Offense wins championships. Wait, that’s not how it goes? Oh well.

A defensive battle can be entertaining but it’s high-octane offense and high-chance hockey that drives fans to tune into an NHL game. After a down year for some of the top scorers last season, many of them seem to be picking up the pace so far this year. I decided to take a look at who the best offensive players are so far this season.

Notice I didn’t say top scorers. What I have done is break down players into many offensive categories and assigning each one a score. The categories are each weighted differently as some are simply more important than the others.

Here are each of the categories and how many “points” each one is worth:

Even-strength (or shorthanded) goal = 1 point

Even-strength (or shorthanded) primary assist = 1 point

Even-strength (or shorthanded) secondary assist = .75 points

Power-play goal = .9 points

Power-play primary assist = .9 points

Power-play secondary assist = .675 points

Individual high-danger scoring chance = .2 points

Individual scoring chance = .1 points

Individual Corsi-for event = .05 points

The players are then sorted by their overall “offensive score”. Let’s get into the rankings of the best offensive players in the NHL.

All statistics via war-on-ice.com and before the games on 2/8/2016.

#10 – John Tavares – New York Islanders – Offensive Score: 84.475

Tavares may be having a down year when it comes to his point totals but the overall offensive game is still there. He is tenth in the NHL in scoring chances with 188 and has done a lot of damage at even strength so far this season. Here’s his score breakdown:

Even-strength (or shorthanded) goals = 12

Even-strength (or shorthanded) primary assists = 11

Even-strength (or shorthanded) secondary assists = 2

Power-play goals = 4

Power-play primary assists = 5

Power-play secondary assists = 3

Individual high-danger scoring chances = 84

Individual scoring chances = 188

Individual Corsi-for events = 285

#9 – Daniel Sedin – Vancouver Canucks – Offensive Score: 85.225

What year is it? Twin-brother Henrik has had some injury issues this season but Daniel has been superb on a Vancouver team that has had its share of troubles this season. Let’s take a look at his breakdown:

Even-strength (or shorthanded) goals = 13

Even-strength (or shorthanded) primary assists = 10

Even-strength (or shorthanded) secondary assists = 4

Power-play goals = 6

Power-play primary assists = 5

Power-play secondary assists = 3

Individual high-danger scoring chances = 90

Individual scoring chances = 160

Individual Corsi-for events = 266

#8 – Joe Pavelski – San Jose Sharks – Offensive Score: 88.9

Why doesn’t anybody ever talk about this guy? Year after year he’s posting incredible offensive statistics (he’s not bad on the other side of the puck either). Pavelski is a big reason the Sharks are on the upswing and he will give them a fighting chance in the postseason if they make it there. Here’s his breakdown:

Even-strength (or shorthanded) goals = 15

Even-strength (or shorthanded) primary assists = 10

Even-strength (or shorthanded) secondary assists = 4

Power-play goals = 8

Power-play primary assists = 7

Power-play secondary assists = 4

Individual high-danger scoring chances = 80

Individual scoring chances = 169

Individual Corsi-for events = 236

#7 – Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins – Offensive Score: 91.725

Crosby has gotten quite tired of people saying he’s not the best player in the league anymore. He has been on an absolute rampage since mid-December and could even be a threat to Patrick Kane and the NHL scoring lead before all is said and done. Here is Crosby’s breakdown:

Even-strength (or shorthanded) goals = 11

Even-strength (or shorthanded) primary assists = 13

Even-strength (or shorthanded) secondary assists = 4

Power-play goals = 9

Power-play primary assists = 5

Power-play secondary assists = 5

Individual high-danger scoring chances = 79

Individual scoring chances = 186

Individual Corsi-for events = 287

#6 – Vladimir Tarasenko – St. Louis Blues – Offensive Score: 91.975

Tarasenko is proving that his breakout year last season wasn’t a fluke. Let’s take a look at his breakdown:

Even-strength (or shorthanded) goals = 16

Even-strength (or shorthanded) primary assists = 8

Even-strength (or shorthanded) secondary assists = 5

Power-play goals = 9

Power-play primary assists = 2

Power-play secondary assists = 5

Individual high-danger scoring chances = 66

Individual scoring chances = 202

Individual Corsi-for events = 351

#5 – Taylor Hall – Edmonton Oilers – Offensive Score: 98.175

It is still almost impossible to pick a winner in the Taylor versus Tyler debate. Seguin has had a lot more team success while Hall has had arguably more individual success on some bad Oiler teams. Here is Hall’s breakdown:

Even-strength (or shorthanded) goals = 13

Even-strength (or shorthanded) primary assists = 19

Even-strength (or shorthanded) secondary assists = 6

Power-play goals = 3

Power-play primary assists = 3

Power-play secondary assists = 3

Individual high-danger scoring chances = 91

Individual scoring chances = 200

Individual Corsi-for events = 321

#4 – Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals – Offensive Score: 99.625

If Ovechkin chipped in some assists now and then he would likely be topping these rankings. He is, without a doubt, the best goal scorer the NHL has seen in a long time and he might end up going down as the best of all-time. Let’s look at Ovechkin’s breakdown:

Even-strength (or shorthanded) goals = 17

Even-strength (or shorthanded) primary assists = 1

Even-strength (or shorthanded) secondary assists = 8

Power-play goals = 11

Power-play primary assists = 2

Power-play secondary assists = 1

Individual high-danger scoring chances = 73

Individual scoring chances = 242

Individual Corsi-for events = 489

#3 – Tyler Seguin – Dallas Stars – Offensive Score: 99.925

Barely edging out Ovechkin, Seguin has had quite the season at even-strength. He leads the NHL in even-strength goals and has surprisingly done a pretty minimal amount of damage on the power play. Here is his breakdown:

Even-strength (or shorthanded) goals = 21

Even-strength (or shorthanded) primary assists = 10

Even-strength (or shorthanded) secondary assists = 5

Power-play goals = 4

Power-play primary assists = 5

Power-play secondary assists = 5

Individual high-danger scoring chances = 62

Individual scoring chances = 222

Individual Corsi-for events = 382

#2 – Jamie Benn – Dallas Stars – Offensive Score: 105.975

Benn has slowed down a little in the last month or so but he still looks like he can beat his Art-Ross-winning point total from last season. Here is Benn’s breakdown:

Even-strength (or shorthanded) goals = 14

Even-strength (or shorthanded) primary assists = 13

Even-strength (or shorthanded) secondary assists = 12

Power-play goals = 11

Power-play primary assists = 1

Power-play secondary assists = 3

Individual high-danger scoring chances = 117

Individual scoring chances = 195

Individual Corsi-for events = 285

#1 – Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks – Offensive Score: 106.8

The underlying numbers made it look closer than the point race but in the end, Kane still reigns supreme. He has been the ultimate offensive-talent this season and looks like he will shatter Benn’s 87 point Art-Ross win from last season. Here is Kane’s breakdown:

Even-strength (or shorthanded) goals = 15

Even-strength (or shorthanded) primary assists = 22

Even-strength (or shorthanded) secondary assists = 9

Power-play goals = 13

Power-play primary assists = 5

Power-play secondary assists = 6

Individual high-danger scoring chances = 59

Individual scoring chances = 155

Individual Corsi-for events = 310

Honorable Mentions: Evgeni Malkin just missed the cut with a score of 84.2. Despite being at a severe disadvantage being a defenseman, Erik Karlsson ranked 12th with a score of 83.8.

There you have it, the ten best offensive players so far this season. We’ll see if anyone is able to overtake Kane in the final stretch of the NHL season.