NHL Network Ranks Top 20 Wingers: Was Alex Ovechkin Too Low?

The NHL Network released their ranked Top 20 Wingers ahead of the 2024-25 season. The state of Florida is well-represented in the top 10. Leading the list was Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, followed by Matthew Tkachuk of the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Newly re-signed Sam Reinhart of the Panthers was also ninth. Mikko Rantanen, David Pastrnak, Artemi Panarin, Jason Robertson, Kirill Kaprizov, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner were also all included among the top 10. The second half of the list includes Zach Hyman at 11, Brady Tkachuk at 12, and a pair of new Nashville Predators teammates in Steven Stamkos and Filip Forsberg at 13 and 14 respectively. New Lightning member Jake Guentzel is also at 16. When it comes to Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, he ranked 19th out of the 20. The full list is below:

Introducing the Top 20 Wings Right Now!

What are your thoughts on our list?@NHL | #NHLTopPlayers pic.twitter.com/8HIrTkNSPp

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 14, 2024

While there are many great wingers in the NHL, is Ovechkin ranked too low on this list? Should he have been higher? I can understand Capitals fans who believe he should be ranked higher than 19 on this list. There is an important aspect to this list though in regard to Ovechkin.

Alex Ovechkin Getting Older

The reality is that Ovechkin is 38 years old. He turns 39 in September. While 31 goals and 65 points is a great season for a lot of players in the league, it is not the same for a talent of Alex Ovechkin’s caliber. He has produced nine campaigns of 50 or more goals. His career high is 65 goals.

Some fans may feel like he deserves to be higher on the list, but a lot of these other wingers are getting into their prime and posting more numbers than he is at this stage in his career. Some wingers produced a better goal total in 2023-24, and they did not get put on the NHL Network’s Top 20 Wingers list. This includes the Vancouver Canucks’ Brock Boeser and the New Jersey Devils’ Jesper Bratt. Boeser finished last season with 40 goals and 33 assists for 73 points in 81 games. Bratt, meanwhile, scored 27 goals and registered 56 assists for 83 points in 82 games. Both can be justified being ahead of Ovechkin on this list.

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) shoots the puck against San Jose Sharks right wing Justin Bailey, second from right, and center Nico Sturm during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Also, if Ovechkin moves up on this list from NHL Network, who falls? Utah’s Clayton Keller had 33 goals and 43 assists for 76 points in 78 games for the Arizona Coyotes. Jake Guentzel of the Lightning, who split last season between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Carolina Hurricanes, totaled 30 goals and 47 assists for 77 points. Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins, ranked right ahead of Ovechkin at 18, scored 29 goals and 38 assists for 67 points in 82 games. If fans want to make an argument that they should flip and Ovechkin should be ahead of Marchand, there is an argument there. Ovechkin would not be going that much higher though.

A New Season Ahead for Alex Ovechkin

At the end of the day, these rankings are based on how well the players did last season. Just because Alex Ovechkin had 31 goals and 65 points in 2023-24, does not mean that he cannot have a better campaign in 2024-25. I have said it before and I will say it again: he is only 42 goals away from Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record. He scored 42 goals in 2022-23. Ovechkin is slowing down, but by no means does that mean he cannot top his goal and point totals from last season. He might even have a chance of breaking the record this campaign if he gets hot.

These rankings are a fun activity for NHL Network to put out to gear up for this upcoming season. No matter where he ranks on their top winger list, he is still a crucial member to Washington’s offense. The 2024-25 season is almost upon us. With that, fans will see how Ovechkin does offensively and how many wins the Capitals get as a team.