The title for top center in the NHL is undisputed, but determining the top 10 at the position can be difficult.
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski surveyed multiple league executives and players to rank the 10 players at their position. David Pastrnak took No. 1 on the top wingers in the NHL, the list of top centers was released Thursday.
It should not be a surprise Connor McDavid took No. 1 on the list. The Edmonton Oilers star leads the league in points and likely will win his third Hart Trophy.
Boston Bruins fans might ask: Where does Patrice Bergeron rank?
Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews and Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon rounded out the top three, and Bergeron was included at No. 9.
“From a player who struggles with faceoffs to the player many consider the best defensive forward in NHL history,” Wyshynski wrote, “Bergeron has captured the Selke Trophy more times (five) than any other player; and if the rankings in our NHL Awards Watch are any indication, a sixth Selke is on the way.
“Bergeron, ranked seventh in our 2021 voting, is the fulcrum for so much of what the Bruins do, whether it’s holding down the No. 1 center spot or helping to orchestrate their power play or kicking in with quality short-handed minutes. He has always been a puck possession machine and his lines are frequently among the NHL’s best in goal differential.
“After 19 seasons, Bergeron’s best offensive days are behind him: His current average of 2.5 points per 60 minutes would be his lowest in seven seasons. But that’s not why Patrice Bergeron is here — and even received a third-place vote — or why he’s so vital to the Bruins.
“For example, when coach Jim Montgomery took the Boston coaching job, his first phone call was to Bergeron to make sure the free agent captain was coming back. ‘I don’t have to go into the locker room very much if he comes back,'” Montgomery said. “He’s got good control of what’s going on, and how to lead.”
“For all of these reasons, Bergeron makes the cut.”
It might seem like a low ranking to Bruins fans, but Bergeron did make the cut over players like Carolina Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho and New York Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad, who did not make the top 10. It shows how difficult this kind of exercise can be.
