Top 50 Player Rankings – March 16, 2012
Less than a month remains before the start of the playoffs. Only 16 teams will make it in, and yet we have about 21 teams that are still in the running. Three points separate 7th place from 11th place in the West and the 8th and 10th seeds are only 4 points apart in the East. Top players, like Ovechkin and Miller, have stepped up their play as their teams battle to get into the playoffs, while other top players, like the Sedins, have shifted into neutral while their teams coast into the playoffs. See which players, both in and out of the playoff race, made our top 50.
The purpose of these rankings is to give you an idea of the most valuable NHL players based upon a number of factors, including past production, injury history, age, average time on ice, performance predictions, etc. We’ve also got player rankings for fantasy hockey if you’re looking for those.
As always, don’t forget to check out our starting goalies, line combos, player profiles, team pages, weekly schedule, TOI tool, and forum for more information on all things NHL.
| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | Explanation | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Stamkos | TBL | C | Another 50-goal season. | 3 |
| 2 | Evgeni Malkin | PIT | C | Showed no signs of retreat during Crosby’s return. | 1 (tie) |
| 3 | Claude Giroux | PHI | R | 12 multi-point games in 2012. | 4 |
| 4 | Henrik Lundqvist | NYR | G | Has given up 3 or more in his last 5 games. | 1 (tie) |
| 5 | Jonathan Quick | LAK | G | 4 wins in his last 5 games; Kings averaging 4 goals per game in front of him during that span. | 6 |
| 6 | Sidney Crosby | PIT | C | He is risen. | - |
| 7 | Corey Perry | ANA | R | Up to 34 goals now but sidelined with a shoulder injury. | 5 |
| 8 | Erik Karlsson | OTT | D | 22 points in his last 14 games; oh yeah, he’s a defenseman. | 9 |
| 9 | Ilya Kovalchuk | NJD | L | Has turned into a really good all-around player. | 13 |
| 10 | Daniel Sedin | VAN | L | Sedin twins taking a long pre-playoff nap apparently. | 7 |
| 11 | Pekka Rinne | NSH | G | It’s been a couple months since we last saw a Rinne shutout. | 10 |
| 12 | Alex Ovechkin | WSH | L | His scoring may be down, but he’s putting in some clutch goals. | 11 |
| 13 | Pavel Datsyuk | DET | C | One of many hurting Red Wings. | 8 |
| 14 | Marian Gaborik | NYR | R | Only trailing Stamkos and Malkin in goals. | 25 |
| 15 | Zach Parise | NJD | L | Having a great year after missing last season to an injury. | 17 |
| 16 | Phil Kessel | TOR | R | Just 2 points in his last 5 games with no more Lupul. | 14 |
| 17 | Scott Hartnell | PHI | L | Looks like an old man at 29 with all these Flyers kids skating around him. | 21 |
| 18 | Henrik Sedin | VAN | C | I wonder if the Sedins wear matching pajamas. | 16 |
| 19 | James Neal | PIT | L | Scored his first goal in about a month the earlier this week. | 20 |
| 20 | Shea Weber | NSH | D | Will win the Norris Trophy this year and get a nice, big paycheck. | 18 |
| 21 | Jonathan Toews | CHI | C | Still waiting for a return from concussion. | 12 |
| 22 | Jimmy Howard | DET | G | Bad game after return from injury. Haven’t we heard this story before? | 19 |
| 23 | Jaroslav Halak | STL | G | This guy actually lost a game the other night – boooo! | 27 |
| 24 | Kris Letang | PIT | D | 1 assist and +5 in his return from a non-concussion. | 28 |
| 25 | Jason Spezza | OTT | C | Will the Spezza-Karlsson chemistry continue next season? | 29 |
| 26 | Marc-Andre Fleury | PIT | G | Only 11 goals against in his last 9 games – all wins. | 32 |
| 27 | Martin St Louis | TBL | R | Too little too late for St. Louis and the Lightning probably. | 23 |
| 28 | Roberto Luongo | VAN | G | He’s given up 16 goals in his last 4 games. | 22 |
| 29 | Taylor Hall | EDM | L | On a 4-game goal scoring streak. | 37 |
| 30 | Anze Kopitar | LAK | C | Looks like adding Carter has taken some pressure off the Kopitar line. | 30 |
| 31 | Tomas Vokoun | WSH | G | Playing well, but coach still leaning towards Neuvirth. | 24 |
| 32 | Marian Hossa | CHI | R | Hoss has turned it up a notch just in time for the Blackhawks’ playoff run. | 26 |
| 33 | Tim Thomas | BOS | G | Kind of seems like Boston signed Turco a month or so ago and has been letting him play in Thomas’ jersey. | 15 |
| 34 | Patrick Marleau | SJS | L | Can he prove Roenick wrong and get the Sharks in the playoffs? | 35 |
| 35 | Patrick Sharp | CHI | L | Sharp and his teammates seem to have overcome their recent slump. | 33 |
| 36 | John Tavares | NYI | C | Back on again – 7 points in his last 5 games. | 39 |
| 37 | David Backes | STL | R | McDonald has another injury, so Backes will need to shoulder the load again. | 34 |
| 38 | Ilya Bryzgalov | PHI | G | Has only given up 7 goals in his last 7 games, all wins. | 41 |
| 39 | Zdeno Chara | BOS | D | Hope the Bruins recent goalie troubles don’t affect his Norris chances. | 38 |
| 40 | Nicklas Lidstrom | DET | D | Bone bruise has kept him out for more than a week now. | 36 |
| 41 | Blake Wheeler | WPG | R | 20 points in his last 12 games. | 40 |
| 42 | Henrik Zetterberg | DET | L | Henrik is the healthy Red Wing this year. | 43 |
| 43 | Max Pacioretty | MTL | L | Riding a 7-game point streak. | 44 |
| 44 | Evander Kane | WPG | L | Going to be a 40-goal scorer next season. | 48 |
| 45 | Eric Staal | CAR | C | Cooled off this past week and +/- went down again. | 42 |
| 46 | Miikka Kiprusoff | CGY | G | If the Flames make the playoffs, somebody needs to buy this guy a sandwich or something. | - |
| 47 | Michael Ryder | DAL | R | Bruins are really missing this guy right now. | 49 |
| 48 | Johan Franzen | DET | R | Mr. Consistency this year. | 46 |
| 49 | Jordan Eberle | EDM | R | Still rolling in Edmonton. | 47 |
| 50 | David Clarkson | NJD | R | Having a career year. | - |
On the bubble:
Jeff Carter (LAK C), Jordan Staal (PIT C), Bryan Little (WPG C), Matt Moulson (NYI L), Gabriel Landeskog (COL L), PA Parenteau (NYI L), David Perron (STL L), Jamie Benn (DAL L), Jarome Iginla (CGY R), Dustin Brown (LAK R), Radim Vrbata (PHX R), Jack Johnson, (CBJ D), Alex Pietrangelo (STL D), Ryan Miller (BUF G), Mike Smith (PHX G), Cam Ward (CAR G), Brian Elliott (STL G), Martin Brodeur (NJD G)
Now for the best part – tell us what you think of our rankings. We know you won’t agree with us on everything, but we hope we got some right. Let’s hear your comments!