Asking who the best player in any league is can be subjective. Fans all have their own opinions and biases that could lead to a number of potential answers.
When it comes to the NHL, there is a clear answer and it's Connor McDavid. He's got the speed, the handles, the shot. There is no other player in hockey that has the skills that McDavid possesses.
Before the 2022-23 NHL season, I ranked the top 50 players in the league. Of course, McDavid led the list, but my top-five rounded out in this order: Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Leon Draisaitl.
Fast forward to now, and how much has that order changed?
McDavid isn't going anywhere. He's the top dog in the NHL and frankly, it's not close.
However, who is No. 2?
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The Sporting News makes multiple cases for that honor.
Who is the second-best player in the NHL behind McDavid?
Nathan MacKinnon, F, Avalanche
Since MacKinnon entered the league in 2013, only four players have accumulated more points than him: McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane and Alex Ovechkin. That's pretty good company to keep.
This season, the 2022 Stanley Cup champ is likely to hit 100 points for the first time in his career. He's at 95 with nine games left on the schedule. His 1.52 points per game in 2022-23 are third in the NHL, trailing only the duo in Edmonton.
When MacKinnon kicks it into high gear, he's nearly unstoppable. He is a threat to go end-to-end and score whenever he has the puck. He also owns one of the best motors in the league, with a slick set of hands to pair.
No one, besides maybe McDavid, is better at zone entries than MacKinnon. Getting the puck into the offensive zone, especially on the power play, is a specialty of his and part of what makes the six-time All-Star such a dynamic player.
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The Avalanche are loaded with talent, including Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, Val Nichushkin and Makar. But MacKinnon has been the heartbeat of the team for nearly a decade now and is one of the best players in the league.
Cale Makar, D, Avalanche
For the longest time, Victor Hedman wore the crown as the league's best defenseman. That honor has since been passed on to Makar.
The Avalanche defenseman's resume is one that you could argue is already Hall of Fame worthy. At just 24 years old, Makar has a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe, a Norris, a Calder, two All-Star selections and two NHL First All-Star Team nominations.
Earlier this year, he became the fastest defenseman to 200 points, needing just 195 games to do so. In his career, he's averaging over a point per game and has added to that this year with 66 points in 58 games.
There's no defenseman in the NHL that can skate as fluidly as Makar. He has an exceptional knack for walking blue lines and maintaining possession of the puck.
Makar has solidified himself as a top-five player in the league, but can he be the second-best player if he's not viewed as the top player on his team?
Auston Matthews, F, Maple Leafs
Matthews took the hockey world by storm last year, becoming the first player since Steven Stamkos in 2012 to hit 60 goals in a season, earning his second Rocket Richard and first Hart Trophy in the process.
The Maple Leafs sniper hasn't lit the lamp quite as often this season - he only has 36 goals in 66 games. But he's secured another 30-goal season and could reach 40 for the fifth time in his seven-year NHL career.
Matthews' shot is his greatest weapon. He is dangerous from everywhere on the ice with the puck on his stick. The Toronto star has a wicked release and can put the puck wherever he wants to.
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As long as Ovechkin is still in the league, I have a hard time calling anyone else the best goal-scorer in hockey. But Matthews is right there, and will certainly overtake Ovi for the honor whenever The Great 8 retires.
Leon Draisaitl, F, Oilers
Every Batman needs a Robin. That's the case in Edmonton as well, as McDavid has his Robin in Draisaitl.
Over the last eight seasons, Draisaitl trails only his teammate for the most points in the NHL during that time. He won the Art Ross and MVP in 2020, which was only the second season where he finished ahead of McDavid in points.
The German forward is on his way to finishing second in the NHL in points for 2022-23, which would make it five seasons in a row that he is in the top five in point production. He hit 100 points for the fifth time in his career, sitting at 114 with eight games remaining.
Draisaitl is an elite playmaker. In the last two years, the NHLPA Player Polls have voted the Oilers forward as the best passer in the league. This is why he and McDavid work so well together and are a nightmare for defenses.
It's through no fault of his own, but because Draisaitl plays with McDavid, it's hard to tell just how much of Draisaitl's production he generates on his own and how much is a result of playing with the best player in the world. Unless the Oilers break up the McDavid and Draisaitl duo in Edmonton, fans will really never know.
