With the 2024–25 regular season over and the playoffs in full swing, why don’t we give all the teams some love? Here is every team’s best player, speaking generally, with an honorable mention included.
The Anaheim Ducks have a few good choices here, but 23-year-old center Mason McTavish was their most productive player on a per-minute basis. Since being selected third overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, he has established a solid offensive game. He can shoot, pass, and see the ice well. The Ducks have a good one, but they’ll need to pay the pending restricted free agent, and perhaps handsomely.
Honorable mention: Jackson LaCombe
This one’s a no-brainer. The Boston Bruins had a miserable season, finishing last in their division for the first time since 2006–07 (back when divisions had five teams instead of eight). One of the few bright spots for them was David Pastrňák—he reached the 100-point mark when nobody else sniffed 60.
Honorable mention: Charlie McAvoy
It’s not easy to find good news for the Buffalo Sabres, who knew they’d be missing the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season by Christmas, but Rasmus Dahlin performed. The 25-year-old blueliner is a bona fide superstar, backed up by nearly scoring at a point-per-game rate (68 points in 73 games). Few defenders are as skilled as he is.
Honorable mention: Tage Thompson
No, it’s not crazy to put a rookie goalie on here. The Calgary Flames were a single point away from pulling off an improbable playoff berth, and at least 90% of that (not literally) is because of Dustin Wolf’s play between the pipes. His athleticism is off the charts—he’s poised to be the next superstar netminder in the NHL. In fact, it would be more surprising if he wasn’t.
Honorable mention: MacKenzie Weegar
This is the best shutdown defenseman in the league, and that’s been the case for quite some time. Jaccob Slavin plays the Carolina Hurricanes’ challenging system perfectly—entering Carolina’s zone, much less creating a scoring chance, is pretty difficult when he’s on the ice. As of writing, he’s received at least one vote in the Norris Trophy race every season since 2016–17.
Honorable mention: Sebastian Aho
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