<p>With the final days of 2024 ahead, I figured what better way to celebrate then by highlighting some of the best performances that we’ve witnessed in the calendar year.</p>



<p>Over these last few days of the year, I’ll look at the best players at all five positions (goaltender, defense, right wing, left wing, and center) from 2024, which includes the January to April months of the 2023-24 season, the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the October to December months in the 2024-25 season.</p>



<p>Today, we’ll be looking at right wingers. Unlike the left wingers, which saw a significantly different group from 2023 make the list this year, the right wingers are almost identical to last years, only really changing in order. Regardless, it’s an elite group, with plenty of candidates coming from the Atlantic Division, so it’s easy to see why they’ve separated themselves from the rest of the pack.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="150"></div>



<p>Let’s look at a few honourable mentions before kicking off the countdown:</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Honourable mentions</h2>



<p><strong>William Nylander – </strong>Nylander had an excellent start to the year by securing the bag and earning his $11.5 million AAV, and while he could have easily taken his foot off the gas pedal after getting his money, he continued his excellent play in 2024. He finished a career-best 2023-24 season with 23 goals and 50 points in 48 games, was once again the only <a href="http://theleafsnation.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Toronto Maple Leafs</a>‘ forward to show up in the playoffs with 3 goals in 4 games despite battling migraines, and then to start the 2024-25 season, he’s already scored 23 goals and 41 points, with that goal total tying him for second in the league at this point of the season. Anthony Stolarz and Mitch Marner have gotten all the attention for carrying the team in 2024-25 amidst all their injuries, but Nylander has been just as vital to their early success.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="159"></div>



<p><strong>David Pastrnak – </strong>Pastrnak barely missed out on the top five, and was a <em>tough</em> player to cut from the list. Despite the fact that he’s on an island offensively with the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/boston-bruins/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Boston Bruins</a> at this point of both his career and the trajectory of Bruins’ competitive window, he managed to put up 42 goals and 104 points in 98 games between the regular season and the playoffs in 2024, and has done as good of a job as he could to fill the massive void left by Patrice Bergeron’s retirement. The only reason he didn’t make the list is because the five players ahead of him were either much better offensively this year, or had a lot more playoff success.</p>



<p><strong>Mark Stone – </strong>From a pure results standpoint, there’s a strong case for Stone to make the list. He had a 1.15 points per game pace in the regular season (including his incredible start to the 2024-25 season with 30 points in 21 games), had 3 goals in 7 games in the playoffs, and is one of the best defensive wingers in the game. But, Stone played a grand total of 47 games this season due to his consistent injury problems, so I can’t give him full credit when other players have had just as good of a year and played a lot longer. His injuries may work in the favour of the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/vegas-golden-knights/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vegas Golden Knights</a> to overload the team at the trade deadline, but it doesn’t work in his favour here.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="253"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. Mitch Marner</h2>



<p><strong>Regular Season:&nbsp;</strong>72GP, 25G, 72A, 97P<br><strong>Playoffs:&nbsp;</strong>7GP, 1G, 2A, 3P</p>



<p>When I initially put this list together, I had Marner in third. After all, he was the third-most productive right winger in the regular season in 2024 with 25 goals and 97 points in 72 games, was excellent defensively with a -0.11 5v5 expected goals against per 60 relative (xGA/60 Rel) to his teammates, and has been lights out in the 2024-25 regular season, playing a massive role in the Leafs’ success so far despite all of the injuries that they’ve had to deal with. All of that should have made him a lock for a top three spot.</p>



<p>But, I can’t overlook Marner’s performance in the playoffs, especially when it made as many headlines as it did and nearly resulted in him getting shipped out of Toronto. He’s always seen his game take a slight step back in the playoffs, but his 2024 series against the Bruins was particularly disappointing, especially when both Nylander and Auston Matthews were in and out of the Leafs lineup and they desperately needed him to step up. He just felt invisible in that series, and when the two wingers that I eventually picked over him for third and fourth had significantly more success in the playoffs, it was something that I had to ding him for.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="221"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Matthew Tkachuk</h2>



<p><strong>Regular Season:&nbsp;</strong>76GP, 34G, 62A, 96P<br><strong>Playoffs:&nbsp;</strong>24GP, 6G, 16A, 22P, Stanley Cup</p>



<p>Not that there’s ever been any regret on the trade, but I don’t think there’s been a single point of Tkachuk’s tenure with the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/florida-panthers/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida Panthers</a> that has made them regret acquiring him in the 2022 offseason. Considering that their biggest issue at the time was their offense being very predictable and mostly relying on chances generated on the rush, Tkachuk’s addition has diversified their offensive attack and (no offense to Jonathan Huberdeau) given them another player capable of driving their own line, and his style of play perfectly fits the Panthers’ recent shift into becoming one of the most frustrating teams to play against.</p>



<p>The numbers speak for themselves. In the calendar year of 2024, Tkachuk managed to get 34 goals and 96 points in 76 games, and has done so while angering just about every player in his wake. That game translated perfectly into the playoffs, where he managed 6 goals and 22 points in 24 games on route to helping the Panthers’ to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, all while dealing with any pre-existing fatigue from the Panthers’ Cup run just one year prior. Tkachuk has become one of the premier power forwards in the league, and might even be the best, and it’s why the Panthers have been so good since his arrival, and might even threaten for another Stanley Cup this spring.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="4" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="239"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Sam Reinhart</h2>



<p><strong>Regular Season:&nbsp;</strong>83GP, 56G, 39A, 95P<br><strong>Playoffs:&nbsp;</strong>24GP, 10G, 6A, 16P, Stanley Cup</p>



<p>It was quite the toss-up between Reinhart and Tkachuk for the third place spot on this list. After all, it’s hard to really establish a difference between two players when they’re on the same team and saw the same success. Both played a valuable role in getting the Panthers the Stanley Cup. Both contributed almost the exact same number of points, although Reinhart did it with a lot more goals and in 7 more games. The one thing that made me consider Tkachuk over Reinhart was the playoff production, as Tkachuk did get six more points over the course of their Cup run.</p>



<p>But what ultimately made me go with Reinhart over Tkachuk wasn’t just the fact that he tied Kirill Kaprizov for the most goals in 2024, it was for Reinhart’s ever-evolving defensive game that rivals, and might possibly be even better, than the defensive wizard that also plays for the Panthers in Aleksander Barkov. Reinhart’s -0.59 xGA/60 Rel was tied for sixth among all forwards in the regular season in 2024 with at least 500 minutes played, and in the playoffs, he played a vital role in shutting down the likes of Kucherov, Pastrnak, Artemi Panarin, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. On top of that, Reinhart showed his importance to the team early in the 2024-25 season when he stepped up his play while Barkov and Tkachuk missed time with injuries. It’s got to be salt in the wound for the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/buffalo-sabres/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Buffalo Sabres</a> during their struggles this season that another player they let go has thrived away from them.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="5" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="271"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Mikko Rantanen</h2>



<p><strong>Regular Season:&nbsp;</strong>80GP, 43G, 69A, 112P<br><strong>Playoffs:&nbsp;</strong>11GP, 4G, 10A, 14P</p>



<p>I don’t think hockey fans truly appreciate the talent of Rantanen. Sure, everyone recognizes how good he is, but he still finds himself getting overlooked because he plays for a <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/colorado-avalanche/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Colorado Avalanche</a> team that also has one of the best centers in the league in Nathan MacKinnon and one of the best defensemen in the league in Cale Makar. And yet, as the Avs continue to see their depth depleted due to players leaving through trade and free agency to make cap space and injuries, Rantanen’s play is just as vital to MacKinnon and Makar’s to allow the team to continue to stay afloat.</p>



<p>2024 saw Rantanen be dominant down the stretch of the 2023-24 regular season with 23 goals and 59 points in the Avs’ final 43 games, and then he was just as good in the playoffs against the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/winnipeg-jets/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Winnipeg Jets</a> and <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/dallas-stars/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dallas Stars</a> with 4 goals and 14 points in 11 games. That play has continued into the 2024-25 season, with another 20 goals and 53 points in 37 games thus far, and is a big reason why Colorado stuck around in the playoff race despite all of their issues with their goaltending. Now that those issues appear to be resolved, Rantanen, MacKinnon and Makar can focus on what they do best, and it might just take this team back into Stanley Cup contending status.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="6" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="236"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. Nikita Kucherov</h2>



<p><strong>Regular Season:&nbsp;</strong>75GP, 34G, 102A, 136P, Art Ross Trophy<br><strong>Playoffs:&nbsp;</strong>5GP, 0G, 7A, 7P</p>



<p>Was it ever going to be anyone else? The right wing position is extremely talented, but Kucherov is just in a completely different stratosphere, and finds himself challenging the likes of McDavid and MacKinnon for best player in the league. No point of the year better illustrated that challenge than the race that the three players had down the stretch for the scoring title and the Hart Trophy, and while the Hart ended up going to MacKinnon, Kucherov finished the season first in scoring, and became the fifth player in NHL history to get 100 assists in a season.</p>



<p>Even just acknowledging that Kucherov has a 1.81 point-per-game pace on the year feels insane, but the fact that it also leads the league in that span is even more incredible when you remember the names he’s competing against. The only knock on him was the fact that he didn’t have quite the same playoff success as some of his peers, although that might change this spring with how much improved the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/tampa-bay-lightning/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tampa Bay Lightning</a> are. They were very clearly in a transition period for the past couple seasons, but even during that stretch, Kucherov stepped up his play and made the team look a lot better than they were, and that’s why he’s the undisputed best right winger in the league in 2024.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="7" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="234"></div>


Toronto Maple Leafs right winger Mitch Marner