NHL: Power Ranking Top Ten Eastern Conference Centers
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
NHL Power Rankings: Honorable Mentions
Tyler Johnson of the Tampa Bay Lightning was going to be on my list. However, I realized that he had only played in two full seasons. His numbers over the past two seasons place him among the best centers in the NHL. However, in order to be one of the best, I think you need to prove it over three NHL seasons. As much as I want to make an exception for Johnson, that wouldn’t be fair. Barring injury or a severe drop in production, I can’t think of any reason why he won’t be on this list next year.
Brandon Dubinsky is an often overlooked center because he doesn’t put up the best boxcar stats. However, he’s a shutdown center who does his job better than most. Despite facing opponents’ top lines, he has impressive possession numbers. The Blue Jackets are simply a much better team when he’s on the ice. That’s about all that any NHL team can ask for from their shutdown center. He makes things a lot easier for his teammates.
Speaking of which, Dubinsky’s teammate Ryan Johansen is quickly rising among the NHL’s elite centers. His possession stats aren’t great, but when he’s on the ice, Columbus tends to generate more offense. The addition of Brandon Saad should accelerate him into the top 10 of this list in the next year or two.
Derick Brassard and Derek Stepan are two centers who are very important to the New York Rangers. They’ve had a lot of success over their past three NHL seasons. It’s not a coincidence that the Rangers have as well. Stepan plays a shutdown role while Brassard is used as the scoring line center. They’re both excellent at what they do.
Last year, Stepan had to face way too many defensive zone starts, and his numbers reflected that. With an improved fourth line that should be able to handle defensive zone starts, Stepan should see more favorable zone starts and return to producing like he has in the past.
There is a ton of really good young NHL centers in the Eastern Conference. I decided to make them their own special category. Here are guys who could accelerate into the top 10 within the next two or three seasons.
Next: The Young Guns