ESPN’s latest NHL ranking has Nico Hischier sitting in a spot that feels awfully low for the kind of season he just put together.
In the network’s “NHL Rank: Predictions for the Top 100 Players for 2026-27,” Hischier comes in at 54th, a steep fall from 23rd a year ago. For a player coming off a strong 2025-26 campaign, that kind of slide is hard to square. New Jersey had three players included on the list, but Hischier’s placement is the one that jumps out.
The numbers from last season back up the case that he should be higher. Hischier finished with 66 points and 28 goals, still operating as a real threat around the net.
He also led the league in faceoffs won with 1,008 victories and a 55.8% success rate. And he kept doing the less flashy work too, blocking 62 shots and piling up 27 takeaways to remain one of the league’s most reliable two-way centers.
What makes ESPN’s ranking even tougher to buy is the company Hischier is keeping on the list. Aleksander Barkov is slotted 40th despite missing the entire 2025-26 season, putting him 14 spots ahead of Hischier. That’s a big bet on Barkov bouncing straight back to his old level, and it leaves Hischier looking undervalued by comparison.
Connor Bedard is another name ahead of him, landing at 43rd, eleven spots above Hischier. The upside is obvious, but the current reality is messier.
Bedard is expected to be out until November with a shoulder injury, which means he could miss 20-plus games. Even so, ESPN’s prediction suggests Bedard could still end up having a better season than Hischier.
With an 84-game season ahead, the list will get its answer on the ice. For now, Hischier’s ranking reads like another reminder that he still has plenty to prove in the eyes of the hockey world, even after doing just about everything a top-line center is supposed to do.
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