Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
NHL Power Rankings: #7
Ranked seventh on our list of the best centers in the Eastern Conference is the Magic Man, Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings. He’s been so good for so long, but he’s starting to decline. Even though he’s slowly declining, he’s still arguably one of the NHL’s elite centers.
Since the beginning of the 2012-2013 season, Datsyuk has been among the best centers in the NHL. He ranks second in even-strength FenClose% relative (6.03%), second in even-strength CF% relative (6.94%), fourth in even-strength SCF% relative (6.69%), and fourth in even-strength HSCF% relative (6.99%). Despite aging, he’s still 15th in even-strength points per 60 minutes (1.99).
So why isn’t he ranked higher than seventh? It’s mainly because of his age. He is 37 years old. Datsyuk has done a darn good job avoiding Father Time so far in his career. It catches up to every player, though, and history suggests that it will likely be this year. Also, the loss of Mike Babcock could be huge for him.
Also, while Datsyuk probably had one of the best five-year runs that we’ve ever seen from a two-way center, he is starting to become sheltered as far as his zone starts. He’s getting more offensive zone starts recently than he did earlier in his career. He’s also facing a lesser quality of competition.
Despite all of that, Datsyuk still might be the most fun player in the NHL to watch and still does things that I wish I could do in NHL 16.
Next: Number Six