Inspired by a piece on Puck Daddy, earlier this week I ranked the top 25 centers in the NHL. The same writer then proceeded to rank the top 25 right wingers and left wingers. Well, considering that the NHL offseason is still quiet, I figured I would follow suit once again. However, this time I decided to combine both left wingers and right wingers and then winnow the list down to a top 40. So, without further ado, here is my list of the top 40 wingers in the NHL for this upcoming season.
40. Ryan Callahan: Just signed a new deal with the Rangers. He's not Marian Gaborik, but he's a good goal scorer.
39. Simon Gagne: Has injury issues, and struggled early last season, but can still score and is on an impressive Kings team.
38. James Neal: Struggled with Pittsburgh after being traded there last season, but should be better this year.
37. Brooks Laich: A solid secondary scorer, and good on defense as well.
36. James van Riemsdyk: Scored 21 goals and 40 points in 76 games last season, is still young, and will be a bigger part of Philly's offense this season.
35. Nathan Horton: Finally healthy last season, until late in the playoffs unfortunately, and seems to have found his old form in Boston.
34. Brian Gionta: Getting older, but still a lock for 20+ goals for a few more seasons probably.
33. Shane Doan: Has been the best player on anemic Phoenix offenses for years now.
32. Scott Hartnell: Will probably not score 30 goals again, but had 24 last year and has that proverbial "grit" the kids love.
31. Teemu Selanne: If not for the fact that he is coming off an injury and is over 40, he'd be higher on this list based on his outstanding performance last season.
30. Dustin Brown: Brown is a big hitter who can provide some offense as well.
29. Phil Kessel: People talk about the big haul the Leafs gave up to get him, but he is routinely a 30 goal scorer, and should be a regular 40 goal scorer.
28. Chris Stewart: He's neck and neck with Kessel, but I just like Stewart's potential a bit more this season.
27. Patrick Elias: Was one of the few players who didn't disappoint in New Jersey last season, scoring 21 goals and 62 points.
26. Brendan Morrow. Bounced back nicely last season, and is still a top notch defensive forward.
25. Johan Franzen: I thought Franzen would score 50 goals someday. Now I'm not so sure, but he's still got 40 goal potential, and has great hands for a guy of his size.
24. Mike Cammalleri: Will probably never score 39 goals again, but even in injury shortened seasons he's been a strong offensive player for the Habs the past two seasons.
23. Alex Burrows: He has great teammates to rely on, and he takes too many penalties, and he did bite a dude, but he's still a really good player.
22. Ales Hemsky: Playing in Edmonton has kept the spotlight off of Hemsky the past few seasons, but if he gets healthy he could score 80 points.
21. Loui Eriksson: Never takes penalties and scores goals with ease, and should still be a 25 goal scorer even without Brad Richards.
20. Alexander Semin: Has the talent to be a top 10 winger, but has a less than stellar work ethic that keeps him from always playing at his highest level.
19. Milan Lucic: Enjoyed a fully healthy season and scored 30 goals. He has a bit less of a track record than some players lower on this list, but I like his potential.
18. Claude Giroux: Now that Jeff Carter and Mike Richards are gone, Giroux will be a bigger part of Philly's offense. He could easily be their best forward this season.
17. Martin Havlat: Another injury prone player, but when healthy he can be a point a game player, especially now that he's in San Jose.
16. Daniel Briere: Now the veteran leader amongst Philly forwards, Briere is coming off a 34 goal season and should at least be a 25 goal player for a couple more seasons.
15. Thomas Vanek: Vanek is a great goal scorer, who could easily score 50 goals in a season.
14. Bobby Ryan: The player taken after Sidney Crosby, Ryan has become a great player in his own right. When he isn't kicking other players, that is.
13. Dany Heatley: He had an off season last year, but in Minnesota I expect him to jump back to a 30-35 goal total.
12. Marian Hossa: Hossa seems to get lost in the shuffle in Chicago a bit, and he's had injury issues, but he should be a lock for 30 goals, at least, if he's healthy, and he's strong on defense as well.
11. Martin St. Louis: Despite his physical stature and his advancing age, he's still a great player who tallies up the points.
10. Zach Parise: Parise missed most of last season with an injury, but I expect him to bounce back strongly and perhaps even outperform this ranking if he's fully healthy.
9. Marian Gaborik: The quintessential talented but injury prone player, if he's healthy alongside Brad Richards I would be surprised if he didn't score at least 40 goals.
8. Patrick Marleau: Marleau is still going strong in San Jose, despite what seems like a constant stream of criticism, and he should be a lock for 30 goals at least.
7. Rick Nash: Nash has been a one man team in Columbus since, oh, the day he was drafted. Now, he has Jeff Carter by his side and this could be a 50 goal, 100 point season for the talented big man.
6. Ilya Kovalchuk: Kovalchuk had the worst season of his career in the first year of his huge contract with New Jersey. He still scored 31 goals and 60 points, albeit with a minus-28 rating. I fully expect a bounceback this season.
5. Patrick Kane: Kane isn't quite as good as Jonathan Toews, especially since he's far from the defensive presence Toews is, but he's scored at least 25 goals the past three seasons, and could be a 40 goal scorer as soon as this season.
4. Corey Perry: Perry took a big step forward in winning a (not particularly deserved) Hart Trophy this season. Still, he's a legitimate 50 goal scorer, but he needs to curtail the penalties.
3. Jarome Iginla: Iginla has been a reliable presence in Calgary for years now, and is still one of the leagues best players. He scored 43 goals and 86 points last season. Nothing more needs to be said.
2. Daniel Sedin: Like his brother Henrik did last season, Daniel led the league in scoring this past year. He should have won the Hart, and is one of the leagues best goal scorers.
1. Alex Ovechkin: Most players would love 32 goals and 85 points with a plus-24 rating to be an off year for them. That's the case with the perennial 50 goal scorer Ovechkin. He's the second best player in the league next to Sidney Crosby, and now is a bit stronger on defense now. Ovechkin is a force on the ice, and is pretty clearly the top winger in the NHL.
There's my list. As I said with the centers list, feel free to disagree and construct your own opinions.
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