Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
NHL Power Rankings: #8
Who’s the eighth best center in the Eastern Conference? It’s Claude Giroux, who I think will be higher on this list once a certain puck magician finally gets hit by Father Time. Giroux has quickly emerged as one of the NHL’s best centers. Heck, there was a time when his coach called him the best player in the world (and he probably wasn’t wrong). He might not be the best player in the world now, but he’s still extremely good.
Giroux ranks 22nd in even-strength points per 60 minutes (1.82). He also ranks 36th in even-strength goals per 60 minutes (0.63). That seems low, but it’s worth noting that he was pretty unlucky in 2014-2015. Giroux’s even-strength assist rate of 1.19 assists per 60 minutes is 18th.
If you want to know who I think is the best power play specialist in the NHL not named Alex Ovechkin, you could argue that it’s Claude Giroux. He ranks third in power play points per 60 minutes among Eastern Conference centers over the past three seasons. Basically, he and Jakub Voracek keep the Flyers from being terrible as far as production.
They also keep them from being terrible as far as possession stats. Giroux ranks in the top 20 in even-strength HSCF% relative (3.75%). He’s in the top 10 in even-strength SCF% relative (4.28%), even-strength CF% relative (4.88%), and even-strength FenClose% (4.31%).
Giroux is a tad bit underrated, but one more excellent season should quickly change that.
Next: Number Seven