NHL players pick the best of the best in several categories

The NHLPA Player Poll has returned with players picking the best in several categories, including who is the most complete, and who is the best goaltender.

In the 2023-24 edition, a total of 639 players were asked to give their answers in 15 different categories. Let's go through some of the big ones.

If you need to win one game, who is the goalie you want on your team?

There was a runaway favourite in this category, with Andrei Vasilevskiy garnering almost 47 percent of the total votes. A distant second was the New York Rangers Igor Shesterkin with 6.5 percent. Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders came in third, while Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg jets and Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators came in fourth and fifth respectively.



If you need to win one game, who is the forward you want on your team?

Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers was the big winner in this one, taking almost 48 percent of the vote, and the Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby taking second place with 11.5 percent. Rounding out the top five are Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers.


If you need to win one game, who is the defenceman you want on your team?

No big surprise here as Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche took more than 56 percent of the vote, and had far more of them than the rest of the top five combined. That included the Bolts Viktor Hedman in second, and the Preds Roman Josi in third. Makar was also named the best breakout passer in the league by his peers.


Who is the most complete player?

The Most Complete Player title once again falls to Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins with 39 precent of the vote, beating out the Florida Panthers Aleksander Barkov in second, and Anze Kopitar of the LA Kings in third.

Which player do you least enjoy playing against but would like to have on your team?

If you haven't guessed the winner of this one by now, it should come as a shock. Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins received the most votes, with Connor McDavid coming in second, and the Panthers Matthew Tkachuk in third.


Which NHL arena has the best ice?

It was the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens, taking top spot in this category. The Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place took second, with Canada Life Centre, home of the Winnipeg Jets, rounding out the all-Canadian top three.

Full results of the poll can be viewed using the link below.