Factoring in era, durability, consistency and more to illustrate how no sniper – not even Gretzky – comes close.

As you should already know, one of the projection analysts whose work I value a great deal is Paul Pidutti (aka AdjustedHockey). In his current project at Daily Faceoff, Pidutti is projecting out to t...

Paul Pidutti (aka AdjustedHockey) does some terrific work diving deep into the weeds, both historically and looking forward. His latest work at Daily Faceoff is projecting the top 30 players in the NHL in the year 2030. There are no age restrictions on the list, so there are a few guys in their mid-30s by the time these rankings are supposed to be playing out. I won’t disagree with the recipe that still has Connor McDavid at No. 1 on the list. Pidutti has Blackhawks center Connor Bedard ranked sixth in the entire league. Pidutti has John Tavares as the comp for Bedard’s trajectory. San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini is ranked third. His comp for Celebrini’s trajectory: Jonathan Toews. They’re joined by projected 2026 No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna as the youngest players in the top ten overall. Bedard is not joined by another Blackhawks player on the list, however. Here’s what Pidutti wrote about Bedard: Two years ago, this exercise would have almost certainly had Bedard at #1. It’s hardly a problem that a player that just turned 20 in July might not be the surefire best player on Earth by his 25th birthday. Tavares, to which his trajectory matches, was an MVP finalist at age 22 and 24. So, there is a lot of room for dominant, impactful play on Bedard’s timeline. As he and the young core around him marinate, the recognition will follow. I’m still betting on a future Hart Trophy for Bedard. I can appreciate not over-hyping Frank Nazar in context like this after half of one season. But, if he continues to do that, I could argue he’ll be up there somewhere. Similarly, I think we might bookmark this one and look back in five years and say “man… what a swing and a miss excluding Sam Rinzel (and maybe Artyom Levshunov, too).” Neither Blackhawks defensemen received even an honorable mention. I could also see a scenario where, if the Blackhawks’ young collection of defensemen take off in the next couple years, Spencer Knight is in the mix for a list like this by 2030. Knight got an honorable mention at least. He’ll still be 29 at the start of the 2030-31 season. However, while I can appreciate the calculus that kept a few Blackhawks off the list because of small sample sizes at the NHL level, that kinda sorta gets thrown out when Pidutti includes Minnesota defenseman Zeev Buium — who has four career NHL appearances (all playoff games) on the back of his hockey cards right now. The other unfortunate reality looking forward at these rankings is the number of Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild who are mentioned. With four each, they’re the leaders on this list. As always, I love when Pidutti puts lists together like this because it’s marvelous for offseason conversation and angry dialogue over who got left off and who doesn’t deserve a spot. Which Blackhawks do you think should have been on there? And which Blackhawks do you think could emerge as guys who are in this conversation in five years? Let us know in the comments! 🔮 It’s the Year 2030… Crosby & Ovechkin are retired. MacKinnon & Draisaitl turn 35. Today's *future* stars are the present. My @DailyFaceoff feature forecasts the *30 best players* in the #NHL in 2030… who makes the list? 🔗: https://t.co/Q0qlwY55Qv pic.twitter.com/sDgZP2FeNP— Paul Pidutti (@AdjustedHockey) August 6, 2025

🚨 Sidney Crosby's #LetsGoPens are back from the dead. Two decades into his #NHL life, Sid still defines superstardom. My @DailyFaceoff Friday column is a personal favourite. We place Crosby's career among the greatest to ever do it. Have a read 🔗: https://t.co/RZtzdD7Qcl