ESPN is not mainly known as a sports channel that focuses on hockey, and they showed their lack of knowledge today with their new Olympic player rankings.
Connor McDavid is widely seen as the top player in the NHL, and no one really argues about it anymore. Nathan MacKinnon can sometimes have a similar season to him, but he’s the only player who is ever mentioned alongside McDavid, and it’s not consistent from year to year.
ESPN ranks Connor McDavid as the third best player at the Olympics. This morning, ESPN shared a list of the 50 best hockey players going to the Olympics. It was surprising to see Connor McDavid listed in third place, behind Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
As the Olympic men’s tournament begins today in Milan Cortina, here are the NHL players who could have the biggest impact. https://t.co/IIT3iObC8v
— ESPN (@espn) February 11, 2026
MacKinnon is having an amazing season with 40 goals and 93 points, and he’s been really strong over the last three years. ESPN took a three-year look at his performance, noting his incredible scoring after Christmas this season, which helped them place him first. They even gave MacKinnon higher ratings for both offense and defense compared to McDavid.
ESPN also placed Makar ahead of McDavid because of his strong defense and impressive offensive skills. Makar might be one of the most skilled defenders in the NHL, but he does have some weaknesses when he plays without MacKinnon.
This is where McDavid’s surprising third place comes in. Even though he has better points per game than MacKinnon over the last three seasons, ESPN rated McDavid as a lesser offensive player. His defensive ratings were significantly lower than those of both Avalanche players.
They ranked McDavid 3rd 😂 😂 https://t.co/doQs6VpJuO
— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) February 11, 2026
In simple terms, this ranking doesn’t make sense. McDavid is the best all-around player, and his offensive skills are nearly unbeatable. Oilers fans know this well from watching him through his whole career. While MacKinnon certainly deserves praise, putting McDavid below Makar is just ridiculous.
As the Olympic men’s tournament begins today in Milan Cortina, here are the NHL players who could have the biggest impact. https://t.co/IIT3iObC8v
— ESPN (@espn) February 11, 2026
Fans all over the hockey community were shocked by ESPN’s ranking and called them out for not understanding the situation.
Edmonton Oilers fans thank @Neil_Paine from ESPN he says we have the third best player in the Olympic men’s hockey tournament.
Watch tomorrow you’re first ever hockey game Neil see who the best player is.#Oilers #Olympics2026 #canada #nhl #hockey pic.twitter.com/1KlJnsodpC
— Bleed Oil Blue (@BleedOilBlue) February 11, 2026
After scoring the goal that won gold at the 4 Nations Faceoff, you’d think American sports outlets would remember his talent. It seems that McDavid will have to prove himself at this Olympics and show that he truly is the greatest player in the game.
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