Top players at every age: 24-29

To answer this question -- as Neil Greenberg did last season -- I'm going to use a variety of hockey analytics to help me establish the context of each player's usage, to compare skaters to goalies, and offensive contributions to defensive play. Unless stated otherwise, my primary data source for non-traditional statistics is Behind the Net, and we are considering players' current ages as of Feb. 1.

Since I'm essentially approaching this from the perspective of which players front offices should be trying to retain or pursue, a player's past, current, and expected future performance will be considered. Contractual matters are not weighed heavily, largely because it's my view that when players are this good, they should get paid whatever it takes to get and keep them in a friendly uniform.

Even with all these numbers floating around, there is still a fair deal of interpretation to pack into each age group, and I'm open to see who you'd suggest in certain spots -- use the comments section below, or the Twitter hashtag #NHLAgeMVPs to join the conversation.

Note: In each case, we've listed the player who won for that same group of players on last year's list; for example, Erik Karlsson was the top 23-year-old on last year's list, but he is now the top 24-year-old on this year's list.

24 years old

Erik Karlsson, D, Ottawa Senators

There hasn't been a defenseman as offensively dominant as Karlsson in at least 20 years. According to the data at Hockey Reference, Ottawa's speedy young defender has accumulated 272 points thus far in his career, which ranks 12th all time among 24-year-olds and is 34 more than the next closest player who is still active -- the 24-year-old Dion Phaneuf back in 2009-10. We have to go all the way back to Sergei Zubov in 1994-95 to find a player of this age who scored at the same career rate of Karlsson's 0.75 points per game.

Among defensemen of all ages, and again using the data at Hockey Reference, Karlsson's 201 points in the past four seasons combined is 33 more than second place Shea Weber -- and in 25 fewer games. His scoring rate of 0.88 points per game is 33 percent higher than Weber's and is rivaled only by Pittsburgh's Kris Letang. Of course, Letang plays with the high-powered Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin up the middle instead of Kyle Turris and Mika Zibanejad!

I can quote jaw-dropping scoring statistics all day, but is Karlsson a defensive liability? If that were true, then Ottawa would have to be crazy to assign Karlsson more than 27 minutes per game when no other defender plays more than Chris Phillips' 21 minutes. Putting it another way, Karlsson played 1,250 minutes this season before any other Senator had even played 900. While primarily an offensive weapon, Ottawa's superstar is not at all bad defensively. No single NHL skater is relied upon more than Karlsson, who takes on top opponents, in both zones, and posts team-leading possession numbers. There's not a single team that wouldn't want this man in its lineup.

Last year: Erik Karlsson

Honorable mentions: Steven Stamkos, John Tavares

25 years old

P.K. Subban, D, Montreal Canadiens

Despite the fact that the NHL's current scoring leader (Jakub Voracek) is a 25-year-old, this is the age to pursue a two-way, top-pairing defenseman instead: Subban, Ryan McDonagh, John Carlson, Alex Pietrangelo and half of the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings' blue line are all 25 years old.

To demonstrate why Subban is the best of this lot, consider the following chart of the 10 best 25-year-old blueliners. During the past three seasons combined, only Pietrangelo has scored at a higher rate (horizontal axis) and only Jake Muzzin of the Kings has posted superior possession numbers (vertical axis). While it's true some of these defensemen handle tougher minutes, it's doubtful that any of them could have the same impact as Subban if they were in his skates.

In my view, these game-changing abilities are what make Subban stand out from this impressive pack and someone who "could also be the best player in the league if someone would just let him loose," according to Sam Page of Sports Illustrated.

Without him, the Canadiens are a mediocre, puck-chasing, playoff-bubble team, but every time he hops the boards, they instantly become a dominant puck-possession team, a dangerous scoring threat and a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. That's the type of player every team wants to find.

Last year: P.K. Subban

Honorable mention: Jakub Voracek

26 years old

Jonathan Toews, C, Chicago Blackhawks

Toews is the league's most complete player in every zone, game situation and time of season. In fact, his position on a player usage chart is named after him and is used to describe anyone who takes on the top opponents (vertical axis) in both zones (horizontal axis) and still dominates the play, possession-wise (the sized, shaded bubbles). There's a very good reason Chicago's captain has been a Selke Trophy finalist in three of the past four seasons!

In addition to effectively taking on the league's top players, Toews draws penalties, works on both special-teams units, is arguably the league's best faceoff man and has an amazing 37 career shootout goals in 75 attempts. If he proved adept at strapping on the goalie pads and dominating in the crease, then there would be literally nothing he couldn't do to help his team win.

Toews is especially valuable in the postseason, in which he has won two Stanley Cups, plus a Conn Smythe Trophy in 2010. Toews is tied with Paul Coffey for seventh in career playoff games played by the age-25 season (94) and needs 26 more this spring to pass Duane Sutter for the all-time lead at age 26, according to Hockey Reference. The only obstacle to achieving that record could very well be that Chicago is likely to dispatch at least one of its opponents in fewer than six games.

Last year: Jonathan Toews

Honorable mention: Sergei Bobrovsky

27 years old

Sidney Crosby, F, Pittsburgh Penguins

For two seasons in a row, Crosby has been recognized by his opponents with the Ted Lindsay Award as the league's most outstanding player -- and he's well on his way to a third. According to Hockey Reference, Crosby has 213 points during the two-plus seasons in question, 26 more than Ryan Getzlaf and Claude Giroux, tied for second. In fact, there are only 21 players who have scored as many points as Crosby's 147 assists.

Not only is Crosby the greatest scorer today, but he's one of the greatest of all time. Crosby ranks eighth all time in points per game through age 27, according to Hockey Reference, and we have to go all the way back to Mario Lemieux in 1992-93 to find anyone better. Of course, Lemieux played in an era of higher scoring, and Derek Zona of Copper and Blue found that Crosby actually ranks third all time in career points per game once you adjust for the different scoring levels of each era.

Crosby's dominance is not just about his pure scoring totals, although they would certainly be enough to earn him this crown. His possession numbers during the past three seasons have been equally dominant, and even edge out famed possession monsters Anze Kopitar and Giroux and rank second only to former teammate James Neal in this age group. That success wasn't earned with soft minutes, either, as former Pens coach Dan Bylsma consistently assigned Crosby the Toews-like role as the team's top shutdown center.

In short, the numbers back up the judgments of the players themselves that there's absolutely no one of any age today -- and very few in all of history -- who are as exceptional as Crosby is right now.

Last year: Sidney Crosby

Honorable mentions: Carey Price, Claude Giroux, Tuukka Rask

28 years old

Evgeni Malkin, C, Pittsburgh Penguins

When he's healthy, there's no player more dangerous than Malkin. He has played just three full seasons since his Calder Trophy-winning 2006-07 debut, and each time, the powerful Russian finished with at least 100 points, a first-team All-Star recognition and a top-two finish in Hart Trophy voting. If he can stay off the extended injured reserve, then he's on pace for all three achievements again this season.

In the past, some critics have dismissed his amazing achievements by claiming that Crosby's heavy lifting made them possible, but that's no longer a defensible view. One of the most interesting developments of this season is how well Malkin has responded to new Penguins bench boss Mike Johnston's challenge of being the team's top shutdown center. As illustrated in his individual career player usage chart below, Malkin is no longer the sheltered, scoring-line winger he was under Bylsma and has continued to excel even when facing top opponents in both zones this season:

Currently leading his entire age group in scoring, possession and the difficulty of assignment, there's no longer any case that can be built against Malkin.

Last year: Evgeni Malkin

29 years old

Alex Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals

Although it isn't the easy choice it once was, Ovechkin is still the man to beat in this age group.

First and foremost, the Great Eight's goal-scoring credentials are without equal. He's currently leading the league in goals for the third straight season -- and the fifth time in seven seasons. Ovechkin is aiming to secure his sixth 50-goal season, which would put him behind only Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky for 50-goal seasons. Bossy and Mario Lemieux are the only post-Original Six era players to average more goals per game throughout their career than Ovechkin.

Sure, he was minus-35 last season, but he was also plus-45 in 2009-10; as we know, plus/minus is not the most revealing statistic. More meaningful are Ovechkin's league-leading three Hart trophies -- and another close finish in 2009-10. He has also been elected to the first or second All-Star team every single season -- and twice as frequently on the first team.

There may be superior players to call upon when protecting a lead, but Ovechkin is the man everybody wants on the ice when they're chasing one. That's enough to keep him at the top of a mighty impressive list of 29-year-old players.

Last year: Alex Ovechkin

Honorable mentions: Jonathan Quick, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Shea Weber, Patrice Bergeron