Fansided

NHL 2023: A report from the future of hockey

By Bruin Belisle

BOSTON - OCTOBER 23: Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk skates for the first time on the Garden ice since his trade from Boston under the lights used as the players come onto the surface before the start of the game. The Boston Bruins hosted the New York Islanders in a regular season National Hockey League game at TD Garden. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON - OCTOBER 23: Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk skates for the first time on the Garden ice since his trade from Boston under the lights used as the players come onto the surface before the start of the game. The Boston Bruins hosted the New York Islanders in a regular season National Hockey League game at TD Garden. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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WINNIPEG, MB – DECEMBER 1: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers plays the puck down the ice as Patrik Laine #29 of the Winnipeg Jets defends during third period action at the MTS Centre on December 1, 2016 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) /

The faces of the game

By 2023, Brad Marchand has become the consensus best player in the NHL and everyone now loves him (Okay, this part may be a bit of a self-indulging white lie).

The next 5 years belong to Connor McDavid. To no one’s surprise, he remains on a level of his own when it comes to speed and skill. He’s only gotten better through to the 2023 season and is now sparking GOAT conversation, much like LeBron (who now has six rings) in the NBA.

Patrik Laine has become the Alex Ovechkin to McDavid’s Sidney Crosby. He’s cracked the 40-goal mark in each of the five future seasons and shows no sign of slowing down. His beard is longer and more disgusting than ever, as the general consensus is that it is the direct source of his abilities.

The Boston Bruins boast two of the Leagues top 10 players in David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, who both remain above the 30+ goal mark in each of the next five years.

(Worth noting that Patrice Bergeron, will add four of the next five Frank J. Selke Trophies to his already jam-packed trophy case).

Relax, Leafs fans. Auston Matthews continues his dominance in Toronto through the next five+ seasons as one of the leagues premier players. He joins the four players above, Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Boeser, Mathew Barzal, Jack Eichel and Aleksander Barkov as the league’s consensus top 10 forwards (not in that particular order).

As defensmen Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, PK Subban and Brent Burns start to slow down, the future of the league’s d-men is a three-way tie between three future hall-of-famers:

Charlie McAvoy, Rasmus Dahlin and Ivan Provorov are all entering their respective primes over the next five years and all three are on a super-elite level. These three will be the NHL household names we talk about by 2023.

Other notables that will be tearing up the league in 2023: Eeli Tolvanen, Carter Hart, Ryan Donato, Jack Roslovic, Filip Forsberg and Mitch Marner.

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