Top-200 Cap League Skater Rankings – May 2025

Alexander MacLean

2025-05-25

Welcome to the 2025-26 season, we're already trying to get ahead of the game here by getting rankings out for the fall, as most cap leagues have a keeper component and you can make trades through the summer. Getting on top of planning for next season now can have a big impact on staying ahead of your league-mates.

A few of the biggest risers include Matvei Michkov, Macklin Celebrini, and Will Smith, taking what they did this past year and tacking on some extra production leads to a ton of value while they're still on their entry level deals. However, the flip side of it is that the threat of Cole Hutson's massive new cap hit after this coming year has dropped his rating down – though as a cheap defenceman providing high-level offence he's still the number one by value (i.e. I'm not trading the guys above him like Rasmus Dahlin to get him, though Hutson's production value vs his cap hit and other features grade out better than Dahlin at the current moment).

Best of luck with the offseason!

Standard pre-rankings note:

This isn't meant to be a be-all and end-all rating system for you to use without thinking and just trade your players for anyone above them on the list that you can find, but used with some foresight for managing salaries. The assumed league setup is for points-only leagues, and I have made an effort to balance it for a range of league and roster sizes. Cap hit is used for the player cost, so if your league uses salary or AAV, please account for that, as it can greatly change the impact of rookies. The rankings are set up so as to provide the most value in the current season, while providing some value in future years, based on modeling for predicted salary increases and production growth.

For those of you with variations from this setup, whether in terms of number of teams, salary space, roster positions, or scoring categories, you can make your own personal tweaks to move players up or down as necessary. This list is made to be a baseline guide for player evaluation, and to promote discussion and understanding of how to optimize rosters in a cap league setting.

If you note a mistake, or have any further questions about the ranking system, please let me know. You can find me on BlueSky here @alexdmaclean.

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Comments help with optimizing the values, because they're not perfect and they never will be.

We're sticking with the +/- 5.0 rating that Dobber uses on all of his rating schemes as the range for approximately equivalent value. The skater and goalie rankings are synched so that the value of a skater against a goalie can be compared, though the scale of the ratings has changed a little since the last update.

RankNameAgePosCap HitYrsRatingPrev RankValue
1Connor McDavid28F$12,500,0001251.254191.11
2Cale Makar26D$9,000,0002242.453250.42
3Leon Draisaitl29F$14,000,0008236.509183.01
4Quinn Hughes25D$7,850,0002234.952232.02
5Kirill Kaprizov28F$9,000,0001231.008147.36
6Nikita Kucherov31F$9,500,0002230.815218.58
7Nathan MacKinnon29F$12,600,0006219.506194.73
8Jack Hughes24F$8,000,0005187.6012169.34
9David Pastrnak28F$11,250,0006187.5314186.19
10Matvei Michkov20F$950,0002181.9698314.22
11Kyle Connor28F$7,142,8571179.3615197.64
12Robert Thomas25F$8,000,0006176.2132169.78
13Jack Eichel28F$10,000,0001175.6920170.61
14Mitch Marner28FUFA0170.8713159.26
15Clayton Keller26F$7,150,0003170.4422185.74
16Macklin Celebrini18F$975,0002169.6841300.80
17Zach Werenski27D$9,583,3333162.5911211.66
18Brandon Hagel26F$6,500,0007162.0627192.04
19Jesper Bratt26F$7,875,0006159.3521176.85
20Nick Suzuki25F$7,875,0005155.7740175.78
21Kirill Marchenko24F$3,850,0002155.4443203.30
22Matthew Tkachuk27F$9,500,0005155.1123132.98
23Martin Necas26F$6,500,0001155.0734178.99
24Rasmus Dahlin25D$11,000,0007150.4626178.54
25Sean Monahan30F$5,500,0004149.3244143.61
26Lane Hutson21D$950,0001145.541363.67
27Mikko Rantanen28F$12,000,0008145.4719152.88
28Auston Matthews27F$13,250,0003144.9025134.33
29Jason Robertson25F$7,750,0001144.2528165.09
30Kent Johnson22F$1,800,0002143.3551169.13
31Aliaksei Protas24F$3,375,0004142.3967193.83
32Tage Thompson27F$7,142,8575135.6946161.73
33Dylan Strome28F$5,000,0003135.6436187.87
34Evan Bouchard25DRFA0135.3510190.77
35Aleksander Barkov29F$10,000,0005134.3437138.62
36Adam Fox27D$9,500,0004133.6417173.12
37Tim Stutzle23F$8,350,0006129.7435155.90
38Lucas Raymond23F$8,075,0007128.3750154.16
39Logan Cooley21F$950,0001127.7318280.47
40Brayden Point29F$9,500,0005127.6431146.67
41Sam Reinhart29F$8,625,0007125.3129150.84
42Shea Theodore29D$7,425,0007121.9716172.92
43Matt Boldy24F$7,000,0005121.4465152.86
44Nico Hischier26F$7,250,0002120.9163145.30
45Ivan Demidov19F$975,0002119.96NR209.10
46William Nylander29F$11,500,0007117.3733136.58
47Josh Morrissey29D$6,250,0003114.0224189.06
48Will Smith20F$950,0002112.49163246.46
49Nikolaj Ehlers29FUFA0111.9259143.86
50Seth Jarvis23F$7,420,0877110.7783136.27
51Jake Guentzel30F$9,000,0006110.4255140.78
52Travis Konecny28F$8,750,0008109.1347139.59
53Adrian Kempe28F$5,500,0001108.6057155.54
54Drake Batherson27F$4,975,0002107.2362160.04
55Dylan Holloway23F$2,220,4571105.7396194.82
56Sebastian Aho27F$9,750,0007104.7442129.18
57Roope Hintz28F$8,450,0006102.7873129.95
58Jordan Kyrou27F$8,125,0006102.7585134.08
59Cole Caufield24F$7,850,0006102.2472136.00
60Mark Scheifele32F$8,500,0006101.0068150.12
61Connor Bedard19F$950,000199.307283.30
62Wyatt Johnston22F$8,400,000598.4849131.63
63Shane Wright21F$886,667297.4045236.24
64Dylan Larkin28F$8,700,000697.2764128.52
65Thomas Harley23D$4,000,000196.7648182.68
66Filip Forsberg30F$8,500,000596.6866136.89
67JJ Peterka23FRFA096.6660127.38
68Alex DeBrincat27F$7,875,000294.5089131.16
69Mikhail Sergachev26D$8,500,000694.4182153.62
70Zayne Parekh19D$975,000294.05NR172.05
71Gabriel Vilardi25FRFA090.8353118.81
72Jonathan Drouin30FUFA090.805497.97
73Pierre-Luc Dubois26F$8,500,000690.21117119.54
74Marco Rossi23FRFA088.4874133.48
75Alex Tuch29F$4,750,000187.9371147.47
76J.T. Miller32F$8,000,000686.7080131.88
77Brady Tkachuk25F$8,208,571386.5779112.74
78William Eklund22F$863,333186.5176135.84
79Jake Sanderson22D$8,050,000786.1988158.15
80Dylan Guenther22F$7,142,857885.6358118.24
81Nick Schmaltz29F$5,850,000185.1095135.63
82Jared McCann28F$5,000,000284.40107138.77
83Jackson LaCombe24D$925,000184.1830253.64
84Elias Pettersson26F$11,600,000784.0192105.19
85Kevin Fiala28F$7,875,000482.39108120.14
86Ryan Donato29FUFA081.5093151.91
87Adam Fantilli20F$950,000179.4839227.06
88Anthony Cirelli27F$6,250,000679.15135121.32
89Connor McMichael24F$2,100,000179.0269172.09
90Quinton Byfield22F$6,250,000478.90139128.33
91Marco Kasper21F$886,667278.88NR215.96
92Mathew Barzal27F$9,150,000678.618677.22
93Jakob Chychrun27D$9,000,000893.4756165.67
94Mason McTavish22FRFA076.3687129.87
95Matthew Knies22FRFA075.63112113.90
96Artemi Panarin33F$11,642,857174.8777126.04
97Pavel Dorofeyev24F$1,835,000174.3984166.73
98Vince Dunn28D$7,350,000273.9261126.76
99Valeri Nichushkin30F$6,125,000573.288190.66
100Troy Terry27F$7,000,000572.51103110.79
101Seamus Casey21D$950,000272.3312269.84
102Luke Hughes21DRFA071.3778137.89
103Trevor Zegras24F$5,750,000171.17NR133.45
104Pavel Buchnevich30F$8,000,000669.12143110.06
105Mason Marchment30F$4,500,000168.71128113.08
106Noah Dobson25DRFA068.2152130.63
107Cole Perfetti23F$3,250,000168.08119130.60
108Andrei Svechnikov25F$7,750,000467.97109100.49
109Yegor Chinakhov24F$2,100,000167.70106104.94
110Logan Mailloux22D$875,000167.1891145.98
111Rickard Rakell32F$5,000,000367.06134140.78
112Bryan Rust33F$5,125,000366.27104135.44
113Tomas Hertl31F$8,137,500565.65168106.12
114Cutter Gauthier21F$950,000164.64116182.52
115Morgan Geekie26FRFA064.56170104.95
116Sidney Crosby34F$8,700,000164.46100132.96
117Alex Ovechkin34F$9,500,000164.20145133.90
118Leo Carlsson20F$950,000163.8575183.20
119Barrett Hayton24F$2,650,000163.74186129.12
120Connor Zary23FRFA062.6913785.03
121Dmitri Voronkov24FRFA062.6710199.39
122Jake Neighbours23F$3,750,000262.4714080.37
123Boone Jenner31F$3,750,000162.1613398.47
124Juraj Slafkovsky21F$7,600,000861.91129104.15
125Anton Lundell23F$5,000,000561.8118570.42
126Tyler Seguin33F$9,850,000261.0012051.62
127Zack Bolduc22F$863,334160.96144111.23
128Jiri Kulich21F$886,667260.84NR195.72
129Tony DeAngelo29DUFA060.76NR181.09
130Sam Bennett28FUFA060.6913696.67
131Artturi Lehkonen29F$4,500,000260.48102109.79
132Brock Boeser28F$6,650,000159.7411195.03
133Ville Koivunen21FRFA059.36NR45.46
134Ivan Barbashev29F$5,000,000359.07147108.52
135Jack Quinn23FRFA058.9211478.70
136Teuvo Teravainen30F$5,400,000258.61118119.38
137Shayne Gostisbehere32D$3,200,000258.5170178.13
138Shane Pinto24F$3,750,000158.43155118.73
139Bowen Byram23DRFA058.10126147.66
140Moritz Seider24D$8,550,000658.08127125.77
141Mark Stone33F$9,500,000258.0294101.21
142Jake Walman29D$3,400,000157.9999100.79
143Aaron Ekblad29DUFA057.95149123.67
144Darren Raddysh29D$975,000157.8938158.28
145Tyson Foerster23FRFA056.59NR76.13
146Patrik Laine27F$8,700,000156.3515660.90
147Scott Morrow22D$916,667155.8014167.09
148Ryan McLeod25FRFA055.6719697.35
149Bo Horvat30F$8,500,000655.4114896.85
150Will Cuylle23FRFA055.1817673.25
151Carter Verhaeghe29F$7,000,000855.1097101.15
152Timo Meier28F$8,800,000654.9616490.08
153Thomas Chabot27D$8,000,000354.86146125.14
154Tom Wilson31F$6,500,000654.77153111.92
155Cole Sillinger22F$2,250,000154.6517379.20
156Jonathan Huberdeau31F$10,500,000654.62NR94.42
157Joel Eriksson Ek28F$5,250,000454.5715778.46
158Frank Nazar21F$950,000154.56NR81.22
159Dougie Hamilton31D$9,000,000354.55125115.79
160Elmer Soderblom23FRFA053.57NR83.41
161Conor Garland29F$4,950,000152.05NR111.13
162Luke Evangelista23FRFA051.82NR78.67
163Simon Holmstrom23FRFA051.5813269.36
164Alex Laferriere23FRFA051.33NR54.87
165Josh Norris26F$7,950,000551.2719370.10
166Alex Turcotte24F$775,000251.00NR166.57
167Owen Power22D$8,350,000650.98171112.93
168Andrei Kuzmenko29FUFA050.83NR119.29
169Matt Duchene34FUFA050.8290137.95
170Bobby Brink23F$1,500,000150.7915188.44
171Dylan Cozens24F$7,100,000550.33NR91.60
172Warren Foegele29F$3,500,000249.96191115.74
173Mika Zibanejad32F$8,500,000549.88161102.59
174John Tavares34FUFA049.88NR118.12
175Jakob Pelletier24FRFA049.60NR143.79
176Devon Toews31D$7,250,000649.51NR124.18
177Miro Heiskanen25D$8,450,000449.4410591.62
178Neal Pionk29D$7,000,000649.25174124.02
179Pavel Zacha28F$4,750,000249.20130103.42
180Filip Hronek27D$7,250,000748.3112460.38
181Kaapo Kakko24FRFA048.15NR89.18
182Owen Tippett26F$6,200,000748.1518489.41
183Alexis Lafreniere23F$7,450,000748.1014288.62
184Jake DeBrusk28F$5,500,000648.05NR95.01
185Anthony Mantha30FUFA047.84NR78.98
186Josh Doan23F$925,000147.79NR92.81
187Oliver Bjorkstrand30F$5,400,000147.04183112.56
188Charlie McAvoy27D$9,500,000546.9915988.79
189Bobby McMann28F$1,350,000146.81131124.77
190Pius Suter28FUFA046.64200111.32
191Matty Beniers22F$7,142,857646.49NR90.59
192Seth Jones30D$9,500,000546.05NR100.02
193Ryan Nugent-Hopkins32F$5,125,000445.68121116.05
194Rasmus Andersson28D$4,550,000145.14195133.36
195Vincent Trocheck32F$5,625,000445.10177111.23
196Trevor Moore30F$4,200,000344.63189100.18
197MacKenzie Weegar31D$6,250,000644.3115483.24
198Jordan Spence24D$1,500,000144.17182108.28
199Brandt Clarke22D$863,334144.14123115.00
200Logan Stankoven22F$814,167144.1115053.46

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