Between Eichel, Karlsson, Hertl and Sissons, Vegas has arguably the NHL’s best center depth. Stone is still an elite player when healthy, and what a luxury it is to have Dorofeyev, who led Vegas with 35 goals, currently penciled in on the third line.

In the NHL, winning games and having a successful line often comes down to finding the right chemistry among pairings.

Since the start of the 2022-23 season, the Stars have allowed just 2.32 expected goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play and own a 55.6 percent expected goals share. Both numbers place him and the team near the top of the league over that stretch, while he is also able to produce elite point totals when healthy.

Welcome to the third iteration of The Athletic’s annual defense ranking tiers. There’s a surprising shortage of truly high-end blue lines.

The shootout has been a part of the NHL for two decades since it was implemented in 2005. The percentage of games decided by the shootout has decreased from 15% at its high point in 2009-10 to a new low of 5.

The 2025-26 NHL regular season officially gets underway tonight! See who made our list of the league's top 15 players as we get you ready for puck drop.