At the beginning of the 2024-25 season, we put together a list of the top 10 current left wingers in the NHL. These lists are highly subjective, as there are several big-name players left off for ones who are playing better hockey thus far. Given that the season is only just past the halfway point, there were some difficult decisions to be made.
As you can imagine, compiling this certainly wasn’t easy, but it is a fun thing to discuss regardless. With that said, here are the current top 10 left wingers in the NHL.
10. Alexander Ovechkin
Welcome back to the list, Ovi! After a lot of struggles in the 2023-24 season, it looked like age was finally catching up to Alexander Ovechkin, but even with 16 missed games due to a broken leg, Ovechkin is still 14th in the league in goals, and is second in the league with 0.657 goals per game.
Not only is Ovechkin scoring plenty of goals again, but he is still a very physical player, and 17 of his 23 goals have come at even strength. His shooting percentage is currently higher than he finished any season with in the past, and this is all while averaging a career-low of 17:36 of ice time per game.
9. Matt Boldy
Matt Boldy becoming one of the top wingers in the league has been a pleasant surprise for the Minnesota Wild. He is on pace for a career-high of 71 points, and with his strong defensive play, he is a very well-rounded left winger. The Wild are strongest on the wing when it comes to their forwards, and having Boldy playing as well as he does is certainly a huge factor in that.
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Boldy also continues to dominate with possession metrics, with MoneyPuck having him at 57 percent in Corsi, and 60.2 percent in on-ice expected goals. Those are fantastic numbers, and it is clear that when Boldy is on the ice, the Wild are going to be playing better than the opposition.
8. Filip Forsberg
The Nashville Predators are having a season to forget, and after bringing in some stars to help support the roster, they haven’t had the offense they need with the defense and goaltending struggling, too. With all of that being said, Filip Forsberg has still been without a doubt the star on that team.
Related: Filip Forsberg Trade Revisited
While his goal-scoring is slightly down, with just 18 goals through 50 games, Forsberg is still playing at a point-per-game rate. He leads his team in points with a significant gap and leads in goals as well. Forsberg is coming off of a 48-goal season, so while he is on pace for 30 goals, and most players would be happy with that, he is going to be wanting more.
7. Jesper Bratt
As an undersized, skilled winger, Jesper Bratt has broken out into a highly productive winger for the New Jersey Devils. With three straight seasons with 73+ points and on pace for 90 this season, Bratt’s ability to adapt to different linemates and paces has been on display and he has been able to give the Devils a great deal of offense.
Not only that, but Bratt has an excellent two-way game, and gives the Devils dependency on the defensive side. He is a bit of a Jack of all trades when it comes to what makes him so valuable. He has a bit of a physical edge, is one of the fastest and most active players on the ice, and gives everything he has on every shift.
6. Brandon Hagel
When Brandon Hagel was acquired by the Tampa Bay Lightning, he was a 24-year-old just starting to come into his own, and while he showed signs of promise, he has been more effective than most people anticipated. On top of being one of the best skaters in the league, he plays with a ton of grit, and gets a bunch of points. He is on track to set a career-high in goals and points this season, and is a huge part of the retool the Lightning have been going through.
5. Brady Tkachuk
Goals, points, hits, shots, penalties, and almost everything you could ask out of a power forward is exactly what Brady Tkachuk brings every night. Despite a big mid-season slump with a nine-game pointless streak, Tkachuk still has 19 goals and 39 points in 51 games. Tkachuk currently ranks seventh in the league in hits with 178, he is third in the league with 201 shots, and is second in penalty minutes with 97.
Tkachuk is a unicorn and is leading the Senators to what is hopefully going to be their first playoff berth since 2016-17. He battles hard and has great leadership skills.
4. Jake Guentzel
Jake Guentzel has been one of the better goal-scorers over the past few seasons and is a good bet for 40 goals if healthy throughout the year. He is a play-driving winger, plays good defensive hockey, and seems to mesh very well with anybody he is lined up with.
While Guentzel isn’t a great skater by the NHL’s standards, he works his way around the ice really well. Along with that, he isn’t very physical, recording just 17 hits through 49 games this season, he wins board battles and isn’t afraid to get into the dirty areas. He is a very well-rounded winger who has a knack for scoring lots of goals.
3. Kyle Conner
The biggest question for Kyle Connor is whether or not he is finally going to crack the 50-goal mark this season. He has one of the best shots in the league and is currently on pace for 47 goals, which would tie his career-best which he set in 2021-22. Connor has had some great seasons derailed by injuries, but over the past few seasons, his game has evolved tremendously.
Connor gives a lot more effort in the defensive zone, and his playmaking abilities have taken a big step. He is currently fifth in the league in scoring and third in goals. He is having the best season of his career, and it could certainly be sustainable over the next number of seasons.
2. Artemi Panarin
The New York Rangers have had their struggles this season, and Artemi Panarin, while still having a productive season, isn’t going to come close to his outstanding 120 points from 2023-24. He is still one of the more offensively dominant players in the league, and being the second-best left winger in the NHL is certainly something worth celebrating, but now that we are mid-way through the season, he has been passed.
1. Kirill Kaprizov
Kirill Kaprizov was a lock to be a Hart Trophy candidate before missing time with injuries. In 37 games, Kaprizov scored 52 points, which is the fifth-highest point-per-game total in the league. Considering the Wild don’t have any other true superstars, Kaprizov has been doing most of this work on his own. There are a lot of great supporting pieces, but none that are close to the level of Kaprizov.
