Mitch Marner’s first season in Vegas already earned him a place among the NHL’s elite, and the NHL Network’s latest Top 50 Players Right Now list backed that up. The Golden Knights winger came in at No. 16, moving up two spots from last year’s ranking and becoming the first Golden Knight to crack the list. Jack Eichel’s spot has not yet been revealed.
That jump comes on the strength of a huge debut year in Vegas. Marner finished last season with 24 goals and 56 assists, then turned around and delivered a massive Stanley Cup playoff run.
He led the NHL in postseason points with 29, piling up 10 goals and 19 assists. He was also in the mix for the Conn Smythe Trophy and would have won it if the Golden Knights had captured the Stanley Cup.
A successful first year in Vegas for Mitch Marner (@GoldenKnights)! ⚔️
📺: #NHLTopPlayers on NHL Network pic.twitter.com/RB4Pr2t1xi
- NHL Media (@NHLMedia) September 21, 2026
Now Marner heads into year two with a few changes around him. Ryan Craig is the new head coach, taking over for John Tortorella, and the roster has some missing pieces, including Pavel Dorofeyev. That leaves more of the offensive load on stars like Marner.
Even with that pressure, the ranking makes sense because Marner does a lot more than pile up points. His value shows up in every situation, and that’s a big part of why he’s become such an important piece in Vegas.
At five-on-five, Marner remains the kind of playmaker who can create danger out of thin air. He’s at his best setting up chances for teammates, whether or not he’s the one finishing the play. But his impact doesn’t stop there.
He was just as dangerous on the power play. Last season, Marner posted five power play goals and 19 power play assists, then added two goals and six assists on the man advantage in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Tomas Hertl played a role in Vegas’s power-play success too, but Marner’s contribution is impossible to ignore.
He also brings value while short-handed. In the playoffs last season, he had four power play assists and meshed well with Brett Howden, helping push the Golden Knights to the doorstep of their second Stanley Cup.
Of course, some critics will still bring up the old Maple Leafs narrative and say Marner has come up short in big moments. But a hat trick in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final is the kind of performance that settles the argument on the biggest stage.
With that kind of versatility and production, Marner enters 2026-27 positioned for another big year. And for Vegas, the goal is clear: Stanley Cup No. 2.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Just Narrowed The Battle For Opening Night Spots
The Golden Knights have started trimming their preseason roster in earnest, making 15 cuts as camp moves closer to opening night. Twelve players were assigned to Hendersons training camp, while three others were sent back to their junior teams, a sign that the first wave of decisions is already reshaping the competition for jobs.
Trevor Connelly remains among the players still in the mix, keeping his chance alive to stick with the big club a little longer. For Vegas, the early cuts have narrowed the field, but they have not settled the most interesting question yet: which young players can do enough in the final stretch of camp to stay in the conversation when the roster gets serious. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Craig Walks Into A Golden Knights Job With No Patience
Ryan Craig arrives in the Golden Knights top job with a familiar face and an unforgiving brief. After working as an assistant and then leading the organizations AHL affiliate, he now takes over a team that expects to contend every season and has built its identity on immediate results. That kind of internal promotion can bring continuity, but it also comes with a sharp learning curve when the expectations are rooted in a recent Stanley Cup Final appearance and the standard established by the franchises past success.
A recent study placed Craig third among coaches under the most pressure, a reminder that the margin for error in Vegas is thin from the start. He inherits veteran players, a demanding market and the challenge of following a coach who guided the Golden Knights to the doorstep of a second Cup. For Craig, the job is not just about implementing his own approach, but about doing it quickly enough to keep a win-now roster moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Connelly Has Something To Prove In Vegas' Next Test
Trevor Connellys latest preseason outing for the Golden Knights was quiet on the scoresheet, even in a 4-2 win, but it still offered a reminder of why Vegas is invested in him. The former first-round pick did not record a point, yet he managed three shots on goal and showed flashes of the skating and offensive ability that made him such an intriguing prospect in the first place.
Now the focus shifts quickly to another preseason test against the San Jose Sharks, and Connelly gets another chance to show he is ready to keep pushing toward NHL minutes. For a player trying to carve out a place in Vegas plans, these early games are less about one box score than about building a case every time he steps on the ice. [Read more 🡒]