Where NHL Players, Coaches Rank Patrice Bergeron Among Best Centers

The Boston Bruins and their fans aren’t the only ones who still believe Patrice Bergeron is among the NHL’s elite centermen.

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski on Tuesday published the latest entry in his NHL positional rankings series, which features quotes and analysis from polled players, coaches and executives across the league. And Bergeron, despite being 35 years old, was ranked the seventh-best center in the NHL.

Here’s the top 10:

1. Connor McDavid
2. Nathan MacKinnon
3. Auston Matthews
4. Sidney Crosby
5. Leon Draisaitl
6. Jack Eichel
7. Patrice Bergeron
8. Aleksander Barkov
9. Brayden Point
10. Mathew Barzal

When asked why Bergeron belongs in the top 10, an NHL coach offered the following to Wyshynski:

“When you think of the two best lines in hockey, you think of the one centered by Nathan MacKinnon and one centered by Patrice Bergeron. So, there’s your answer there.”

Bergeron is having another strong all-around season, racking up 12 goals and 18 assists while playing his usually stellar defense over 35 games. He also remains one of the best in the league at the faceoff dot.

In case you missed it: David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand ranked first and seventh, respectively, in Wyshynski’s NHL wingers rankings.