The top 50 players in the post-lockout era

The NHL took on the unforgiving task of comparing players from each of its generations, compiling a 100 Greatest Players list for reveal in Los Angeles this weekend as part of the All-Star festivities.

While we admire their zest, it's not a task we'll gleefully take on ourselves. We will, however, scrutinize this generation.

Here are the top 50 players in the post-lockout era - 2005-06 and beyond - broken down categorically.

League Pillars

Sidney Crosby - an NHL-best 1.33 points per game
Alex Ovechkin - only player with 1,000 points; his 547 goals are 181 more than the next most prolific sniper

Poles apart, but together sharing in the rescue of the NHL in its tenuous return from the 2004-05 lockout. Crosby and Ovechkin - and their only partially engineered rivalry - represent more than a generational and procedural shift; these all-time greats repaired and lifted the sport to new heights.

Hall of Fame Careers Established

Pavel Datsyuk - a league-best plus-227
Henrik Lundqvist - the most starts, most wins, and a .920 save percentage maintained over 12 seasons
Evgeni Malkin - his 1.18 points per game is second to Crosby
Daniel Sedin - the goal-scorer in the family, Daniel has over 300 goals and 800 points
Henrik Sedin - the 2010 Hart Trophy winner ranks fourth with 856 points
Joe Thornton - his 125-point season in 2005-06 the highest single-season total

With the exception of Lundqvist, this group of players didn't usher in the NHL, providing a convenient point of reference. Regardless, they've carved out Hall of Fame careers under the new directive.

Legendary Farewells

Martin Brodeur - won 135 games in the space of three seasons from 2005 to 2008
Nicklas Lidstrom - his 0.76 points per game rate second only to Erik Karlsson among defenders with 250-plus games
Scott Niedermayer - won the Conn Smythe and his fourth Stanley Cup in 2007
Chris Pronger -- three Stanley Cup Final appearances (with three different teams) in six seasons
Martin St. Louis -- the Art Ross winner in 2013; collected 774 points in 770 games

All-time great careers were interrupted when the NHL ceased its operations. Some merely hung on for a few seasons; others heightened their legend.

Transcendent Stars on Path to 1st-Balllot Induction

Patrick Kane - reigning Hart Trophy winner is one of five active players averaging more than a point per game
Erik Karlsson - his 0.81 points rate tops among all defensemen
Carey Price - the only netminder to win the Hart Trophy

Each major trophy winners, Kane, Karlsson, and Price raised the standard at their positions over the last few seasons.

The Exception to Every Rule

Jaromir Jagr - his 123-point season in 2005-06 is the second highest total for a single season

Unable to sort the ageless one. Though he's had only a few elite campaigns in the post-lockout era, Jagr wouldn't be the second all-time leading scorer without his bonus seasons borne from tireless dedication.

The Glory

Drew Doughty - two-time Stanley Cup champion and Norris Trophy winner
Marian Hossa - five appearances and three wins in the Stanley Cup Final
Duncan Keith - three Cups, and his 490 points the most among defensemen
Anze Kopitar - two Stanley Cups, as well as a Selke and a Lady Byng
Jonathan Toews - three-time Stanley Cup champion and a Conn Smythe Trophy winner

Championships have to count for something, right?

Former or Fleeting Dominance

Zdeno Chara - Stanley Cup-winning captain, and a win from six Norris nominations
Jarome Iginla - second to Ovechkin with 367 goals
Ilya Kovalchuk - one of three players to average better than a half goal per game
Tim Thomas - one of two multiple Vezina Trophy winners
Henrik Zetterberg - eighth in scoring with 782 points

Mastery is often short lived. Across many seasons, or in spurts, these players were at the top of their classes.

All-Star Bedrock

Nicklas Backstrom - 511 assists in 701 games
Patrice Bergeron - three-time Selke winner
Jeff Carter - seventh with 331 goals
Ryan Getzlaf - fourth with 550 assists
Claude Giroux - 0.89 points per game
Roberto Luongo - second with 369 wins
Corey Perry - won the Hart with his 50-goal, 98-point 2010-11 season
Tuukka Rask - league-best .923 save percentage
Steven Stamkos - second to Ovechkin with 0.55 goals per game
P.K. Subban - 2013 Norris winner
John Tavares - 0.92 points per game
Shea Weber - league-best 178 goals among defensemen

Within the foundation that supports a vibrant, competitive, healthy NHL, there are so many fantastic players. Chapters still need to be written with this band of All-Stars, major award winners, and champions.

Shelf Life

Daniel Alfredsson - 279 points across three seasons beginning in 2005-06; 13th in points per game
Patrick Marleau - fifth with 345 goals
Rick Nash - fourth with 349 goals
Teemu Selanne - 11th with 0.41 goals per game
Jason Spezza - 12th with 765 points
Eric Staal - seventh with 790 points

All they've done is produce - for long, long periods of time.

Other Standouts

Brent Burns - tops with 65 goals in 213 games since moving back to the blue line
Marian Gaborik - three 40-goal seasons, and the NHL's sixth-best per game goal rate
Mike Green - his 31-goal season in 2008-09 the best single campaign among defensemen
Dany Heatley - one of five players with multiple 100-point seasons, and one of four with multiple 50-goal seasons

Future is Now

Connor McDavid - 1.11 points rate through 95 games trails Crosby, Ovechkin, and Malkin.

In the first injury-free first half of his career, McDavid leads the NHL in scoring at the All-Star break. He'll lead one of these lists soon enough.