NHL Players' Favorite Skills, Rivalries, and Expansion Spots

0:00It's April 17th. This is NHL News Today, AI-powered updates on your team. I'm Cory with the story. The NHL Players Association just dropped their annual player poll for the 2025-26 season, surveying 348. Guys from all 32 teams. They voted on everything from who could switch positions to best style, rivalries, and expansion dreams. Standouts include Alexander Barkov, topping forwards who could rock as defenseman with 18%. And Kale Makar, dominating defenseman as, forwards at 36.3%. Shifting to goalies, St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington led puck handling skills with 22.4%, even after a rough year. Nick Naines went to David Passionac's pasta at 13.5%. Wateranto's William Nylander crushed fashion with 32.9%. Percent and social media game at 17.4%. Players love the old school Toronto Maple Leafs versus Montreal Canadian's rivalry, grabbing 43.5% as the best in the league.

1:04Sydney Crosby as doubt as future coach material with 10.3%, and Nathan McKinnon owns the most intense training at 20.7%. Utah's Clayton Keller swings the best golf sticks offseason with 15.9%. On arenas, Detroit's visitor room wins raves at 24.1%. And for expansion, Houston's the hotspot at 34.3%. Percent no-state income tax helps. Over 2.3%, 68.1%, say nay to y jerseys at home. These polls show what players really think behind the scenes, blending skills, swag, and league vibes into one fun snapshot. Catch you next drop.