NHL Power Rankings: Penguins' Sidney Crosby among key players in 2026 Olympics - CBS Sports

The 2026 Olympics are here and the NHL's latest powerhouse streak has arrived

NHL Power Rankings: Penguins' Sidney Crosby among key players to watch in 2026 Olympics

Here's an Olympian to watch from every team in Italy

With the 2026 Winter Olympics, the NHL power rankings are on hiatus for a few weeks as the world's best players give it their all in line for national supremacy.In honor of that, we've highlighted an Olympian from each team to watch.

This exercise works because all 32 NHL teams have at least one player heading to Italy for the Olympics.Several teams have one Olympian, which I appreciated because it made my decision much easier, but I digress.

In Sidney Crosby, this is the last time we see the hockey legend on the Olympic stage.Crosby, the artist behind Canada's "Golden Finish" at the 2010 Olympics, clearly has a lot of gas left in the tank.Can hockey give Canada another iconic moment?As an American, I hope not, but I will not delete it.

Crosby is a bit of an outlier this Olympic year.Because he is in the minority of players with Olympic experience.Having been away from the NHL for 12 years, that means everyone from superstars like Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid to rising stars like Maclin Celebrini and Juraj Slavkovski will be competing in the game for the first time.How would they react under a microscope like that?

For hockey fans, these Olympics have been a long time coming and I'm excited to see the best of the best tournament for the first time since 2014. Here are the latest NHL rankings as we highlight the key Olympians to watch.

Thanks to Natural Stat Trick, all expected goals and goals saved higher average data.

Rk |Group |Chg |Rcrd ||

|1 |

|Jake Guentzel |Given that Team USA opted to leave three of its top scorers at home through the 2025-26 season, he clearly thinks he already has plenty of firepower.Quentzel will have a big part of that with his 66 goals since the start of last season.4 Nations Face-off Quentzel leads Team USA with three goals.|- |37-14-4 |

|2 |

|Nathan MacKinnon |MacKinnon is playing at a Hart Trophy level for the Avalanche.As a hockey fan, I am excited to see what he can do on the world stage.As an American, I shudder to think what he could do with so much superstar talent around him.|-- |37-9-9 |

|3 |

|Sebastian Aho |With Aleksandar Barkov playing in Finland, the role of center no.1 belonged to Ahu, who is more than capable of carrying this burden.Aho may not have won Barkov's Selke Trophy, but he has received votes in each of the last five seasons.Aho must be at his best for the Finn to compete for the gold medal.|-- |36-15-6 |

|4 |

|Taj ThompsonAfter missing the cut for the 4 Nations face-off, Thompson earned a spot to play for Team USA at the Olympics.Thompson is poised to end a 14-season playoff drought for the Sabres, and his combination of size (6-foot-6 and 220 pounds) and skill represents a unique weapon.132-19-6

|5 |

|Goaltners These two were excellent for the Wild with a 24.0 goals against average while posting a .905 save percentage. Of course, only one of them can win the playoffs and I'm excited to see who wins this gig.|6 |34-14-10 |

|6 |

|Moritz Seider |Germany is a bit of a dark horse in these Olympics and Seider is the main reason why.Give the Germans a superstar on the blue line.Expect Seider to play gigantic minutes in Italy. How Seider handles that position can determine exactly how his team goes. |2 |33-19-6 |

|7 |

|Miro Heiskanen |Finland lacks offensive firepower, at least compared to the other Olympic favorites, and must be able to keep the puck out of its own net, starting with Miro Heiskanen, one of the NHL's best defensemen.|7 |34-14-9 |

|8 |

|Sidney Crosby |Who else could it be?I'm not one to bet against Crosby, but he'll be 42 when the 2030 Olympics roll around, meaning this will likely be his last Olympic appearance.Crosby already has one of the greatest moments in Olympic hockey history and will look to write another memorable chapter this year.|2 |15-29-12 |

|9 |

| Charlie McAvoy | One of America's best defensemen in the Four Nations showdown, McAvoy was injured during the game and it looks like he's finally back to full fitness.Team USA will rely heavily on McAvoy when it comes to containing the best players in the world.|1 |32-20-5 |

|10 |

|Juraj Slafkowski |Now in his fourth NHL season, Slafkowski is approaching his former potential.Total 1. He's up to 44 points, but now he'll be driving the bus for the Slovaks.It will be interesting to see how much of the load Slafkowski can handle -- without much help -- against the best teams in the world.|1 |32-17-8 |

|11 |

|J.J.Peterka|Return to Germany as Peterka joins Draisaitl. Although he's off to a slow start with his new team this season, Peterka has come into his own, and could score 30 goals in 2025-26.

|12 |

|Leon Draisaitl |Connor McDavid is very good, but we saw that last year in the Four Nations at the World Cup. I'd like to see Draisaitl lead Germany as they try to make some noise as underdogs. Only Auston Matthews has scored more goals than Draisaitl since the start of the 2018-19 season.|2 |28-22-8 |

|13 |

|Akira Schmid |Switzerland is an interesting team in these Olympics.It is an emerging country in the hockey world, but it still lacks a top-level goal.Schmidt should be the No. 1 option throughout the tournament, and even against this level of competition, he has yet to prove he can handle being a full-time starter.|6 |27-16-14 |

|14 |

|Zach Warenski |Wienski leads the NHL in quinux, Warfs to a couple of talents on the rebound.|5-20-

|15 |

|Bo Horvat |I didn't have Horvat on my Team Canada bingo card for the season, but he made the list.A 13-year veteran who scored 23 goals in 43 games before being hampered by injuries in January, Horvat has shown a penchant for catching fire throughout his career.Can he do it in Italy?|2 |32-21-5 |

|16 |

Lucas Dostal |The Czech Republic actually has a nice stable of goalkeepers, but Dostal might be the most promising of the trio.He was excellent for the Ducks earlier in the season before suffering a slump last month, but has bounced back with eight solid starts in a row.Dostal could be a real key for the Czechs at the Olympics.|-- |30-23-3 |

|17 |

Tim Stozel |There is no better one-two punch than Leon Draisaitl and Stozel in the middle.Only the top-ranked teams in Canada and the U.S. Germany have any real weapons in the top six, and if they need some quick offense in a critical situation, they can move one of Draisaitl or Stützle to the wing.|5 |28-22-7 |

|18 |

|Philipp Grubauer |Scoring for Germany in this match is still a concern, but I feel better about it than I did three months ago.Because Grubauer was a brick wall to the Kraken.He ranks seventh in the NHL with a 12.9 goals-against average.|5 |27-20-9 |

|19 |

William Nylander | There will be a lot of pressure on Nylander, Sweden's top striker, to send a team with an eye on the gold medal run.Nylander has been battling an injury recently but still has 16 points from his last nine games.This is a great opportunity for Nylander to wash the taste of the disappointing Maple Leaf season out of his mouth.

|20 |

|Matthew Tkachuk |There is no doubt which player is the heart and soul of Team USA.That responsibility falls to Tkachuk, who just made his debut for the 2025-26 season after offseason surgery.Tkachuk, a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion, is still in top form but his effort is certainly unquestionable.|5 |March 29, 2019 |

|21 |

|Jack Hughes |Assuming he is healthy enough to play, Jack Hughes will be a key player for the US.He has the speed and skill you want in a player, and he can help Team USA match fast teams, like Canada.The US should hope that Hughes can score lots of goals.also in Italy.|1 |28-27-2 |

|22 |

|MacLean Celebrini |The 19-year-old is very much in the Hart Trophy conversation with 81 points in 54 games and his high hockey IQ could really shine against Team Canada.I hope the Canadians don't keep Celebrini on a leash because of his age.All he's done to this point in his NHL career is rebuild a franchise in 124 games.|5 |27-24-4 |

|23 |

|Adrian KempeKempe is an elite scorer with blistering pace who is the equivalent of an offensive black hole.Playing Kempe with more talent - and in a different system - is an exciting prospect223-19-14

|24 |

|Tom Wilson |After a few slugfests with Team USA in the 4 Nations, Canada will bring Wilson to the Olympics.Don't let its reputation fool you.Wilson is a great hockey player who is on pace for points per game this season.Of course, he will bring his physicality and brand to Italy.

|25 |

|Roman Josi |Josi, the NHL's most decorated Swiss player, is tasked with leading a team that is desperate to win its first Olympic medal since 1948. Josi has scored 19 points in his last 11 games, so he is playing his best hockey just in time for the trip to Italy.|- |26-24-7 |

|26 |

|Connor Hellebuyck |A consistent Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy winner for Team USA, Hellebuyck is Team USA's latest weapon.At his best, Hellebuyck is the best goalkeeper in the world and he has been playing at that level as of late.Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Hellebuyck has allowed a league-leading 78.8 goals against, above average saves.|2 |22-26-8 |

|27 |

|Travis Sanheim |Canada turned down other good options to keep Sanheim on the roster after his stint at the 4-Nations Face-Off.We'll see if this decision was the right one, because while Sanheim is a solid defender, he doesn't have the upside of Evan Bouchard or Jakob Czychrun.|1 |20.25.11 |

| 28 |28

|Teuvo Teravainen |Default pick here: Teravainen is having a tough season in Chicago.However, he still has 60-point potential at the NHL level, and Finland must rely on Teravainen as a top-six forward.|1 |22-26-9 |

|29 |

|Martin Pospisil |Another default pick, Pospisil battled concussion issues, playing just six games.The Slovakian had a great rookie season in 2023-24, so Slovakians should hope he finds that level in the Olympics.|-- |23-27-6 |

|30 |

|Jordan Bennington |Bennington earned his spot on the Canadian roster last year when he won the 4 Nations, but things went downhill from there.With an average of 23.4 goals against, Bennington was the worst goaltender in the league this season.|- |20-28-9 |

|31 |

|J.T.Miller |Team USA could have drafted the right players, but GM Bill Guerin wanted Miller for his scouting ability.It's a controversial call, and depending on how Miller does, he could be questioned for a long time.|- |22-29-6 |

| 32 |

|Elias Pettersson|It's been a tough few years for Pettersson, but there's no better time for redemption than the Olympics.From 2022-2024, Patterson scored 191 points, so he can play at the superstar level. Can Sweden pull it out of him at the end of this month?|- |18-33-6 |