Sidney Crosby Still Reigns as NHL’s Most Complete Player, But Barkov Is Closing the Gap

According to the latest NHL Players’ Association poll, Sidney Crosby continues to hold the title of the league’s most complete player — but not without a challenge. In the 10th annual NHLPA poll released Tuesday, 663 players cast their votes across 12 hockey-related questions, offering insight into how the game’s best view each other.

Crosby, the 37-year-old captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, claimed the “most complete player” honor for the sixth consecutive season, earning 33.81% of the vote. However, Florida Panthers star Aleksander Barkov is hot on his heels, garnering 30.95%. Barkov has significantly narrowed the gap from last year, trimming Crosby’s lead from 140 votes to just 18.

Crosby was also named the NHL’s smartest player with 27.02% of the vote, edging out Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov (24.71%). In addition, Crosby topped the list as the player most trusted to win a key faceoff (20.39%), surpassing last year’s winner Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators (9.95%).

Kucherov still took home a major distinction, however — best playmaker in the league — with 48.25% of the vote.

As expected, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was a dominant presence in several categories. He ran away with the title of best overall forward, securing 73.89% of the vote, far ahead of Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (9.62%). McDavid also led the “best overall skater” category with 66.41%, finishing well ahead of Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (11.41%). Makar, in turn, was overwhelmingly named the league’s top defenseman, claiming 71.78% of votes compared to Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks (7.44%).

One of the more surprising results came in the goaltending category. Despite being a frontrunner for this season’s Vezina Trophy, Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck finished third with 15.57% of the vote. He trailed behind Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy (31.13%) and New York Rangers standout Igor Shesterkin (23.58%).

Other fun insights from the poll include a tie between Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak and Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews for best fashion sense (15.75%). Penguins forward Kevin Hayes was voted the player most likely to become a successful broadcaster post-retirement.

Montreal’s Bell Centre once again took the crown for best ice in the NHL, winning for the seventh consecutive season with 44.96% of the vote.

The NHLPA also asked players which innovative rule from the Professional Women’s Hockey League they’d like to see adopted in the NHL. The top choice was the “Jailbreak Goal” rule (29.70%), which ends a minor penalty if the shorthanded team scores a goal. Close behind was the PWHL’s three-point standings format, which awards three points for a regulation win, two for an OT/shootout win, and one for an OT/shootout loss.