The NHLPA released the results of its annual player poll Wednesday, confirming what Caps fans know to be true. Tom Wilson might be easy to hate as an opponent, but he’s still a guy you want on your side.

One question in the NHLPA poll, which surveyed 626 NHL players from all 32 teams, asked which player do you least enjoy playing against, but would like to have on your team?

8.1% of NHL players named Tom Wilson, earning him third place in the league.

Known pest Brad Marchand held first place, with 36.5% of the votes, while superstar Connor McDavid, got a second-place finish with 15.6% of players voting for him. Another well-known agitator, the Florida Panther’s Matthew Tkachuck, got 6% of the vote, placing behind Wilson in fourth.

Wilson also placed third when the NHLPA asked this question last season, netting 10.7% of the vote that year. Back in 2020, NHL players named Wilson the second-dirtiest player in the league in a poll by The Athletic. He would go on to lead the league in penalties during the 2020-21 season.

This year’s third-place finish came in a shortened campaign for Wilson, who played his first game of the season on January 8th. Wilson missed much of the 2022-23 season following an ACL tear during the Caps’ playoff series against the Florida Panthers.

With fans around the league hoping to acquire Wilson at the trade deadline, Caps fans already knew that hockey fans wish they could have Wilson on their team. Now we know that Wilson’s on-ice opponents feel the same.

Check out the other results from the NHLPA poll.

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB