Who are the top 25 NHL players of the quarter century?
25. Evgeni Nabokov
Nabokov emerged as a 25-year-old rookie in 2000-01, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy and establishing himself as the future in net for the San Jose Sharks for the next decade. The Russian netminder is one of the greatest players in the franchise鈥檚 history and was regarded as one of the best goalies in the NHL throughout the 2000s.
24. Roman Josi
Josi is one of the top offensive defensemen to play in the NHL this century. The Swiss-born blueliner won the Norris Trophy in 2019-20, becoming the first Nashville Predator to win the award after years of Shea Weber being a finalist. Josi is the franchise leader in points (723) despite his position.
23. Claude Giroux
Giroux was the face of the Philadelphia Flyers for most of his career and put together some great seasons. The Canadian forward鈥檚 best campaign was in 2017-18 when he racked up a career-high 102 points and a league-leading 68 assists. His total was second in the NHL behind Connor McDavid. Giroux placed fourth in the Hart Trophy voting that season.
22. Andrei Vasilevskiy
Vasilevskiy was a foundational piece for the Tampa Bay Lightning in their back-to-back Stanley Cup victories in 2020 and 2021. The Russian goaltender was and still is one of the best players in the league at his position. Vasilevskiy led the NHL in wins from 2017-18 to 2021-22 with a Vezina Trophy in 2018-19.
