Coming up with a list of the best NHL players for any era is tough. There are some definite clear-cut choices and then it becomes a debate for a bunch of excellent players to come after. For any ranking, there’s plenty of room for discussion – which is what this article is about.

Recently, ESPN has been counting down their top 100 athletes of the 21st century. As an offshoot of that, they released a ranking of the top 25 NHL players of the 21st century. Now, that’s a tough task, given the talent that’s been on display this past decade, but for Vancouver fans, there are a couple of big omissions.

There’s no debating that the likes of Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and Nicklas Lidstrom, all represent some of the best players the 21st century has to offer. As the list draws on though, some of the names, while great players, don’t quite seem to have the body of work or resume of the likes of Roberto Luongo, or Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

Let’s look at the best goaltender in Canucks franchise history. According to ESPN, Martin Brodeur, Henrik Lundqvist, Marc-Andre Fleury, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Jonathan Quick are ahead of him individually. These 5 netminders are excellent, legends in their own right – but yet, if looking at the 21st century, few goalies could top what Luongo accomplished. 2nd in wins with 480, 3rd in shutouts with 74, two World Championships, two Olympic gold medals, one of which he was the starting netminder, and a first ballot Hall of Fame induction in 2022. The only real accomplishments that Luongo is missing are a Vezina trophy and a Stanley Cup as a player. Coupling this by being one of only two netminders to reach 1000 games played, and it just seems odd that he couldn’t at least beat out Jonathan Quick in this list, especially given that Luongo has a realistic argument as one of the top netminders in NHL history.

Then there were the Sedin Twins, who were among the league’s finest and best in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Sedinery was must-watch hockey, showing off the near-symbiotic connection that the Twins had throughout their careers. Henrik racked up 1070 points in 1330 NHL contests, with an Art Ross and Hart Trophy in the 2009-10 season. Twice a King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner, the 2022 Hall of Fame Inductee only lacked the ultimate prize when it came to his playing days. Daniel put together 1041 points in 1306 games with an Art Ross and Pearson in 2010-11, while sharing the 2017-18 Clancy Trophy with Henrik. Multiple-time All-Stars, always in conversation and voting for awards, it seems odd that the pair of Hall of Famers weren’t considered in ESPN’s list.

In terms of impact on the game and accolades, the Sedin Twins were recognized as two of the greatest NHL players of all time. And somehow, Duncan Keith (a good defenceman in his own right) finds his way onto this top 25 list ahead of them – which probably is some extra salt in the wound for Canucks fans given what happened in 2012.

These lists are thought exercises and make for interesting discussions when it comes to thinking about where these players would stack up against each other. A top 25 list, 25 seasons into the 2000s, is a fun piece during the dog days of the offseason. But, leaving off Roberto Luongo and the Sedin Twins in the conversation feels like an oversight.