In a new set of rankings of the best wingers in the NHL released by the NHL Network, Jake Guentzel finds himself outside the Top 10, something Penguins fans may find hard to believe.
The NHL Network released its new “Top 20 Wings Right Now” list and the rankings are as follows:
- Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
- Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
- Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Jonathan Huberdeau, Calgary Flames
- Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche
- Johnny Gaudreau, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
- Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
- Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
- David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
- Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
- Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
- Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
- Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
- Alex DeBrincat, Ottawa Senators
- Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche
- Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators
- Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Coming off of a 40-goal campaign, one might except Guentzel to be rated a bit higher. I don’t think anyone expects Guentzel to be rated higher than players like Alex Ovechkin, who scored 50 goals at 36 years old, or Nikita Kucherov, who continues to be one of the best wingers in the league.
Where I find the rankings questionable are where Guentzel sits behind players like Patrick Kane, who scored 26 goals last year.
Sure, goals aren’t the be-all, end-all when it comes to wingers, but scoring goals is the main basis of their play, whereas for centers, it’s a combination of goal-scoring and playmaking.
Would you have ranked Guentzel higher than 14th? Who would you rank below him?