals in a career.

Ovechkin’s improved production helped catapult the Capitals from a fringe playoff team to a Stanley Cup contender, finishing with the Eastern Conference’s best record at 51-22-9.

The 6-foot-3 winger is entering his 21st season in the NHL and remains undecided about his future beyond this season.

48. Jesper Bratt, New Jersey Devils

2024-25 Ranking: N/A

The Devils’ winger comes in at No. 48 after slowly rising to prominence in NHL circles.

Bratt’s point totals have been going up every year, culminating in 21 goals and 88 points in 81 games last season. He added a goal and three points in five playoff games before his team was eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.

The 5-foot-10 winger had surgery on his shoulder after the end of the season and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

47. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators

2024-25 Ranking: 16

Josi drops 31 spots in the rankings after going through an injury-plagued season.

The 35-year-old left-shot defenceman was limited to 53 games last season while recording nine goals and 38 points, which was a far cry from his 85 points the year before.

Josi was also diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) after the season, which can cause headaches and fatigue. The Swiss defenceman has been getting treatment for the condition and is expected to be 100 per cent for the start of the new season.

46. Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild

2024-25 Ranking: N/A

Boldy makes his first appearance on the list at No. 46. The 24-year-old winger appeared in all 82 games for the first time in his four-year career last season and recorded a career-high 27 goals and 73 points.

He added five goals and seven points in seven playoff games before his team was eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round.

The Milford, Mass., native registered a goal and three points for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year and will be a candidate to represent his country at the 2026 Olympics.

45. Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres

2024-25 Ranking: N/A

The Sabres centre comes in at No. 45 after cracking the 40-goal plateau for the second time in three years.

Thompson cemented himself as a premier scorer in the NHL after producing 44 goals and 72 points in 76 games last season.

The 6-foot-6 centre is still looking for his first taste of playoff action as the Sabres try to snap a 14-year playoff drought.

After the regular season, Thompson helped the United States end a 92-year drought at the World Championship, winning gold.

44. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers

2024-25 Ranking: 39

Bobrovsky comes in at No. 44 and despite dropping five spots from last year, his team results should leave him happy.

The 36-year-old netminder carried the load in net last season, going 33-19-2 with a 2.44 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in the regular season.

Bobrovsky then picked up his game to go 16-7 in the playoffs with a 2.20 GAA and .914 save percentage as his Panthers won their second of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

The two-time Vezina Trophy winner is entering the final season of his seven-year deal, which could lead to a changing of the guard in the Panthers’ crease.

43. Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators

2024-25 Ranking: N/A

Sanderson makes his first appearance in the rankings at No. 43 after helping the Senators make the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.

The 23-year-old’s offensive number continue to rise, setting a career high with 11 goals and 57 points in 80 games last season while averaging 24:27 of ice time.

He added a goal and three points in six playoff games before the Senators were eliminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.

Sanderson also appeared in two games for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off and is a candidate to play for his country at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

42. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes

2024-25 Ranking: N/A

Coming in at No. 42 is Slavin who is becoming known as one of the best defensive defencemen in the NHL.

The 6-foot-3 left-shot defenceman recorded six goals and 27 points in 80 games while averaging 21:34 of ice time with a plus-16 rating.

Slavin is a two-time Lady Byng Trophy winner and finished eighth in Norris Trophy voting last season.

41. Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils

2024-25 Ranking: N/A

Hischier wraps up the first batch of players at No. 41 after recording 35 goals and 69 points in 75 games last season.

The 6-foot-1 centre added four goals in five playoff games before the Devils were eliminated in five games by the Hurricanes.

The Switzerland native is entering the sixth season of a seven-year deal and will be eligible to sign an extension at the end of the campaign.

On Tuesday, we reveal No. 40 to No. 31 of our annual Top 50 NHL Players list.