To stir things up in a relatively quiet offseason, the NHL has come out with its list of the top 20 wingers in the league. To many Edmonton Oilers fans’ dismay, none of their heroes are featured on the list.
The conspicuous absence of Oilers wingers from the list will raise eyebrows. The team led two consecutive, albeit unsuccessful, Stanley Cup conquests. Not even Zach Hyman made it to the top 20.
Stanley Cup Finalist Edmonton Oilers’ Wingers Absent from League List
Connor McDavid referred to Hyman as the “wrecking ball” for his impact on the opponents. Despite adversities such as a concussion, another time when “a puck smacked me in the face and broke my nose,” and other physical and emotional turmoil, the 33-year-old winger continued to show up in the 2025 playoffs.
According to NHL coverage from May 2025, Hyman was exceptional in the last playoffs, decisively exceeding Florida Panthers’ Sam Bennett in hits. “Hyman entered play Monday leading the NHL with 109 hits in 14 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, 31 more than the 78 dished out by second-place Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers,” reads the excerpt from the article. Yet, he remains absent, and so does every other winger from the Oilers.
Franchise cornerstone Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was also not featured on the list. While Hyman had 11 points in 15 playoff games, Nugent-Hopkins had 20 points in 22 postseason games. According to the list, the best winger in the league right now is Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov.
The 32-year-old has accumulated 994 points in 803 regular-season games and scored 171 more in 152 postseason games. Kucherov’s first position evoked little debate. However, the rest of the list triggered sufficient discourse.
Among the top five wingers, Kucherov led the list, followed by David Pastrňák, Kirill Kaprizov, Mikko Rantanen, and Mitch Marner. Marner’s unsuccessful attempt at bringing a Stanley Cup to Toronto during his prolonged association with the team likely contributed to his omission from the list.
Maple Leafs’ William Nylander secured the sixth spot on the list, while NHL 26 Deluxe Edition cover stars, brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, claimed the seventh and 14th positions. Adrian Kempe of the Los Angeles Kings is ranked 20th, with veteran Washington Capitals standout Alex Ovechkin in 17th.
Could the Oilers’ successive Stanley Cup failures have contributed to such an outcome? Notwithstanding the list, the Oilers team and management are gearing up for redemption in the upcoming season.