Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  As such, we are delighted to present our pre-2025/26 revision of our top 50 Los Angeles Kings.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Hockey League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Kings made the playoffs, but for the third year in a row, they were eliminated by Edmonton.  There was one new entrant and only one elevation.

As always, we present our top five, which remain unchanged. 

1. Marcel Dionne
2. Drew Doughty
3. Anze Kopitar
4. Luc Robitaille
5. Wayne Gretzky

You can find the entire list here.

Regarding the top five, Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar remain #2 and #3, respectively, from last year.

Adrian Kempe climbed from #26 to #19.

The only new entrant was Kevin Fiala, who comes in at #45.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Signing with the New Jersey Devils as a Free Agent in 2021, Dougie Hamilton slotted in easily with the Devils as a power-play quarterback and an offensively skilled Defenseman.

Hamilton scored 30 Points in his first year with the Devils, but exploded with a career high 74 Points in 2022-23, which netted him a sixth-place Norris Trophy finish.  Since then, Hamilton has dealt with injuries that have reduced his games, but when he is on the ice, there are few blueliners at his level.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  As such, we are delighted to present our pre-2025/26 revision of our top 50 Florida Panthers.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Hockey League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup Champions by again knocking off the Edmonton Oilers.  As such, there were multiple elevations, especially in the upper half of the Top 50.  Astoundingly, there was only one new entrant.

As always, we present our top five, which saw two changes. 

1. Alexsander Barkov
2. Roberto Luongo
3. Jonathan Huberdeau
4. Aaron Ekblad
5. John Vanbiesbrouck

You can find the entire list here.

We have a brand new #1 with Alexsander Barkov, who has supplanted Roberto Luongo for the top spot.  Sadly, Barkov will be out this season with a torn ACL.

Defenseman Aaron Ekblad has passed Goalie John Vanbiesbrouck for #4.

Center Sam Reinhart catapulted ten spots to #8.  He was the runner-up for the Frank J. Selke Trophy last season.

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky went up a rung to #9.

Superstar forward, Matthew Tkachuk, skyrockets from #25 to #12. 

Another significant jump was Defenseman Gustav Forsling, who went to #13 from #26.

Center Carter Verhaghe also moved up substantially.  He climbed to #17 from #28.

Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov edged up to three spots to #18. 

Sam Bennett, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy last year, vaulted to #25 from #39.

The lone new entrant is Anton Lundell.  He debuts at #33.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

The best of the best stand in the Hall of Fame so that the generations to come can learn from them and others can admire. It's the pinnacle of someone's career, and a true honor to stand among the stars. But not all stories have a happy or fair ending. Sometimes, for whatever reason, those truly deserving are left out.

Dwight Evans — The Kind Of Career You Have To Look Twice At

Evans wasn’t a sensation out of the gate. For his first handful of seasons, he was good, not great. Then, something clicked. From his late 20s into his 30s, he became one of the American League’s most valuable players—though you wouldn’t have guessed that from his All-Star totals or media coverage at the time. 385 home runs, nearly 70 WAR, and defensive value that stood out even in an era of strong arms in right field. But voters tend to prefer players who shine early and often.

Evans built his case slowly, methodically. We can take solace that, if he had been playing in current times, he would probably not be ignored, where fans and the biggest and most popular sports betting sites would surely recognize his incredible performance. Today, the odds of both the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles would be favorable if Dewey were on the field, but as that is not the case, we can only wonder and fantasize about what could have been. You can, however, use these sites for the very latest odds offered on everything sports-related, in the hope of getting lucky.

Kenny Lofton — Always Moving, Rarely Noticed

Lofton could turn a single into a double with a head start. Over 600 stolen bases. A glove that changed games in center field. Six All-Star appearances. Maybe it was the lack of a signature team. Eleven franchises in seventeen years tends to scatter the narrative. And he played in an era crowded with bigger bats, louder names. But take away the noise, and you see it. A player who combined speed, discipline, and defense in ways most never could. That just didn’t translate to headlines or Hall votes.

Bobby Grich — Ahead Of The Metrics

Here’s someone whose career makes more sense now than it did when he retired. Grich didn’t chase batting titles or RBI records. He walked. Played elite defense at second base. Posted strong on-base numbers when few cared to measure them. By Baseball Reference WAR, he clocks in at 71. That’s not just good — that’s Hall-level good. And he may be even stealthily Hall of Fame worthy, as the case is still open for him.

But his style didn’t align with the expectations of the era. Second basemen were supposed to hit for average, maybe drop bunts, and steal bases. Grich drew walks and hit for power. Subtle things, easy to miss at the time. If he played today, he’d probably be seen in a very different light. That’s the strange part: sometimes, a player’s era works against them in hindsight.

Dale Murphy — A Story Of Peaks And Drops

Murphy’s rise was hard to ignore. But the second act never really came. His numbers fell off. His swing lost something. And voters remembered the ending more than the start. He still hit 398 homers. Still won five Gold Gloves and made seven All-Star teams. He’s part of the 30/30 club, if nothing else. He had the kind of peak stretch that defines stars. But that peak was brief compared to others who made it in. And Hall voters often weigh consistency just as heavily as dominance. Murphy gave them one, not both, and that wasn’t quite enough.

Closing Thoughts

The Hall of Fame isn’t just about stats. It’s about stories. And some players, for reasons that don’t always make sense, never get the full telling of theirs. Lofton, Evans, Grich, Murphy — they each built careers worthy of reflection. Maybe someday, they’ll get more than that.