NHL's top 80: Leo Carlsson, Tage Thompson crack 40-31
Leo Carlsson sits at No. 40 in The Hockey News' ranking of the top 80 NHL players entering the 2026-27 season, and the Anaheim Ducks center arrives with a career year behind him.
Carlsson posted career-highs in goals (29), assists (38), and points (67), a 22-point jump from his 2024-25 campaign. The 21-year-old's production exploded even as he made headlines off the ice.
Carlsson shocked the NHL when he signed an offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers, temporarily making him the league's highest-paid player, according to thehockeynews.com. The exact salary figures from that offer sheet are not in the source, but the contract's impact was immediate.
The inflated price tag shouldn't distract from his on-ice work with the Ducks. As Anaheim's young core matures around him, Carlsson's competitive ceiling is expected to rise significantly, per thehockeynews.com.
THN's editorial staff ranked the top 80 players as the 2026-27 regular season begins, revealing the list in eight groups of 10 in reverse order. Carlsson kicks off the top 40, the first player in this batch of the countdown.
THOMPSON AT 39
Tage Thompson lands at No. 39 in The Hockey News' top 80, one spot behind Carlsson. The 28-year-old Buffalo Sabres center posted 40 goals in 2025-26, the third time in the past four seasons he has reached that plateau.
Thompson's 81 points in 81 games marked the second time in the past four years he has been a point-per-game player. He didn't play Stanley Cup playoff hockey until last spring, but thehockeynews.com notes that was about the Sabres' futility, not Thompson's ability to carry them there.
Thompson is in his prime, and as Buffalo pushes for deeper playoff runs, he is crucial to their championship chances, per thehockeynews.com. The ranking places him just inside the top 40 as the reveal continues.
JOHNSTON AT 38
Wyatt Johnston, C, Dallas Stars, lands at No. 38 in The Hockey News' top 80. The 23-year-old was drafted 23rd in 2021 without much hype, per thehockeynews.com, but he has since blossomed into a phenomenal contributor.
Johnston put up 24 goals and 41 points in his rookie season. In the past three years, he has generated a combined 110 goals — including 45 last season — and 222 points in 246 regular-season games.
That production puts Johnston just one spot behind Thompson in the rankings, with the Stars center now firmly established as a top-tier offensive driver. The 45-goal campaign last season marks the clear breakout, and his consistency across three full seasons shows it was no fluke.
At 23 years old, Johnston is still entering his prime years. The Hockey News' ranking places him inside the top 40, with the Stars' rising star positioned among the league's best centers.
THE TOP 40 REVEAL
The Hockey News is celebrating its 80th year as the sport's top publication, and its editorial staff has ranked the NHL's top 80 players entering the 2026-27 season. The list is being parceled out in eight groups of 10, in reverse order, to keep readers discussing and debating.
The reveal process started with players 80-through-71, then 70 through 61, followed by 60-through-51, and picks 50 through 41 were already unveiled at links provided in the source. This file now kicks off the top 40, with players 40 through 31.
Leo Carlsson, Tage Thompson, and Wyatt Johnston headline this batch, with the rankings continuing to climb toward the league's elite. The source notes readers may not agree with the choices, but that's part of the fun that comes with debating and discussing hockey's top league.
The remaining groups will follow in the coming days, narrowing the field until the No. 1 player is revealed.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
The top-80 reveal is being parceled out in eight groups of 10 players, in reverse order, according to thehockeynews.com. With players 40 through 31 now unveiled, the first group of the top 40 is complete.
Players 30 through 21 would be the next group to be revealed. The exact release date for that group is not in the source.
As the rankings climb toward the league's elite, one name to track is Carlsson. The 21-year-old's competitive ceiling is expected to rise significantly as his Anaheim teammates grow their individual games, per thehockeynews.com.
The remaining groups will follow, narrowing the field until the No. 1 player is revealed.
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