William Nylander Earns Elite NHL Ranking, But Mitch Marner Still Edges Him Out
Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
NHL Network released their rankings for the top right wingers in the league and William Nylander finds himself near the top of the list; but still can't beat former teammate Mitch Marner.
Every year, there's a debate around the league about who is the best player at their respective positions. The obvious names that stick out are Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Nikita Kucherov; though the league has no shortage of world-class talent.
The NHL Network always puts out their own rankings regarding player positioning, and the topic for Wednesday involved determining the Top 20 right-wingers in the league currently.
How Nylander Climbed Into the NHL's Elite Tier
The star-studded list includes some of the best in the world, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are well represented, with William Nylander hitting the list at #6. It's a great accolade for Nylander; who just won the Guldpucken as Sweden's top hockey player, but he still gets bested by a former teammate turned enemy.
The list is as follows, and you'll notice a very familiar name sitting above Nylander on the list:
Topping the list is Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov, but looking down the list you'll notice Mitch Marner sitting fifth; just above Nylander. Marner leaped up this season after a 102-point campaign, and sat 10th last year while Nylander didn't change spots.
Both rankings are suitable for each respective player, as Marner is one of the best in the world and Nylander is getting close to that moniker; if he can put in another 45+ goal season then it's going to only raise his stock more.
Some of the more interesting rankings are Brady Tkachuk ahead of Jason Robertson and Clayton Keller, Alex Ovechkin only at #17 after breaking the all-time goals record, and Jesper Bratt at 12th is quite the surprise.
Names left off the 2025 list compared to last season include Steven Stamkos, Jake Guentzel, Brad Marchand, and Travis Konecny.
What This Ranking Says About the Maple Leafs' Core
Well, we don't see other names on the list considering that the right hand side of the team is notoriously weaker than the left, it does show the team is still in good hands even without Marner.
If Nylander can continue his 45+ goal pace and even touch 50 potentially, that coupled with a rejuvenated John Tavares, a healthy Auston Matthews and some new help in Nic Roy and Matias Maccelli; the future is bright for Toronto.
Plus he's locked up long-term and is going to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come, so if the fans were worried there is a lack of stability with Marner out of the picture have to see Nylander as the new sidekick to Captain Matthews.
We will need to see how the NHL Network ranks both their left wing and center positions, and there's a very good chance we can see Matthews, Tavares, and Knies all on the list.
Which means that Toronto is going to be just fine without Mitch Marner, even if he's expected to be better than Nylander.
At least according to the NHL Network that is.
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AOUT 7 | 930 ANSWERS William Nylander Earns Elite NHL Ranking, But Mitch Marner Still Edges Him Out Who do you think overall is the better right winger? Mitch Marner or William Nylander? | ||
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