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Fantasy hockey’s most consistent point and goal scorers

Two stars emerge above the rest

NHL: Washington Capitals at Buffalo Sabres Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Success is impressive, continuity in success is remarkable. I remember Jonathan Cheechoo’s impressive 93 point 2005-06 season where he scored 56 goals. It was even more impressive as he was coming off a 28 goal, 47 point season in 2004-05. The issue was, as many clamored to draft him the next season, he would let many of them down with a solid but reduced 37 goal 69 point 2006-07 season. Likewise, many remember Corey Perry when he put up 50 goals and 98 points in the 2010-11 season—winning the Rocket Richard trophy—only to regress to a 37 goal 60 point season in 2011-12.

Taking a look at consistency, I decided to chart the top 5 players in the NHL in terms of points and goals over the last five years. This is a way to see what names have been reoccurring and what names where one hit wonders.

Top 5 in Points

Looking over the last five seasons, there are 15 different players who have ended the respective seasons in the top five in points, but there is one player who has landed in the top five in four of the last five seasons. The reason he is not five for five was an injury which limited him to playing about half the games in his inaugural year (2015-2016). Beyond that, two players did it for three of the last five years and three did it in two of the last three years:

  • 4 seasons: Connor McDavid (2016-2020)
  • 3 seasons: Nikita Kucherov (2016-2019)
  • 3 seasons: Patrick Kane (2015-2017; 2018-2019)
  • 2 seasons: Nathan MacKinnon (2017-2018; 2019-2020)
  • 2 seasons: Leon Draisaitl (2018-2020)
  • 2 seasons: Sidney Crosby (2015-2017)

I highlight this as you can see a changing of the guard with the Crosby’s, Malkin, Giroux and Kanes dwindling while McDavid, MacKinnon, Draisaitl and Pastrnak are on the rise.

2015 - 2020 Top Five NHL in Points

Season RK PLAYER TEAM GP G A PTS +/- PIM PTS/G SOG PCT GWG G A G A
Season RK PLAYER TEAM GP G A PTS +/- PIM PTS/G SOG PCT GWG G A G A
2019-2020 1 Leon Draisaitl, C EDM 71 43 67 110 -7 18 1.55 218 19.7 10 16 28 0 0
2019-2020 2 Connor McDavid, C EDM 64 34 63 97 -6 28 1.52 212 16 6 11 32 0 0
2019-2020 3 David Pastrnak, RW BOS 70 48 47 95 21 40 1.36 279 17.2 10 20 18 0 0
2019-2020 3 Artemi Panarin, LW NYR 69 32 63 95 36 20 1.38 209 15.3 4 7 17 0 0
2019-2020 5 Nathan MacKinnon, C COL 69 35 58 93 13 12 1.35 318 11 4 12 19 0 0
2018-2019 1 Nikita Kucherov, RW TB 82 41 87 128 24 62 1.56 246 16.7 8 15 33 0 0
2018-2019 2 Connor McDavid, C EDM 78 41 75 116 3 20 1.49 240 17.1 9 9 24 1 1
2018-2019 3 Patrick Kane, RW CHI 81 44 66 110 2 22 1.36 341 12.9 7 9 21 0 0
2018-2019 4 Leon Draisaitl, C EDM 82 50 55 105 2 52 1.28 231 21.6 5 16 13 3 0
2018-2019 5 Brad Marchand, LW BOS 79 36 64 100 15 96 1.27 231 15.6 9 10 24 3 4
2017-2018 1 Connor McDavid, C EDM 82 41 67 108 20 26 1.32 274 15 7 5 15 1 3
2017-2018 2 Claude Giroux, LW PHI 82 34 68 102 28 20 1.24 193 17.6 1 9 27 0 0
2017-2018 3 Nikita Kucherov, RW TB 80 39 61 100 15 42 1.25 279 14 7 8 28 0 0
2017-2018 4 Evgeni Malkin, C PIT 78 42 56 98 16 87 1.26 239 17.6 7 14 24 0 0
2017-2018 5 Nathan MacKinnon, C COL 74 39 58 97 11 55 1.31 284 13.7 12 12 20 0 1
2016-2017 1 Connor McDavid, C EDM 82 30 70 100 27 26 1.22 251 12 6 3 24 1 1
2016-2017 2 Sidney Crosby, C PIT 75 44 45 89 17 24 1.19 255 17.3 5 14 11 0 0
2016-2017 3 Patrick Kane, RW CHI 82 34 55 89 11 32 1.09 292 11.6 5 7 16 0 0
2016-2017 4 Nicklas Backstrom, C WSH 82 23 63 86 17 38 1.05 162 14.2 5 8 27 0 0
2016-2017 5 Nikita Kucherov, RW TB 74 40 45 85 13 38 1.15 246 16.3 7 17 15 0 0
2015-2016 1 Patrick Kane, RW CHI 82 46 60 106 17 30 1.29 287 16 9 17 20 0 0
2015-2016 2 Jamie Benn, LW DAL 82 41 48 89 7 64 1.09 247 16.6 5 17 13 2 3
2015-2016 3 Sidney Crosby, C PIT 80 36 49 85 19 42 1.06 248 14.5 9 10 14 0 0
2015-2016 4 Joe Thornton, C SJ 82 19 63 82 25 54 1 121 15.7 6 8 21 0 0
2015-2016 5 Erik Karlsson, D OTT 82 16 66 82 -2 50 1 248 6.5 3 1 25 0 0

Top 5 in Goals

Unlike Points, this field of 18 total players who have landed in the top five in goals over the last five years has one name emerge as the clear leader above the rest. This player now has 4 seasons of being in the top five (winning the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy each of those years) while four others that have landed in the top 5 in 2 seasons.

  • 4 seasons. Alexander Ovechkin (2015-2016; 2017-2020)
  • 2 seasons. Patrick Kane (2015-2016; 2018-2019)
  • 2 seasons. Leon Draisaitl (2018-2020)
  • 2 seasons. Vladimir Tarasenko (2015-2017)
  • 2 seasons. Auston Matthews (2016-2017; 2019-2020)

2015 - 2020 Top Five NHL in Goals

Season RK PLAYER TEAM GP G A PTS +/- PIM PTS/G SOG PCT GWG G A G A
Season RK PLAYER TEAM GP G A PTS +/- PIM PTS/G SOG PCT GWG G A G A
2019-2020 1 Leon Draisaitl, C EDM 71 43 67 110 -7 18 1.55 218 19.7 10 16 28 0 0
2019-2020 2 Connor McDavid, C EDM 64 34 63 97 -6 28 1.52 212 16 6 11 32 0 0
2019-2020 3 David Pastrnak, RW BOS 70 48 47 95 21 40 1.36 279 17.2 10 20 18 0 0
2019-2020 3 Artemi Panarin, LW NYR 69 32 63 95 36 20 1.38 209 15.3 4 7 17 0 0
2019-2020 5 Nathan MacKinnon, C COL 69 35 58 93 13 12 1.35 318 11 4 12 19 0 0
2018-2019 1 Nikita Kucherov, RW TB 82 41 87 128 24 62 1.56 246 16.7 8 15 33 0 0
2018-2019 2 Connor McDavid, C EDM 78 41 75 116 3 20 1.49 240 17.1 9 9 24 1 1
2018-2019 3 Patrick Kane, RW CHI 81 44 66 110 2 22 1.36 341 12.9 7 9 21 0 0
2018-2019 4 Leon Draisaitl, C EDM 82 50 55 105 2 52 1.28 231 21.6 5 16 13 3 0
2018-2019 5 Brad Marchand, LW BOS 79 36 64 100 15 96 1.27 231 15.6 9 10 24 3 4
2017-2018 1 Connor McDavid, C EDM 82 41 67 108 20 26 1.32 274 15 7 5 15 1 3
2017-2018 2 Claude Giroux, LW PHI 82 34 68 102 28 20 1.24 193 17.6 1 9 27 0 0
2017-2018 3 Nikita Kucherov, RW TB 80 39 61 100 15 42 1.25 279 14 7 8 28 0 0
2017-2018 4 Evgeni Malkin, C PIT 78 42 56 98 16 87 1.26 239 17.6 7 14 24 0 0
2017-2018 5 Nathan MacKinnon, C COL 74 39 58 97 11 55 1.31 284 13.7 12 12 20 0 1
2016-2017 1 Connor McDavid, C EDM 82 30 70 100 27 26 1.22 251 12 6 3 24 1 1
2016-2017 2 Sidney Crosby, C PIT 75 44 45 89 17 24 1.19 255 17.3 5 14 11 0 0
2016-2017 3 Patrick Kane, RW CHI 82 34 55 89 11 32 1.09 292 11.6 5 7 16 0 0
2016-2017 4 Nicklas Backstrom, C WSH 82 23 63 86 17 38 1.05 162 14.2 5 8 27 0 0
2016-2017 5 Nikita Kucherov, RW TB 74 40 45 85 13 38 1.15 246 16.3 7 17 15 0 0
2015-2016 1 Patrick Kane, RW CHI 82 46 60 106 17 30 1.29 287 16 9 17 20 0 0
2015-2016 2 Jamie Benn, LW DAL 82 41 48 89 7 64 1.09 247 16.6 5 17 13 2 3
2015-2016 3 Sidney Crosby, C PIT 80 36 49 85 19 42 1.06 248 14.5 9 10 14 0 0
2015-2016 4 Joe Thornton, C SJ 82 19 63 82 25 54 1 121 15.7 6 8 21 0 0
2015-2016 5 Erik Karlsson, D OTT 82 16 66 82 -2 50 1 248 6.5 3 1 25 0 0

The Age X-Factor

When you look at points as a whole the average age among the players who finished in the top 5 in points over the last five years is 29.2, while for goals the average age is 28.7. The average age of the “multi” season total points players was 26.6, in goals it’s 27.7 largely carried by a 34 year old. Points sees a overall older age but among those who can do it repeatedly age and experience gives a nod to goals.

Some of this is rather obvious, we have seen what the talented young players have done over the last few seasons but there is one other very interesting facet to this. The top 5 players in points scored 444 points during the 2015-2016 season, it modestly increased to 449 the next season, then 505, 559 and currently they are at 490 before the 2019-20 season was halted. Likewise, in goals, 2016-17 saw 215 goals among the top five players, it dropped to 202 the next season then 220 in 2017-18, 237 in 2018-19 and they were at 227 until the season halted abruptly this year.