theScore's top 100 NHL players: 60-51
Leading up to the start of the 2018-19 season, theScore will be counting down the top 100 players in the game today, as voted on by four of our NHL editors. We'll reveal 10 players every weekday until the top 10 is unveiled on Oct. 3.
100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
60. Jonathan Quick, Kings
Wegman | O'Leary | Gold-Smith | Hagerman |
---|---|---|---|
56 | 57 | 63 | 65 |
After missing the majority of the 2016-17 season, Quick bounced back in a big way, posting a 2.40 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage - his highest mark since 2012. He did so in front of a middling Kings offense. Meanwhile, he also had the fifth-highest goals saved above average in the league.-- Hagerman
59. Ryan O'Reilly, Blues
Wegman | O'Leary | Gold-Smith | Hagerman |
---|---|---|---|
42 | 59 | 59 | 80 |
O'Reilly is arguably the most underrated player in hockey. He had two penalty minutes, an excellent takeaway/giveaway ratio, set an NHL record for faceoff wins, and drove possession at a 50.7 percent rate last season despite starting the bulk of his shifts in the defensive end. He served as the matchup center on a poor Sabres team and still managed 61 points. -- Wegman
58. Sean Monahan, Flames
Wegman | O'Leary | Gold-Smith | Hagerman |
---|---|---|---|
57 | 69 | 56 | 58 |
One of the game's more underappreciated two-way centers, Monahan has averaged 29 goals and nearly 33 assists over the last four seasons, and the 23-year-old already has five NHL campaigns under his belt. Even more impressive is the fact that he was his typically productive self in 2017-18 despite playing through a multitude of injuries. -- Gold-Smith
57. Shayne Gostisbehere, Flyers
Wegman | O'Leary | Gold-Smith | Hagerman |
---|---|---|---|
67 | 51 | 54 | 62 |
Gostisbehere bounced back from a troublesome sophomore season with a terrific 2017-18, ranking fourth among all blue-liners with 65 points in 78 games. The 25-year-old quarterbacks one of the leagues best power plays and his $4.5-million cap hit until 2023 is looking like a mighty fine bargain for the Flyers. -- O'Leary
56. Carey Price, Canadiens
Wegman | O'Leary | Gold-Smith | Hagerman |
---|---|---|---|
86 | 45 | 45 | 55 |
Price wasn't himself last season, that much is a given. So with that, his usual ranking dropped, but when healthy, it's still hard to argue that Price isn't among the top five goalies in the world. -- Hagerman
55. Jakub Voracek, Flyers
Wegman | O'Leary | Gold-Smith | Hagerman |
---|---|---|---|
91 | 46 | 42 | 48 |
Voracek is an excellent passer who established career highs with 65 assists and 85 points last season. The Flyers winger often benefits from playing with talented linemates, but he has plenty of skill in his own right. Voracek could stand to score more, but he makes up for that with his playmaking abilities. -- Gold-Smith
54. Ryan Ellis, Predators
Wegman | O'Leary | Gold-Smith | Hagerman |
---|---|---|---|
41 | 55 | 66 | 59 |
Ellis missed the first half of last season after undergoing offseason knee surgery and returned to play the best hockey of his life, racking up nine goals and 23 assists in 44 games, which would've put him on pace for a 60-point year over a full season. With a clean bill of health, look for the 27-year-old to continue to blossom into one of the game's most well-rounded blue-liners. -- Wegman
53. Mark Stone, Senators
Wegman | O'Leary | Gold-Smith | Hagerman |
---|---|---|---|
52 | 38 | 67 | 60 |
Since 2014-15, Stone ranks seventh among all right-wingers with 241 points, and his career-best 1.07 points per game last season indicates he has even more to give on offense. Factored in with his defensive prowess - he ranked fourth at his position with 59 takeaways in 2017-18 - he's one of the most complete players in the game. -- O'Leary
52. John Klingberg, Stars
Wegman | O'Leary | Gold-Smith | Hagerman |
---|---|---|---|
53 | 53 | 51 | 56 |
Klingberg is further proof that Sweden pumps out the top offensive defensemen in the NHL. The 26-year-old had a monstrous 2018, posting career highs in assists (59) and points (67) - one back of John Carlson for the most among any defenseman in the league. -- Hagerman
51. Connor Hellebuyck, Jets
Wegman | O'Leary | Gold-Smith | Hagerman |
---|---|---|---|
62 | 54 | 49 | 50 |
Hellebuyck is just hitting his stride at age 25, posting a .931 save percentage at 5-on-5 last regular season, according to Corsica, along with a respectable .922 mark at 5-on-5 in the playoffs while helping the Winnipeg Jets reach the Western Conference Final. He appeared in 84 games combined in 2017-18, but he's proven he can shoulder the heavy load. -- Gold-Smith