Recently I decided to check out who were the top scorers of the last decade, i.e., 2010-11 through 2019-20. The thing I found most interesting is each of the top 24 was active for all ten years of the decade, with #25 (Nikita Kucherov) being the highest ranked player to have played in fewer than all ten campaigns. Moreover, 18 of the top 20 were between the ages of 20 and 25 in 2010-11, with only one (Tyler Seguin) being younger than 20 and only one (Joe Pavelski) being older than 25. Accordingly, virtually all the top 20 scorers for this decade (i.e., the 2020-21 season through the 2029-30 season) are most likely already in the NHL now and are age 20-25. Who might those players be? Time for your votes to decide!

I'm going to list 20 the players whom I think have the best chance to finish the 2020s with the highest cumulative point total. Keeping with how things turned out last decade, I'll restrict the choices to those for whom this is their age 20 to 25 season. Yes, I realize that might miss some outliers as happened last decade; but this way I'll keep the list manageable and limit it to the players who'll have the best chance, in fact, to finish in the top 20. Your task will be to vote for the ten you think will end this decade with the most total points. Make sure you really think about your votes, as other factors will be involved beyond just what ages these players are now, including how often they tend to get hurt, the team(s) for which they figure to play, etc.

Below are the 20 voting choices, in alphabetical order. The link to cast your votes is at the end of the column. The toughest omissions were Drake Batherson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Brock Boeser, Kevin Fiala, Kirill Kaprizov, Travis Konecny, Dylan Larkin, Nick Suzuki, and Matthew Tkachuk. I also gave consideration to including Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes, as Erik Karlsson finished 22nd among scorers for the prior decade so it's not out of the realm of possibilities that a defenseman "belongs" in the top 20 choices. In the end, I didn't include any, since you're voting on the top ten and it would be almost impossible for any rearguard to finish that high, even one with as much of an upside as Makar or Hughes.

Sebastian Aho – It might be that Aho has fallen short of expectations since 2019-20; but if all he ends up being is a point per game player and he stays healthy, it's likely that'd be enough to put him in the top ten overall. And who knows, he still might have another gear, plus the team around him only figures to get better in the coming seasons.

Aleksander Barkov – With all his ice time, both overall and on the PP, the stage is set for Barkov to be able to score for years to come. And as was shown in my most recent Goldipucks column, it looks like he's turned a page and finally can be looked upon as a player with a 90-point floor and 100+ point ceiling. Also, his early career injury woes look to be a thing of the past, which will only help position him to further climb the scoring ranks.

Mathew Barzal – If he was on any other team he'd likely be a slam-dunk pick, but who knows how many more seasons he'll "lose" to being in a Barry Trotz system emphasizing a defensive game. His ability to put up points anyways, plus the likelihood he'll play a chunk of the decade under a different coach, gives him pretty good odds of cracking the top ten.

Kyle Connor – Another player covered in my most recent Goldipucks column, Connor might have more of an 85-point ceiling. However, as was noted above with Aho, consistency can be enough to put someone in the top ten. This is particularly true if they've shown an ability to stay healthy and are on a team that figures to stay an offensive powerhouse for the foreseeable future, just like Connor.

Alex DeBrincat – All those who jumped off the DeBrincat fantasy train last season are regretting that they gave up their seat, as he's recovered in a big way. That, plus Chicago having a great mix of elite veterans and a rock solid core of youth, should help DeBrincat continue to produce at a top rate for many seasons to come.

Leon Draisaitl – First people thought he'd flounder if separated from Connor McDavid, then they may have felt he was "only" a 100-point player who lucked into a great 2019-20. Here we are again with Draisaitl's name all over the scoresheet. Really the only thing keeping him from getting more praise is being on the same team as McDavid. And we thought that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in their primes might never be equaled as a one-two punch….

Pierre-Luc Dubois – After looking a bit lost without Artemi Panarin, Dubois put up point per game numbers in the 2020 playoffs under John Tortorella's defensive system. Now that he's on Winnipeg, he figures to play within what might be the best collective top six in the entire NHL for many years to come.

Jack Eichel – Sure, he hasn't looked great this season, and rumors are he's unhappy, but Eichel gets the best deployment of any center in the NHL, with ample ice time at ES and on the PP, essentially no SH duty, and an OZ% that sits just below 60%. It's difficult to imagine a top ten for the decade where he's somehow not in it.

Nikolaj Ehlers – The third and final Jet forward to appear as a voting choice, Ehlers paid his dues for several seasons playing alongside centers like Bryan Little and Kevin Hayes. Now, with Dubois and Paul Stastny in the fold, Ehlers is just hitting his prime and it looks like the best is certainly yet to come.

Patrik Laine – Here the concern is the same as with Barzal in that Laine will be stifled under a system that doesn't lend itself to high scoring. However, with John Tortorella likely to be gone sooner rather than later, and Laine still not even in his prime and arguably the best young sniper in the NHL, he's definitely got a shot to be in the top ten when all is said and done.

Nathan MacKinnon – Although he hasn't carried over his 2020 playoff magic this season, he's still money in the bank for approximately a 100-point scoring pace. Although Colorado probably won't be getting much better on offense than it already is, between Mac's talent and what he has to work with, on paper he should be close to a lock for the top ten.

Mitch Marner – Although much of the Toronto focus is on Auston Matthews, and the national attention on other voting choices, all Marner does is pile up points. Fanfare or not, he's the real deal as much as nearly anyone else on this list.

Auston Matthews – If his early career is any indication, Matthews might be making a case to go down as the best male American hockey player of all time, and perhaps one of the purest goal scoring centers of any nationality. It'll be a fun ride for sure.

Connor McDavid – I could try to find a way to cast doubt, but it seems foolish. Barring a major injury, it's nearly a mortal lock that McDavid will be in the top ten, and all that remains to see is if someone can somehow finish the decade with more points than him.

William Nylander – It's a shame that most of the focus when it comes to Nylander is if/when he'll be traded from Toronto, as he's become a solid player. For all we know he could thrive even more if he's dealt to a team where he'd become more of a focal point.

David Pastrnak – Not missing a beat after a delayed start to the season, Pasta looks every bit as great as he's been and continues to make a case that he's among the best wingers in the league. The question is, once Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron slow, can he still be as productive?

Elias Pettersson – To some he's among the crop of soon to be elite players, whereas to others he's overrated. Either way, he's on an up-and-coming Canucks team and looks to be a lock to continue to get fantastic deployment. It's up to him now to show just how good he can be.

Brayden Point – Those worried about how Point might fare once Steven Stamkos slows or is gone saw Point thrive in Tampa's 2020 Cup run. Without Nikita Kucherov this year, his production is not near what we saw in the playoffs. Still, with Kucherov and him poised to skate together for years to come, expectations are rightfully high for Point.

Mikko Rantanen – Okay, so maybe the 96-point pace from two seasons ago might be an outlier; but make no mistake that Rantanen is a key focal point for the Colorado offense, and will be alongside MacKinnon for years to come. Now that Rantanen is finally shooting more, he could be able to see his scoring rise again.

Andrei Svechnikov – After his leap at age 19, and with how he's looked this season despite not often playing with Carolina's most talented players at even strength, Svech appears to have a very bright future. Plus, even though he fires pucks on net like a sniper, he's got playmaking talent, a recipe for future huge production.

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There are your 20 choices, from which you need to pick the ten who you believe will score the ten most cumulative points this decade. Please vote for exactly ten, as this way after a handful of likely obvious choices we'll be able to see who else folks think will be the best of the best. To cast your votes, click here.

Questions for Mailbag columnNext week's Roos Lets Loose column will be my monthly mailbag, which is already full. But it's never too early to secure yourself a spot in the April edition. To get your question(s) to me, you can either private message “rizzeedizzee” via the DobberHockey Forums, or instead, send an email to [email protected] with “Roos Mailbag” as the subject line.