Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
NHL Power Rankings: #5
The fifth best center in the Eastern Conference is Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s difficult to judge Stamkos compared to other centers because he scores goals at such a high rate. In fact, since he’s been in the league, he’s been the only Eastern Conference player even close to Alex Ovechkin when it comes to scoring goals and actually has more even strength goals than him (153 to 150). Ovechkin is the quintessential high volume shooter while Stamkos is selective but can sustain a very high shooting percentage.
Despite being on a team that has absolutely dominated puck possession over the past three seasons, he still has good possession numbers. He is a positive possession player when you look at even-strength HSCF% relative (4.11%), even-strength SCF% relative (1.59%), even-strength CF% (1.71%), and even-strength FenClose% (0.88%). He shouldn’t be punished for not having elite possession numbers because if he did, Tampa Bay would be unfairly good with him on the ice. Plus, his production more than makes up for the non-elite advanced stats.
Before this season, I probably had Stamkos in my top three. Several things changed that. First of all, Tyler Johnson emerged as Tampa Bay’s go-to guy to shut down top opposing lines. This has led to Stamkos facing a lesser quality of competition. Secondly, it has led to him getting more offensive zone starts, which obviously is a very beneficial thing for Stamkos. In a conference where you can find at least one darn good center on just about any team, facing lesser competition is a determining factor.
Next: Number Four