On Wednesday, the NHL Network continued its positional rankings ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, and this week, it focused on the top 20 wingers in the National Hockey League.
Despite having a career year, putting up 40 goals and 73 points, along with being a point-per-game player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser was left off of the NHL Network's list.
There is a ton of talent in the top 20; there's no doubt about that. Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning took the top spot, while Matthew Tkachuk (Florida), Mikko Rantanen (Colorado), David Pastrnak (Boston), and Artemi Panarin (New York R) rounded out the top five.
Six of the top 20 were players on Canadian teams - William Nylander (8th - Toronto), Mitch Marner (10th - Toronto), Zach Hyman (11th - Edmonton), Brady Tkachuk (12th - Ottawa) and Kyle Connor (15th - Winnipeg).
It's pretty puzzling why Brock Boeser could be left off of this list from the NHL Network. He had a fantastic season, finished 16th in the entire National Hockey League in goals and was tenth among right-wingers.
Next season is going to be another big one for Brock Boeser as he's in the final year of his contract and will be looking to prove to everyone that the 2023-24 season wasn't a fluke and he can be an elite goal scorer in the NHL for years to come. If Boeser has another strong year, he could be looking at a big payday from either the Canucks or another team if he hits the open market on July 1st.
POLL | ||
AOUT 15 | 179 ANSWERS NHL Network disrespects Canucks forward Brock Boeser Do you think Brock Boeser is a top-20 right winger in the NHL? | ||
Yes | 126 | 70.4 % |
He's top-10 in my eyes | 15 | 8.4 % |
Unsure | 38 | 21.2 % |
List of polls |