NHL Network is spending the offseason presenting the best current NHL players at each position. On Sunday, the network’s producers and analysts will reveal their list of the top 20 wings in a special program that airs at 5 pm ET. To add to that conversation, we asked six NHL.com writers to pick the player they think will be the best wing in the NHL in three seasons. Here are their choices:
Kirill KaprizovMinnesota Wild
Three years? Kaprizov might be the best wing in the NHL right now. He certainly has a pretty darn good case for it after last season, when he was fifth in the NHL, and third among wings, with 108 points (47 goals, 61 assists) in 81 games. Kaprizov is 25 years old and only two seasons into what surely looks to be a fantastic NHL career, so there is zero reason to think he will slow down in three years. In those two seasons, Kaprizov has 159 points (74 goals, 85 assists) in 136 games (he’s missed just two) for an average of 1.17 points per game, ninth among all wings in that span. Of the eight that are in front of him, six are at least four years older, and the two that aren’t Mitchell Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs (1.29) and Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche (1.24), who are each also 25 and probably Kaprizov’s best competition in this category along with Matthew Tkachuk. However, Kaprizov’s ability to take over a game with his speed, power and goal-scoring prowess puts him a step ahead of the pack. He’s going to be better in three years than he is now, which is terrifying for the rest of the NHL. — Dan Rosen, senior writer
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Dan made a great case for why Kaprizov will be — if he isn’t already — the best wing in the NHL in three years. His age, production and ability to take over a game are apparent, but he’s also a winner. In his two NHL seasons, the Wild are 88-38-12, including setting their record wins (53) and points (113) last season, and Kaprizov was a big reason for that. He had at least one point in 63 of the 81 games he played last season, with the Wild going 43-13-7 in those games. In the 18 where he didn’t record a point, they were 9-9-0. Kaprizov, who set Wild records for goals (47), assists (61) and points (108) in a season last year, finished seventh in voting for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, an award he will likely win at least once during the next three seasons. — David Satriano, staff writer
Video: Top 10 Kirill Kaprizov Plays from the 2021-22 Season
Filip ForsbergNashville Predators
He might be one of the most underrated players in the NHL, but that is going to change during the next three seasons. Now that his future in Nashville is set with the eight-year contract he signed on July 11, Forsberg can focus solely on hockey and doing what he does best: scoring goals. The 28-year-old scored an NHL career-high 42 goals last season, which was tied for fifth among NHL wings, and since his first full season in 2014-15, he has scored 219 goals, which is seventh. He’s ready to take off and will only get better. Imagine what he will be in three seasons. — Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief
Video: Top 5 Filip Forsberg Plays from the 2021-22 Season
Kyle ConnorWinnipeg Jets
Since Connor plays for the Jets, he might not get the attention a player in a bigger market might receive, but there are few better goal-scorers in the NHL right now, and because he’s only 25, he’ll still be in his prime. in three seasons. Connor is one of five players to score at least 25 goals in each of the past five seasons (Leon Draisaitl, Brad Marchand, Austin Matthews, Connor McDavid), and he had a career-high 47 in 79 games last season. He’s also durable, having played at least 75 games in three of the past four full seasons, and all 56 games in the pandemic-shortened season in 2020-21. Connor is an under-the-radar star now, but with three more seasons at his current rate, no one will be overlooking him. — Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor
Video: Top 5 Kyle Connor Plays from the 2021-22 Season
Jason RobertsonDallas Stars
I’m following in Adam’s footsteps and selecting another under-the-radar player in Robertson. A second-round pick (No. 39) by Dallas in the 2017 NHL Draft, Robertson has emerged as an elite scorer, and I think he’ll continue that upward trend. The 23-year-old led the Stars last season with 41 goals and was second with 79 points in 74 games, and he showed a penchant for timely plays, tying Draisaitl, Chris Kreider and Steven Stamkos for the NHL lead with 11 game-winning goals. Rick Bowness, who stepped down as Stars coach on May 20 after three seasons, summed it up perfectly after he said he challenged Robertson following his rookie season: “Maybe (in 2020-21) he snuck in a couple of games where teams weren’t.” t too sure who he was. Now they know. … It’s a tough league. You find out in a hurry that they’re ready for you and you’ve got to continue to grow.” Robertson has certainly done that. — William Douglas, staff writer
Video: DAL@CGY, Gm5: Robertson nets 1st career playoff goal
Alex DeBrincatOttawa Senators
Yeah, I’m being a tad biased here. DeBrincat put up great numbers in his first five NHL seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, and I expect him to do the same with the Senators over the next three. Last season, DeBrincat tied his NHL career high with 41 goals, and since 2018-19, he has scored 132, which is fourth among his position behind Alex Ovechkin (173), David Pastrnak (146) and Connor (145). The guy knows where to be and how to take advantage of a pass, and with 147 assists, he knows how to dish it as well. The 24-year-old is just now entering the prime of his career. — Tracey Myers, staff writer
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