Ranking the top-10 centers in the Metro Division
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Every year I like to rank the best players by position, be it division-focused or a league-wide view.
With the vast majority of the off-season fun behind us, and training camps still several weeks away, I thought now would be a good time to do some rankings.
Up first are the top-10 centers in the Metro Division.
Sidney Crosby
Crosby is a different breed. You may not like him (I do). You may be tired of him (I am not). But you simply have to respect the guy.
He is a top-tier player each and every season; no matter if his supporting cast is up to par, or if it is completely ravaged by injuries. He simply gets the job done.
Last season was Crosby’s 16th in the NHL. 16th! And he was still one of the game’s best players. He produced 62 points in 55 games, which equates to nearly 93 over the course of a full season. 93 points in Year 16. Remarkable.
His defensive game isn’t great anymore, although he still has it in him to make key plays, but his offensive ability is almost unmatched.
There may not be a better in-zone passer in the league. He’s an absolute force down low and is nearly impossible to get the puck from. Oh, and his hand-eye remains absurdly good.
Crosby may not be No. 1 for much longer. But I’m giving him top spot for another year.
Sean Couturier
Couturier, for my money, remains one of the game’s most under appreciated stars. I’m not sure he’ll ever get the credit he deserves, either, as he is not going to put up 100 points or blow you away with standout skills (an Ovechkin caliber shot, Barzal caliber speed, etc.). That doesn’t make him any less effective.
Year after year he faces top level competition on a nightly basis, yet finishes with elite level results at both ends.
Couturier produced at nearly a point per game clip this past season while posting remarkably strong underlying numbers.
Philadelphia’s share of the shots with Couturier on the ice was 7.54% higher than without. That was the best mark on the team, as you’d expect. He also positively impacted the team’s expected goal share and *actual* goal share.
If you think I’m too high on Couturier, I’ll leave you with this:
Couturier owns a 56 Corsi For% – and +20 goal differential (31 GF, 11 GA) – against *elite* competition over the last two seasons, according to PuckIQ. He has not just held his own vs the best of the best; he has dominated.
Evgeni Malkin
Last season was a bit of a down year – in large part due to injuries – but I feel Malkin has enough of a track record to maintain a high ranking on this list.
I mean, he produced more than a point per game in each of the nine seasons prior to last. He’s as consistent as they come and, when on, is one of the most dominant players in the league. Very few can match his combination of skill and power.
Simply put, he’s not free falling down my rankings for putting up 28 points in 33 games while helping the Penguins control a noticeably larger share of the shots than they did without him.
Maybe next year!
Sebastian Aho
Aho has limitations defensively, however, he more than makes up for it with what he can do with the puck.
He is a very good driver and a zone entry machine. He can carry the mail up ice and get Carolina set in the offensive zone.
Once he does that, he’s very difficult to defend. His passing is excellent and he’s so good at finding soft spots in the defense. Not because he powers his way to them, of course, but rather his shiftiness makes him very difficult to pin down.
And if he gets the puck in a good spot? It’s all over for opponents. Aho has very quickly turned into one of the better finishers in the sport.
Believe it or not, only nine players have scored more goals than Aho over the last three seasons. Nine.
That production comes on the back of remarkably strong finishing. His *low* in shooting percentage over that time is 12.3%.
For a lot of players that’d be a red flag and sure sign regression is to follow. Not Aho. He has played five seasons in the NHL and his conversion rate is more than 14%.
He’s just lethal.
Mathew Barzal
Barzal is one of the more electric players in the sport. Very few, if any, can dominate the puck like he can.
He seemingly has it on a string each night out and, at times, Barzal makes the NHL look like a rec. league.
Barzal is a zone entry wizard, routinely dancing around opponents in the neutral zone with ease. He’s extremely dangerous off the rush because of his speed, edge work, and passing.
He is also almost impossible to contain in the offensive zone. Barzal’s as much of a freelancer as there is. He’ll roam around the OZ and skate in circles, just waiting for something to open up so he can exploit the defense and generate a dangerous opportunity.
Very few can facilitate offense like Barzal.
Jack Hughes
I’m sure I’ll take some heat for having Hughes so high. I get it. His point totals won’t ‘wow’ anyone and he has scored only 17 goals in the NHL.
There is some projection in this ranking, for sure (fun fact: Evolving-Hockey has Hughes 10th among all NHLers in projected GAR next season). But I also think Hughes was miles better than his counting stats would suggest.
Anybody who watched the Devils with any regularity last season could see that. Hughes was Barzal-esque. He had the puck on a string every shift and completely controlled the pace of the game.
Hughes was one of the very best players in the league through the neutral zone. Nobody could slow him down; not one bit. He was a walking zone entry; and he created chance after chance after chance once the puck was in the offensive zone.
Hughes would skate circles around defenses waiting for an opening. And he’d thread the needle through the slightest of windows each time one become available.
The amount of chances he created for his teammates on a nightly basis, quite frankly, was absurd. It was at a superstar level.
If anybody could finish said chances with a little more regularity, Hughes could’ve posted much better offensive numbers.
Hughes was also surprisingly effective off puck. His defensive metrics were very strong and he erased so many opposing attacks by stealing the puck away.
I really think the sky is the limit for Hughes. I don’t care if most would’ve slotted him a few spots lower.
He’ll erase all doubts in a few months.
Mika Zibanejad
I will always be lower than the consensus on Mika Zibanejad. He just doesn’t do it for me.
Yes, he is a lethal finisher. Yes, he is very good on the power play. There are some very real holes in his game, though.
His even-strength offense was worth 3.9 GAR last season, which was tied for 119th among forwards. Solid, but nothing to write home about.
Zibanejad is not a big driver at 5v5. He doesn’t offer a lot in transition, and his defensive game is quite poor.
Don’t get me wrong. Zibanejad’s elite finishing, and PP performance, makes him a very effective player despite his warts.
But players like Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox no doubt help bring out more from Zibanejad than we’d see if he were playing elsewhere. I also believe the loss of Pavel Buchnevich will hurt a lot more than most would think.
Buchnevich was Zibanejad’s most common linemate over the last two years. They worked very well together. Without Buch, though, Zibanejad struggled mightily.
Zibanejad posted a 40.85 xGF%(!) from 2019-21 sans Buchnevich, and his on-ice GF% dropped from 60% to 50%.
Again, I’m not trying to slander Zibanejad. With or without Buchnevich, he’ll still provide value to the Rangers in terms of finishing and on the man advantage.
I just have some concerns that prevent me from ranking him higher.
Nicklas Backstrom
Backstrom is a lot like Crosby. He has done nothing but produce for what feels like forever. Everyone is waiting for the big drop off. It’s just not happening.
On top of averaging nearly a point per game, Backstrom posted a +15 goal differential at 5v5, and his even-strength GAR was good for 23rd among all forwards.
He’s not the flashiest player out there. He is just smart and very few players can distribute the puck like he can.
So long as the vision and passing ability remains, Backstrom will continue to be a very good player.
Vincent Trocheck
Trocheck is coming off a very strong season in Carolina.
He produced at nearly a point per game clip while appearing 47 times. His 5v5 efficiency was 1st line caliber. Trocheck was also a big-time threat on the man advantage.
No Hurricanes player averaged more points per 60 on the man advantage. No Hurricanes player averaged more scoring chances per 60 on the man advantage. He was lethal.
What I liked was that Trocheck wasn’t just a consistent offensive threat. His underlying process was sound.
As mentioned, he generated chances at a very high clip. The ice was often tilted in Carolina’s favor when he was out there, too.
Yeah, playing a lot with Nino Niederreiter helped. You don’t post a near 57 xGF% at 5v5 simply leaching off somebody else, though. You’re doing something right to generate numbers that strong over a large period of time.
Trocheck’s last couple years in Florida were hit and miss but he really seems to have found himself in Carolina.
Another season like 2020-21 could see him move up the list.
Ryan Strome
As much as I’d love to list Nico Hischier here, I just can’t do it. There’s a lot that goes into it, of course, but his raw production has dipped over the last few years and he barely played last season due to injuries, COVID, etc. There simply isn’t enough to justify a top-10 slot. So, it’s going to Strome.
Strome has quietly averaged 70 points per 82 games over the last two seasons. His playmaking is high-end, which makes him dangerous at full-strength and on the power play.
He’s not a perfect player. Like some of those listed above, his defensive game could certainly use work.
At the end of the day, though, that kind of production can mask a lot of issues.
numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com, PuckIQ.com, Evolving-Hockey.com, and Architecte-Hockey.com
Nico needs to really pick it up. Last year given everything, you just throw it away. But this is the year he needs to make that jump.
How far outside of the top 10 do you see nico fit in?