At the beginning of the 2023-24 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. Kyle Connor
It’s been a frustrating season at times for Kyle Connor, as the Winnipeg Jets forward has been limited to just 34 games due to injury. That said, when he has been able to play, he has been fantastic with 23 goals and 40 points. Such production is what we have come to expect from the highly talented yet underrated 27-year-old.
Thanks in large part to Connor, the Jets are having a phenomenal season. They currently sit third in league standings with a 30-11-4 record through 46 games. If Connor is able to remain healthy for the rest of the way, they should remain on contention for the Presidents Trophy.
9. Brady Tkachuk
The 2023-24 season has been a disappointing one for the Ottawa Senators as a team, though Brady Tkachuk is continuing to deliver. The multi-threat forward has 26 goals and 50 points along with 104 penalty minutes through just 56 games this season.
Other THW Positional Rankings:
Tkachuk may not be as naturally talented as others on this list, but his tenacious style makes him a truly great player. He is as old school as they come, with a great goal-scoring ability paired with the strength and will to plaster an opponent into the boards. On top of all that, he is still just 24 years old.
8. Kirill Kaprizov
So far, the 2023-24 season has been a bit of a disappointing one for Kirill Kaprizov. The talented Russian winger has battled injuries and has struggled, for his standards, when healthy. Through 51 games this season, he has 26 goals and 63 points.
Given the cap difficulties the Minnesota Wild are in, they need Kaprizov to be at his absolute best to have any chance at success. To no surprise, the team is struggling in what is a down year for him. That said, the fact that 20 goals and 49 points at the halfway mark of the season was considered disappointing shows just how elite he is.
7. Brad Marchand
Brad Marchand’s offence may not be at quite as high of a level as it was a few years back, but he still remains one of the game’s better wingers. The 35-year-old, who, like Tkachuk, brings plenty of different intangibles, has 26 goals and 53 points through 60 games.
Marchand has become a true unicorn in today’s NHL, as there is no better player in the league when it comes to getting under the skin of opponents. He’s so good at it, in fact, that sometimes that gets mentioned first when discussing him, despite the fact that he also possesses otherworldly talent.
6. Jason Robertson
Compared to a season ago, Jason Robertson has been a bit quiet. The 24-year-old exploded for a career-high 46 goals and 109 points in 2022-23, in what was truly one of the more underrated seasons in recent memory. While he has dropped off in 2023-24, however, he has still been one of the better left wingers in the game.
Through 60 games this season, Robertson has 19 goals and a team-leading 57 points. The Dallas Stars have a ton of skill throughout their lineup, but it is quite evident that Arcadia, California native is the best of the bunch.
5. Chris Kreider
He may not be as much of a pure goal scorer as others on this list, but there is a real argument to be made that Chris Kreider is the best of the bunch at putting the puck in the net. He isn’t the type of skilled player who is going to come down the wing and rip one past a goalie but generates plenty through his elite speed and workhorse-like mentality.
Kreider took the NHL by storm two seasons ago when he went off for a career-high 52 goals, and while he will likely never touch that number again, he could near 40 this season. Through 59 games, he is up to 29 tallies and 54 points.
4. Jesper Bratt
Jesper Bratt took a ton of heat for his play in last year’s postseason, but that shouldn’t take away from how special of a talent he is. The 25-year-old is having his best NHL season to date with 21 goals and 59 points through 58 games. He has been relied upon a ton this season, especially as of late with Jack Hughes out of the lineup.
Bratt, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2016 Draft, has proven to be a great find by the Devils. His game is still improving, which bodes well for a New Jersey team that should be a force in the years to come.
3. Jake Guentzel
Whether it comes from the Pittsburgh Penguins or someone else, Jake Guentzel is setting himself up for a massive payday this summer. The 29-year-old stud is playing like his usual productive self with 22 goals and 52 points through 50 games. He and Sidney Crosby are pretty well single-handedly keeping the Penguins alive in the playoff race.
Guentzel may very well be the most underrated player in the league, as putting up a point-per-game or slightly better numbers have become the norm for him, yet he never seems to be brought up when discussing the game’s best talents. Perhaps more will take notice this summer when he signs a long-term extension which could have a salary of around $10 million.
2. Filip Forsberg
Speaking of underrated talents, Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg is right up there. The biggest issue for Forsberg throughout his career is that he often struggles to stay healthy, though that hasn’t been a problem so far this season, as he has suited up for all 59 Predators games.
In those 59 games, Forsberg has a team-leading 28 goals and 59 points. Though he likely won’t surpass his career-high 42 goals, he could pass his previous career-high 84 points should he remain healthy. One can’t help but wonder what types of numbers he’d be producing year in and year out with a more talented team surrounding him.
1. Artemi Panarin
After plenty of negativity from the New York Rangers fanbase regarding Artemi Panarin’s play in last year’s postseason, he is quickly making up for it in 2023-24. The 32-year-old has been one of the game’s best players this season, with 33 goals and 79 points through 59 games.
Panarin is just one goal shy of tying his career high of 32 set in 2019-20 and is well on his way to recording the first 100-point season of his career. He has always been one of the league’s most electric players to watch, and that has increased even more so with the year he has had.