By the Numbers: NHL Edition (40-49)
We’re almost halfway done with the whole league. This has really been a fun article series to write. Even though there is some debate, it is interesting to look through the whole NHL and compare stats of the league’s great players. In most leagues, it is more common to have players with lower jersey numbers and that is the case in the NHL as well, but there are still a lot of players with high sweater numbers. Once it gets to 60 and beyond, I think it is really going to be easy to decide, but I think the 40s and 50s are going to have some challenges due to the mix of prospects and a couple of them having a lot of defensemen. We’ll see I guess. Let’s see how the 40s play out.
Jeff Curry/ USA Today Sports
Number 40: C, Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver has made waves in the news over the last few days after firing their head coach and it appears that they are going to be rebuilding, yet again. Elias Pettersson is a bright spot in this lineup though. He is the leading Canuck scorer, but it appears that he likely will be heading towards greener pastures.
Number 41: G, Vitek Vanecek, New Jersey Devils
Not really much debate with this one. Vanecek is one of the best goalies in the league this season. The Devils are having a good season and he is a big part of that success.
Miami Herald
Number 42: D, Gustav Forsling, Florida Panthers
It appears that Forsling is the best 42 in the league. The 26-year old appears to be on his way to having the best season of his career and like the number 41, there isn't much debate here. Forsling is the second Panthers defenseman on the list.
ESPN
Number 43: D, Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
Quinn Hughes is a great defenseman and again, not much debate for this number either. Hughes is definitely going to be a name of intrigue when the trade deadline approaches, but I don’t know if he will hit the market like other Canucks players. At 23-years old, Hughes is one of the best passing defensemen in the NHL.
Getty
Number 44: D, Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
Morrissey has had a breakout year and it has propelled him to the best 44 in the league. Morgan Rielly was the next best option, and some may argue that it is still Rielly that hold the honor as the best 44 in the NHL, but I’ll give the edge to Morrissey.
Number 45: D, Cameron York, Philadelphia Flyers
45 has a lot of players on the list, but not many that stand out. Cameron York seems to be the most prominent player wearing the number in the NHL. He averages 19 minutes of ice time per game and that seems to be quite a bit more than the rest, so he gets the nod. It’s a popular number, but not for the league’s elite, that’s for sure.
nhl.com
Number 46: C, David Krejci, Boston Bruins
Two grizzled vets are the only real options for this number. Krejci gets the nod over Jared Spurgeon. I picked Krejci mainly because of the Boston Bruins success. It definitely benefits a player when they are playing on such a stout team.
NHL.com
Number 47: D, Torey Krug, St. Louis Blues
I have a feeling this is going to be a theme for more of these articles to come, but there aren't many standouts at 47. Krug stands above the rest. James Reimer and Pierre Engvall are the others, but Krug gets the edge. This is the first season that Krug is getting under 20 minutes per game on the ice since 2015 but is still having a decent year.
NHL.com
Number 48: C, Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks
Hertl stand above the rest at 48, but he does have some good competition. Matt Grzelcyk, Morgan Frost, and Jordan Martinook all wear the 48 as well. Hertl is having another solid year, but his team may have a different look in the near future. He hasn’t been mentioned in trade rumors so much, but some of his teammates have. Hertl is locked up for a while and is currently in year 10 with the Sharks, so don’t expect him to shipped off somewhere else.
Number 49: LW/C, Noah Cates, Philadelphia Flyers
To close this thing out, I’ll go with Noah Cates over Ivan Barbashev with the Blues. These are the best options to choose from, but Cates has the upside and it appears that he is more of a vital part to their team than Barbashev is. These two may go back and forth for the next couple of years, but I’ll give Cates the edge right now.
Yacs
Previous “By the Numbers: NHL Edition” Articles