NEW YORK — NHL players still think Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy is the top goaltender, Edmonton's Connor McDavid is the best skater and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby the most well-rounded player in the league, according to the union's annual survey released Wednesday.
McDavid, Vasilevskiy, Crosby and Colorado defenseman Cale Makar were among the top answers by 639 members who responded as part of the seventh edition of the NHL Players Association survey. Players also gave Montreal and Edmonton the top marks for having the best ice in the league, while defending champion Vegas and current Stanley Cup favorite Carolina are the toughest buildings to play in.
Vasilevskiy, a two-time Cup winner, has been considered the goalie player most would choose to win one game dating to 2020 when he surpassed Montreal's Carey Price for that spot. Lightning teammates Nikita Kucherov (best playmaker) and Victor Hedman (most difficult player to face in their own end) were also No. 1 choices.
A three-time MVP and the reigning winner of the Hart Trophy, McDavid has been voted the best skater or forward in every version of the survey since 2018-19. He's a four-time winner of the Lester B. Pearson as the most outstanding player in a season as voted by his peers.
Canadian star Marie-Philip Poulin of Montreal was chosen the top player to watch in the inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. She was followed closely by American Hilary Knight, who's captain of PWHL Boston.
Italy was the global destination players would most like to see host NHL games. That comes on the heels of an agreement to send NHL players to Milan for the 2026 Olympics.
On the lighter side, Boston's David Pastrnak was a narrow winner over Toronto's Auston Matthews for the best style.
