From top to bottom, the NHL boasts arguably the most talent it's had in its history. With players now coming from more leagues around the world than ever, drafting and scouting have become trickier processes than they used to be. It's not always clear who to select with the No. 1 pick, and it gets even murkier as the draft goes on.

Let's take a look at which years have yielded the most talent to date.

5. 2014

The 2014 draft, headlined by Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad going first overall, is one of the most solid of the decade. The Boston Bruins really hit the lottery by scooping up Czech forward David Pastrnak 25th overall. This class has the potential to get even better as some players have yet to break through or hit their peaks.

Top 5 scorers

Notable players: Nikolaj Ehlers, Viktor Arvidsson, Aaron Ekblad, William Nylander, Nick Schmaltz, Jakub Vrana, Alex Tuch

4. 2011

The Edmonton Oilers' woes weren't solved by the addition of No. 1 pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as they won the draft lottery in 2012 as well. The top 10 from the 2011 class have fared extremely well, and the Tampa Bay Lightning and Calgary Flames found hidden gems in Nikita Kucherov and Johnny Gaudreau in the second and fourth rounds, respectively.

Top 5 scorers

Notable players: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Sean Couturier, John Gibson, Mika Zibanejad, Dougie Hamilton, J.T. Miller, William Karlsson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Vincent Trocheck, Rickard Rakell

3. 2010

The decade kicked off with the great debate about whether Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin should be selected first. The choice still isn't clear ten years later as the pair have become two of the game's biggest stars. Hall has a Hart Trophy on his resume and Seguin's name is inked on the Stanley Cup. While the two lead the class in terms of points, talent oozed throughout the draft. Mark Stone slipped all the way to the sixth round while Brendan Gallagher and John Klingberg lasted until the fifth.

Top 5 scorers

Notable mentions: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Mark Stone, Brendan Gallagher, Jaden Schwartz, John Klingberg, Justin Faulk, Cam Fowler, Frederik Andersen

2. 2013

It was debated all year long who should be taken atop the 2013 draft, as there wasn't a consensus No. 1 pick right until draft day. The Colorado Avalanche ended up going with Nathan MacKinnon, who's blossomed into one of the league's most dangerous players. Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Seth Jones were the next three selections, and they all proved to be game-changing players in their own regard.

Top 5 scorers

Notable mentions: Seth Jones, Max Domi, Jonathan Drouin, Jake Guentzel, Rasmus Ristolainen, Anthony Mantha, Anthony Duclair, Andre Burakovsky, Shea Theodore

1. 2015

For years, people predicted that Connor McDavid would be the first overall pick of the 2015 draft and one of the league's generational talents. He has surpassed all expectations that were set of him, dominating the league since his rookie season. What wasn't anticipated, though, was how good the rest of his draft class would be. With only a handful of seasons under their belts, nine players selected in 2015 have already reached the All-Star Game, including second-round steal Sebastian Aho. A number of players have already secured lucrative long-term deals with their teams, meaning we'll see a ton of action from this draft class for years to come.

Top 5 scorers

Notable players: Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, Brock Boeser, Zach Werenski, Thomas Chabot, Ivan Provorov, Timo Meier, Dylan Strome, Travis Konecny, Noah Hanifin, Jake DeBrusk

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From top to bottom, the NHL boasts arguably the most talent it's had in its history. With players now coming from more leagues around the world than ever, drafting and scouting have become trickier processes than they used to be. It's not always clear who to select with the No. 1 pick, and it gets even murkier as the draft goes on.

Let's take a look at which years have yielded the most talent to date.

5. 2014

The 2014 draft, headlined by Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad going first overall, is one of the most solid of the decade. The Boston Bruins really hit the lottery by scooping up Czech forward David Pastrnak 25th overall. This class has the potential to get even better as some players have yet to break through or hit their peaks.

Top 5 scorers

Notable players: Nikolaj Ehlers, Viktor Arvidsson, Aaron Ekblad, William Nylander, Nick Schmaltz, Jakub Vrana, Alex Tuch

4. 2011

The Edmonton Oilers' woes weren't solved by the addition of No. 1 pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as they won the draft lottery in 2012 as well. The top 10 from the 2011 class have fared extremely well, and the Tampa Bay Lightning and Calgary Flames found hidden gems in Nikita Kucherov and Johnny Gaudreau in the second and fourth rounds, respectively.

Top 5 scorers

Notable players: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Sean Couturier, John Gibson, Mika Zibanejad, Dougie Hamilton, J.T. Miller, William Karlsson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Vincent Trocheck, Rickard Rakell

3. 2010

The decade kicked off with the great debate about whether Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin should be selected first. The choice still isn't clear ten years later as the pair have become two of the game's biggest stars. Hall has a Hart Trophy on his resume and Seguin's name is inked on the Stanley Cup. While the two lead the class in terms of points, talent oozed throughout the draft. Mark Stone slipped all the way to the sixth round while Brendan Gallagher and John Klingberg lasted until the fifth.

Top 5 scorers

Notable mentions: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Mark Stone, Brendan Gallagher, Jaden Schwartz, John Klingberg, Justin Faulk, Cam Fowler, Frederik Andersen

2. 2013

It was debated all year long who should be taken atop the 2013 draft, as there wasn't a consensus No. 1 pick right until draft day. The Colorado Avalanche ended up going with Nathan MacKinnon, who's blossomed into one of the league's most dangerous players. Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Seth Jones were the next three selections, and they all proved to be game-changing players in their own regard.

Top 5 scorers

Notable mentions: Seth Jones, Max Domi, Jonathan Drouin, Jake Guentzel, Rasmus Ristolainen, Anthony Mantha, Anthony Duclair, Andre Burakovsky, Shea Theodore

1. 2015

For years, people predicted that Connor McDavid would be the first overall pick of the 2015 draft and one of the league's generational talents. He has surpassed all expectations that were set of him, dominating the league since his rookie season. What wasn't anticipated, though, was how good the rest of his draft class would be. With only a handful of seasons under their belts, nine players selected in 2015 have already reached the All-Star Game, including second-round steal Sebastian Aho. A number of players have already secured lucrative long-term deals with their teams, meaning we'll see a ton of action from this draft class for years to come.

Top 5 scorers

Notable players: Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, Brock Boeser, Zach Werenski, Thomas Chabot, Ivan Provorov, Timo Meier, Dylan Strome, Travis Konecny, Noah Hanifin, Jake DeBrusk

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Team Canada is off and running at the world juniors.

Alexis Lafreniere delivered a dazzling game-winner late in the third period to lift Canada to the 6-4 victory over the United States in the opening game of preliminary play.

More to come.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have lost a pair of key defensemen for the remainder of their campaign.

Brent Seabrook and Calvin de Haan have both been placed on long-term injured reserve ahead of season-ending shoulder surgery, the team announced Thursday. Seabrook is also scheduled for surgery on each hip in 2020.

Seabrook, 34, missed the club's last four games leading up to the Christmas break while receiving further medical evaluation for an undisclosed injury.

The veteran rearguard has seen his minutes decline over four straight seasons. He's recorded four points through 32 games in 2019-20 while averaging 18:09 of ice time per game. Seabrook has four-and-a-half years remaining on his contract with an annual cap hit of $6.875-million.

Chicago acquired de Haan in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes this past June. The 28-year-old played a key penalty-killing role for the Blackhawks, averaging 2:41 of shorthanded ice time per game. He also contributed six points in 29 contests while leading the club in both hits (93) and blocked shots (73).

Approaching the midway mark of the season, the Blackhawks sit last in the Central Division and rank 24th defensively, allowing 3.18 goals against per game.

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There's been plenty of memorable playoff hockey over the past decade, and as the calendar shifts to 2020, it's time to count down the top five series of the 2010s.

5. Flyers vs. Penguins - 2012

Result: Flyers in 6
Lasting memory: Giroux pastes Crosby then scores

Pittsburgh and Philadelphia famously hate one another, and when the two Pennsylvania sides met in the first round of the 2012 postseason, it was anarchy.

The brand of hockey gave the coaches headaches, but it was arguably the most entertaining series of the decade from a fan's perspective. The Flyers jumped out to a 3-0 series lead, scoring eight times in Game 2 and 3, only to allow 10 in a Game 4 loss. Aside from the barrage of goals, there was endless drama. Three Penguins were suspended over the course of the series, and then-head coach Dan Bylsma was fined $10,000 for his role in instigating a fight in the final minutes of Game 3.

The circus finally ended in Game 6, when Claude Giroux set the tone off the opening draw with a massive hit on Sidney Crosby, only to top off his monstrous shift with a rocket of a goal moments later.

4. Canucks vs. Blackhawks - 2011

Result: Canucks in 7
Lasting memory: Burrows slays the dragon

At the dawn of the decade, the Chicago-Vancouver rivalry was the best in the league. The Western Conference powerhouses met in each of the two previous playoffs, with the Blackhawks winning both times.

In 2011, though, things changed. The Canucks had won the Presidents' Trophy and were the top seed in the West. But as fate would have it, the Blackhawks squeaked into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season to set up the finale of the epic postseason trilogy.

Vancouver was clearly the better squad on paper, and it jumped out to a commanding 3-0 series lead, only to let Chicago creep back in. The Hawks won Game 4 and 5 by a combined score of 12-2 and were clearly in the heads of the Canucks - so much so that Vancouver opted to start Cory Schneider over Roberto Luongo in Game 6 at a raucous United Center. Schneider got hurt on a penalty shot, and Bobby Lu took over again in goal, only for the Blackhawks to force Game 7 with a dramatic overtime win.

Game 7 was a thriller. Vancouver led 1-0 late but Jonathan Toews willed his way to a shorthanded goal in the dying minutes of the third period. However, this set the stage for Alex Burrows, who finally slayed the dragon in overtime to send his squad through to the second round.

3. Bruins vs. Canadiens - 2014

Result: Canadiens in 7
Lasting memory: Lucic's salty handshakes

When Boston and Montreal meet in the playoffs, the stakes are higher, and the NHL's fiercest rivalry put on a show when it clashed for the 34th time in postseason history in 2014.

The Bruins were loaded that year. Boston had won the Presidents' Trophy with a 54-19-9 record, was one of the top possession teams in the NHL, and its roster featured nine skaters with at least 40 points. After dismantling the Detroit Red Wings in Round 1, a date with the Habs was on the horizon.

Game 1 went to Montreal after P.K. Subban wired home the double-overtime winner to silence TD Garden. Boston evened things up in Game 2, but Subban put together a virtuoso performance in Game 3, throwing the Canadiens back in the driver's seat.

The Bruins won Game 4 and 5, but Carey Price posted a shutout in Game 6 and shut the door again with a 29-save victory in Game 7 to push Montreal through to the Eastern Conference Final. In the handshake line, former Bruins enforcer Milan Lucic reportedly told Habs forward Dale Weise he "was going to kill him next year."

2. Bruins vs. Canucks - 2011

Result: Bruins in 7
Lasting memory: Riots

Not a whole lot made sense when Boston and Vancouver met in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, but man, was it ever fun.

The Canucks won Game 1 and 2 on home ice and looked poised to end Canada's championship drought, but they crumbled in Boston, losing Game 3 and 4 by a combined score of 12-1. When they returned to Vancouver, the real Canucks were back, winning 1-0, only to allow five goals in a Game 6 loss in Boston. The deciding Game 7 was incredibly hyped, but it was barely a contest. The Bruins blanked the Canucks 4-0 to claim the Stanley Cup.

While the hockey itself was inconsistent, this series featured a ton of dramatic and memorable moments. Luongo and Tim Thomas traded verbal jabs in press conferences, Thomas threw a legitimate body check on Henrik Sedin, Brad Marchand mercilessly tortured the twins repeatedly, and Aaron Rome received a four-game suspension for a late hit on Nathan Horton.

Above all else, the riots that broke out in Vancouver following Game 7 are the lasting legacy of this truly wild series. Stores were looted, cars were set ablaze, and a total of 101 people were arrested that night after the city lost control.

1. Kings vs. Blackhawks - 2014

Result: Kings in 7
Lasting memory: Martinez's series clincher

Los Angeles and Chicago entered the 2014 Western Conference Final having claimed three of the previous four Stanley Cups. It was the second year in a row the two sides met in the series, and both teams were so clearly superior to the rest of the league most people wished the matchup could have decided the Cup.

The Kings held a 3-1 lead after four games, but the remaining three contests were all decided by a single goal. In Game 5, unlikely hero Michal Handzus scored a double-overtime winner to keep the Hawks alive and finish off a breathtaking extra frame that at one point went five minutes without a whistle.

Game 6 saw Chicago score two goals in the final minutes to steal a win and force a Game 7, where the Kings clutched out a 5-4 victory in a back-and-forth affair cemented by Alec Martinez's overtime heroics. Unbelievably, he scored the Stanley Cup winner in OT a few weeks later.

Just missed the cut:

• Sharks vs. Golden Knights - 2019: The madness of San Jose's furious Game 7 comeback and the controversy it entailed will not soon be forgotten, but it missed out on making our list by a hair.
• Capitals vs. Bruins - 2012: Four overtime games, and Joel Ward playing hero against the defending champs in Game 7 created a highly memorable first-round clash.
• Maple Leafs vs. Bruins - 2013: It was indeed 4-1.
• Penguins vs. Capitals - 2017: A classic seven-game Crosby-Ovechkin duel that paved the way for the former to capture his third Stanley Cup.
• Flyers vs. Bruins - 2010: Philly historically erased a 3-0 series deficit en route to a Stanley Cup Final appearance.

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"Small but mighty" best describes Finland's current standing in hockey.

In the last four NHL drafts, Finland produced six top-five draft picks, tied with Canada for the most in that span. In the 12 drafts prior to that, the country had a grand total of one. The Finns have won gold in three of the last six world juniors - also the most in that stretch - after winning the tournament just twice in its previous 36-year history.

Finland has managed that dominance despite being significantly smaller than hockey's other prominent nations.

(Source: IIHF.com)

From Aleksander Barkov to Patrik Laine to Mikko Rantanen to Miro Heiskanen to Kaapo Kakko to Sebastian Aho, Finland's elite talent across the NHL can't be missed. And all of these players are under the age of 25.

The turnaround didn't happen overnight, though.

"It started five-to-six years ago," Jere Lehtinen, a former NHL star and now general manager of the Finnish national team, said in a telephone interview. "I think it was six years ago after we had a world championship in Finland and the federation made some money there and they put that money in the club teams surrounding Finland.

"It's more skill coaching. That was one reason - to get more individual coaching and help to club teams - to teach young kids more individual stuff."

Finland, which opens the 2020 World Junior Championship on Thursday against Sweden, was always a respected hockey country, but becoming elite required approaching things a bit differently.

For starters, Finland's national-team coaches typically stay with an age group for at least three years, creating a tight player-coach bond.

For example, Petri Karjalainen, an assistant coach on Finland's gold-medal-winning world junior team in 2014, was the head coach of Finland's under-16 national team in 2018-19. This year, he's the head coach of the under-17 team. Next year, he'll likely move on to the under-18s.

"All our national-team head coaches are full time, so we have time to take the message about the player/game to his team coach where (the) development is happening," Karjalainen wrote via email. "We have really good cooperation between national team coaches and then with team coaches. We have to do all these really well 'cause we don't have numbers."

Jussi Ahokas, who coached Finland to gold at the 2019 world juniors, believes the system helps build trust.

"For example, I've known Henri Jokiharju for four or five years," Ahokas said in a telephone interview. "Who else? Patrik Laine was '98 born … pretty much all guys born from '98, '99. I’ve been working with (Urho) Vaakanainen, (Kristian) Vesalainen, (Eeli) Tolvanen. There's quite many. Pretty much all those guys. I know all our top-end players."

Kasperi Kapanen became a national hero after scoring the overtime winner in the gold-medal game of the 2016 world juniors in Helsinki. Although he lived in North America until he was 12 while his father, Sami, was playing in the NHL, he believes Finland's coaching continuity benefits players.

"It's nice," the Toronto Maple Leafs forward said following a team practice ahead of the Christmas break. "You get familiarity with the coach and it's easy to play for him once you kind of know what he wants and what he wants you to do, so I think it's a good idea."

Through these tight-knit relationships, coaches are able to give players the individual feedback necessary to help them reach their potential. Then the aforementioned skill coaches can help improve players' weaknesses and develop their strengths.

It's a stark contrast to how things are done in Canada - the standard-bearer for player development for so many years.

In Canada, major junior hockey is a business. Owners need to sell a winning team to get fans to attend games, leaving less time for individual development. If a player makes a mistake, he might be benched. In Finland, that's not the case.

"If you lose a game, you make a mistake, it's over (right) away," said Lehtinen, a three-time Selke Trophy winner with the Dallas Stars. "You're not gonna think about that for too long. You just keep playing. You learn."

While competition in Canada might be stronger, the team's results are the priority. In many cases, a Canadian family may have to look outside a child's team for additional skill work as the player grows up.

In Finland, individual growth is equally important - much like USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, which dominated the 2019 NHL Draft with 11 first-rounders. The Finns want to develop the most talented players possible and then teach them how to play together. They understand everyone progresses differently.

"They wanted to get more individual. You try to look at one player and not every time as a group," Lehtinen said of the Finnish system. "You wanna give more individual coaching for those players and more skills … and once you get all those (skilled) players together you can teach them to play a team game."

It's more than just on-ice skill sessions; the Finns emphasize helping players away from the rink as well.

"We try to reach every person as an individual and how we can help him become the best he can be," Ahokas said. "Every player can have some other thing. Somebody needs more work with the game, somebody needs more help with the eating habits or mental side. We look at them as individuals, but they still have to know the team game is for the better of the team and that they can be great team players and still be good individuals."

This development program has also been implemented at the grassroots level and should begin to bear fruit soon. Finnish hockey has already transformed itself into an international powerhouse, and it's possible the best is yet to come.

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With 2019 just about in the books, it's time to start looking ahead. Here are five predictions for the 2020 NHL calendar year:

Avalanche win Stanley Cup

It's quite remarkable where the Avalanche stand despite missing core players Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog for 16 games apiece. More recently, the club has had to overcome the absence of rookie sensation Cale Makar.

But the Avs continue to win with Nathan MacKinnon leading the way. If they can get fully healthy heading into the playoffs, the Avalanche will be a force, with speed, skill, depth, and grit in equal doses. With ample cap space and prospect capital, general manager Joe Sakic possesses the ammunition to make a big trade deadline splash, too.

This season, the Western Conference seems like it'll provide the easier path to the Stanley Cup Final. The St. Louis Blues pose the biggest threat in the west, but if Colorado can get past the defending Stanley Cup champs, no club in the Pacific Division can stop this team.

The Eastern Conference is loaded with talented squads, making it difficult to pick a champion from that group. The Avs are therefore the safest Stanley Cup pick right now.

Red Wings draft Quinton Byfield 1st overall

These predictions aren't designed to be overly bold, but his one might be considered as such.

Alexis Lafreniere has been the favorite to go first overall in the 2020 draft for over a year now, but it'll be Byfield who hears his name called first. Here's how the two have performed this season so far:

Lafreniere is putting up better numbers, but he's also a year older than Byfield.

The Red Wings are dead last in the NHL, and we're predicting they win the lottery and secure the top pick. GM Steve Yzerman knows the value of centers, and he'll pass on the skilled winger in favor of the 6-foot-4 pivot.

Chara, Thornton, Marleau all retire

An era will end in 2020, with future Hall of Famers Zdeno Chara, Joe Thornton, and Patrick Marleau hanging 'em up in the same offseason.

The Sharks' reign of dominance is seemingly ending this season, making it hard to imagine Thornton and Marleau playing another year. Neither forward has been very good in 2019-20 while combining for 23 points, and they'll retire with their chances of winning a cup in San Jose likely over.

Even though Chara is the oldest of the three, he still seems most likely to ruin this prediction. But the towering defenseman, who turns 43 in March, may decide enough is enough.

Taylor Hall signs with Bruins

Taylor Hall has played just five career playoff games. That should change this spring with the Arizona Coyotes, but when he makes a long-term career decision this summer, expect him to join a stable organization with a chance at winning a Stanley Cup. Enter the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins, like nearly every competitive team, are dealing with cap issues. But even though Hall will likely demand over $10 million per season, Boston could still bring him aboard.

However, that may require letting Torey Krug walk in free agency this summer and not re-signing David Krejci after the 2020-21 season. The team could theoretically keep Krug, but then Krejci would need to be traded before July 1 to clear cap space.

The Bruins are financially flexible enough to make a Hall signing happen if they so desire, largely due to the bargain contracts Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Charlie McAvoy signed.

Byfgulien returns, helps Jets make playoffs

One of the biggest storylines of the 2019-20 season has been the ongoing Dustin Byfuglien saga.

To recap: The Jets suspended Byfuglien indefinitely without pay for failing to report to training camp while he was reportedly mulling retirement. In October, Byfuglien underwent ankle surgery for what he claims is a hockey-related injury, and therefore he should still be getting paid.

But the Jets say he was healthy at his end-of-year physical. A neutral arbitrator will rule on the disagreement after the NHLPA filed a grievance on Byfuglien's behalf. And in December, Byfuglien reportedly began rehabbing his ankle in consultation with the team.

That's a lot to take in, but it sounds like Byfgulien and the Jets are trying to mend their relationship. Whenever the defenseman is healthy - which is expected sometime in February - he'll return to the ice with the Jets.

Winnipeg is currently in a playoff spot, but holding onto that position is far from a guarantee. With an effective Byfgulien back in the fold, the Jets will punch their postseason ticket for the third straight campaign.

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