Every NHL Team's Best Player During the 2024-25 Season

It's OK, we'll do the math. Thirty-two NHL teams with 20 players apiece means 640 names in all.

All are world class. Many are elite. Few are stars.

And while it may be hard for some fans to believe it at times, each team has at least one who rose above the rest in 2024-25.

The B/R hockey staff took it upon itself to decide who they were while compiling a list of each team's best player from the recently completed regular season.

Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.

Boston Bruins: David Pastrnak, RW

It would be nice to see him on a playoff stage these days, but an ugly season for the team only slightly dims the shine on the sublimely skilled Pastrnak, who reached 40 goals, 60 points and 100 points for a second straight season. He spent a career-high 20:13 on the ice each night, too, tops among Boston's forwards.

Buffalo Sabres: Tage Thompson, C

The Sabres haven't seen the postseason since their best player, Thompson, was 13 years old. Still, his 44 goals were the second-most in his career as were his 72 points. Interestingly, though his 242 shots were his fewest in a full season since 2018-19, his 18.2 shooting percentage was a career high.

Detroit Red Wings: Lucas Raymond, LW

It's been three seasons of gradual improvement for Raymond, who arrived as the fourth overall pick in 2020 and has ticked up from 45 to 72 to a team-high 80 points over the last three seasons. His eight power-play goals were fourth on the team, and he was only player to score on both the power play and shorthanded.

Florida Panthers: Matthew Tkachuk, LW

Missing 30 games usually precludes a player from taking this spot, but there's no one who exceeds Tkachuk's value to the Panthers. He was shelved from February to the end of the season but had the highest point-per-game average (1.10) on the team and his 11 power-play goals were second to Sam Reinhart's 13.

Montreal Canadiens: Lane Hutson, D

It's hard to argue that much of the excitement in Montreal going forward surrounds the dynamically skilled Hutson, who will compete for a Calder Trophy after emerging as a 21-year-old this season. A second-round pick in 2022, he had two assists in a two-game cameo last season, then upped it to a team-high 60 in 2024-25.

Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk LW

He finished 20-plus points off the team lead, but we dare you to suggest a better player in Canada's capital city than the eternally rugged Tkachuk, who did lead the team in goals (29), power-play goals (14), game-winning goals (5) and penalty minutes (123). More good news? He won 51.3 percent of his faceoffs.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Nikita Kucherov, RW

Four 30-goal/80-point scorers could make for a difficult choice, but it's still no contest with the Lightning, where Kucherov's 121 points were tops in the league. It's the third straight season and fifth in his career in which the Russian reached 100 points and provided a third Art Ross Trophy.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Mitch Marner, RW

Auston Matthews may track down Alex Ovechkin and goalie Joseph Woll provided hope for the future. Still, no one wearing a Maple Leaf crest was any better than Marner, whose career-high 102 points was wonderfully timed given his imminent unrestricted free agent status. The point-per-game clip was his seventh in a row.

Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Bedard, C

The picks for some teams are a little easier than others. That's surely the case in Chicago, where another subpar season was highlighted by second-year phenom Bedard, the 19-year-old who bumped his point total from 61 to 67 while leading the team in power-play goals, power-play points and ice time among forwards.

Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon, C

There's no shortage of stars in the Rocky Mountain hockey sky, but it's hard to argue the credentials of MacKinnon, whose 116 points were second in the league and 84 assists were tied for first. It's a third straight season of 100-plus points for 2013's first overall pick, who won a Hart Trophy for his efforts last season.

Dallas Stars: Matt Duchene, C

It's another team with a number of possible picks, but we'll go with the resurgent old guy in Duchene, whose 82 points were the second-highest total in a 16-season career. The 34-year-old reached the 30-goal plateau for the third time and his 52 assists were a career high.

Minnesota Wild: Matt Boldy, LW

Having Kirill Kaprizov miss 41 games was not good news for the Wild, but it did enable a spike to the team's elite level from Boldy, a 24-year-old whose 73 points were a career high and led the team. His 10 game-winning goals and 20:17 of ice time were also his best totals in four NHL seasons.

Nashville Predators: Filip Forsberg, LW

Defenseman Roman Josi missed more than two-dozen games and goaltender Jusse Saros experienced a bit of a dropoff, opening the "best player" door for Forsberg, who led the team across the board in goals (31), assists (45) and points (76). His 10 power-play goals marked his fourth time to double digits in that category.

St. Louis Blues: Robert Thomas, C

A second-half surge gives Jordan Binnington reason to make the conversation here, but we'll go with Thomas, who missed 12 games but still reached 80 points for the second time while compiling a career-best plus-20 rating. His pace through 70 games would have yielded 95 over a full 82-game schedule.

Utah Hockey Club: Clayton Keller, C

It's a welcome to the big time for Keller, the 2016 seventh overall pick who spiked to career highs in both assists (60) and points (90) while scoring at least 30 goals for the third consecutive season. The 26-year-old also posted career-best totals in power-play goals (10), power-play points (37) and game-winning goals (5).

Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck, G

There are a lot of reasons to celebrate Kyle Connor here, but it would be criminal to ignore the stellar numbers posted by Hellebuyck, who's likely to capture a third Vezina Trophy after career highs in wins (47), goals-against average (2.00) and save percentage (.925). Another Vezina would make him the only active goalie with three.

Carolina Hurricanes: Seth Jarvis, C

Another in a collection of players loved by the hardcore fanbase, Jarvis is a first-round pick from the 2020 draft who has panned out. Two straight years over the 30-goal mark provide ample street cred, as does his 2024-25 team lead in shorthanded goals (5) and second-place finish with seven on the power play.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Zach Werenski, D

He may not get the Norris Trophy thanks to the spectacular play of a certain defenseman in Colorado, but Werenski is a picture of preeminence in middle Ohio. He was one of three full-time NHL blueliners to average better than a point per game, upping his career-best total from 57 to 82.

New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes, C

Oh, if only Hughes could stay healthy for a full season. Still just 23 years old, the 2019 No. 1 overall pick was on pace for a 36-goal, 93-point finish when he was shelved with a shoulder injury in early March and wound up playing just 62 games. He's never played a full 82 games and has exceeded 62 only once.

New York Islanders: Ilya Sorokin, G

It was by no means his best season, but it's hard to argue that the Islanders would have won as often as they did without the services of Sorokin. The workhorse's 60 starts were tied for fourth in the league and his 30 wins made him one of just 10 goalies to reach that number. His four shutouts doubled last year's total, too.

New York Rangers: Artemi Panarin, LW

The season was a big flop on Long Island and perhaps an even bigger one on Broadway, as the Rangers went from a Presidents' Trophy to a missed playoff in one year. But it doesn't fully obscure the individual brilliance of Panarin, who was a point-per-game player for the eighth consecutive NHL season.

Philadelphia Flyers: Matvei Michkov, RW

No disrespect to teammate and fellow right winger Travis Konecny, but any optimism in Philly these days has most to do with Michkov, the 20-year-old who tied No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini with 63 points as a rookie. Seeing what the Russian can do in John Tortorella's absence will be a top storyline this fall.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby, C

At some point, he's got to start acting his age, right? Maybe so, but until then, Crosby remains the gold standard for players in the late 30s thanks to a 20th consecutive season averaging a point-per-game or better. His 12 power-play goals were his most in six seasons and his 10 game winners were a career high.

Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin, LW

There must be something about old guys chasing Wayne Gretzky's records. Crosby's 20th season of a point per game eclipsed No. 99's 19 straight and most of Washington's season was built around Ovechkin's pursuit of goal No. 895. Along the way, his 0.68 goals-per-game average was sixth-best in his 20-year career.

Anaheim Ducks: Lukas Dostal, G

Given Anaheim's sixth-place finish in the division and significant distance (16 points) from the playoff cutline, there wasn't much to cheer about. But Dostal posted a slightly-above-average save percentage (.903) on a team that allowed more shots per game (32.3) than any other in the league, which is good enough for us.

Calgary Flames: Dustin Wolf, G

You want to quibble about Nazem Kadri or others? Fine. We'll contend that Wolf was both Calgary's best and most important player, thanks to a rookie season in which he made 53 starts, won 29 games and had a 2.64 goals-against average. He may be the rock in the Flames' net for years to come.

Edmonton Oilers: Leon Draisaitl, C

It's not easy to supplant Connor McDavid for a "best player" title, but that's what Draisaitl did while recording a league-high 52 goals. It was his fourth time to 50 or more and, paired with 54 assists, allowed him to score six more points (106 to 100) than McDavid and made him a favorite for a second Hart Trophy.

Los Angeles Kings: Darcy Kuemper, G

Raise your hand if you forecast a big-time bounce-back season from the soon-to-be 35-year-old, who was brought back for a second tour of duty in L.A. after an offseason trade from Washington. Kuemper was a top finisher in goals-against average (2.02), save percentage (.922) and shutouts (5).

San Jose Sharks: Macklin Celebrini, C

It was another miserable season in northern California, but it's clear the Sharks hit paydirt on Celebrini, who was selected first overall in last year's draft as an 18-year-old. He had a goal and an assist in his first NHL game in October and finished with the franchise's new rookie record for points at 63.

Seattle Kraken: Joey Daccord, G

Five players spent at least some time in the Seattle net, but none were better than Daccord, the 2015 seventh-round pick who'd played in just 19 games prior to last season. He went 27-23-5 for a team that finished 27th overall and was among the three stars of a game more than any other Kraken player.

Vancouver Canucks: Quinn Hughes, D

Hughes is on a short list of the very best defensemen in the league and is certainly the best player on the Canucks, as evidenced by his team-high 76 points in 68 games. The points led Vancouver by 26 over Brock Boeser and were third among blueliners in the NHL behind only Cale Makar and Zach Werenski.

Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel, C

The Golden Knights are among the deepest and most talented teams in the league, and they're led by the gritty and talented Eichel, who's thrived since arriving from Buffalo early in the 2021-22 season. His 94 points this season were a career high by 12 and his 66 assists were sixth best in the league.