Connor McDavid ranked 3rd, Leon Draisaitl 13th on ESPN’s list of Top 25 NHL players of the 21st century

Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, the first two superstars of the salary cap era who broke into the league simultaneously in 2005-06, were unsurprisingly ranked first and second. Crosby owns one of the most decorated trophy cases in the sport’s history, as the Nova Scotia native has two Olympic Gold Medals, three Stanley Cups, a QMJHL Championship, a World Juniors Gold Medal, and numerous individual awards. Ovechkin has also won the Stanley Cup and is chasing down Wayne Gretzky’s record for most goals in NHL history, something that seemed unthinkable 20 years ago.

In third place is Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, who has produced at a historic pace over the first nine years of his career but hasn’t yet won hockey’s top prize.

“It could be daunting to be touted as The Next One behind Edmonton Oilers legend Wayne Gretzky. McDavid isn’t like the rest, though. Edmonton’s captain has embraced that spotlight as Gretzky’s heir apparent. It was fitting when McDavid broke a record Gretzky set in 1987-88 with his 32nd assist of the 2024 postseason during Edmonton’s run to a Stanley Cup Final. McDavid had long been an exceptional playmaker in his own right, but the way he carried the Oilers back from a 3-0 series deficit in the Final to force a decisive Game 7 was spectacular. And it rightly earned McDavid a Conn Smythe Trophy in the losing effort.” – Kirsten Shilton

Three-time Stanley Cup winner Patrick Kane is the first American player on the list at fourth and seven-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom is the first defenceman at fifth. Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche is ranked sixth, and then two goals, Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist, come in and seventh and eighth. After Evgeni Malkin, Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, and Steven Stamkos is Leon Draisaitl, who lands 13th on the list.

Draisaitl was drafted third in 2014 with the hope he could become a key player for the Oilers’ future plans. Instead? He emerged into a second generational center alongside McDavid. A three-time 50-goal scorer, he’s had more than 100 points in five of the past six seasons. In 2020, he won the Hart and Art Ross, which further cemented his status as one of the NHL’s best contemporary players.” — Ryan S. Clark