HFBoards Top 32 Centers - #4

[LT]

Rank	Player	Votes	Team	GP	G	A	P
1	Connor McDavid	82/86 (95%)	Edmonton Oilers	80	44	79	123
2	Auston Matthews	150/283 (53%)	Toronto Maple Leafs	73	60	46	106
3	Nathan MacKinnon	152/298 (51%)	Colorado Avalanche	65	32	56	88
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

To add:
Mathew Barzal
Elias Lindholm
Elias Pettersson
JT Miller
Anze Kopitar
Roope Hintz

Click to read more...

 

[ManofSteel55]

Draisaitl, by a landslide.

Add Kopitar.

 

[LT]

This one will be fast, I imagine. #5 will be interesting, #6 fast, and then it will really open up.

 

[PuckG]

Draisaitl, who has a strong argument for #2, should easily take this one.

 

[Lavar Ball]

Leon, easy choice

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

John Tavares should go here or else you just hate the Leafs because this is where he was ranked in his last season as an Islander.

 

[Mrb1p]

Crosby again. Theres absolutely no reasons he should be out the top 2, let alone 4.

 

[jigglysquishy]

Crosby again. Theres absolutely no reasons he should be out the top 2, let alone 4.

Sure, he had a great 4 games in the playoffs.

But he hasn't been top 2 in PPG for centres in 5 years. Realistically, he hasn't been a top 3 centre since before the pandemic.

Amongst centres:

21-22: 9th
20-21: 6th
19-20: 8th
18-19: 3rd
17-18: 8th
16-17: 2nd

He's absolutely still a top 10 centre, maybe closer to 5 than 10.

But 35 year old Crosby isn't a top 4 centre anymore. McDavid is a clear number 1. And Matthews, MacKinnon, and Draisailt are in a tier themselves.

After that, you can make a good argument.

 

[Mrb1p]

Sure, he had a great 4 games in the playoffs.

But he hasn't been top 2 in PPG for centres in 5 years. Realistically, he hasn't been a top 3 centre since before the pandemic.

Amongst centres:

21-22: 9th
20-21: 6th
19-20: 8th
18-19: 3rd
17-18: 8th
16-17: 2nd

He's absolutely still a top 10 centre, maybe closer to 5 than 10.

But 35 year old Crosby isn't a top 4 centre anymore. McDavid is a clear number 1. And Matthews, MacKinnon, and Draisailt are in a tier themselves.

After that, you can make a good argument.

He provides better 2-way, leadership, grit, playmaking, clutchness and hes just as good (Id say better) offensively.

He had a better playoffs this year than any of the remaining Cs ever had.

 

[Senor Catface]

He provides better 2-way, leadership, grit, playmaking, clutchness and hes just as good (Id say better) offensively.

He had a better playoffs this year than any of the remaining Cs ever had.

Better check to see if any of the remaining centres ever put up 32 points in 16 games last year.

 

[Mrb1p]

Better check to see if any of the remaining centres ever put up 32 points in 16 games last year.

Fair but also youd be lying if you said Drai looked better than Crosby did last year.

 

[Senor Catface]

Fair but also youd be lying if you said Drai looked better than Crosby did last year.

If it's last year, I don't think it's far-fetched to say Leon.

Drai had 25 assists. That's 7th most all-time.

2nd most even strength assists all-time, so it's not like he was milking the PP.

I do believe he looked better last year.

 

[Mrb1p]

33

If it's last year, I don't think it's far-fetched to say Leon.

Drai had 25 assists. That's 7th most all-time.

2nd most even strength assists all-time, so it's not like he was milking the PP.

I do believe he looked better last year.

He was playing on one leg for like 3/4 of those games and doing nothing on the ice. Productiong is nice, but he wasnt good.

 

[Regal]

John Tavares should go here or else you just hate the Leafs because this is where he was ranked in his last season as an Islander.

And if you mention it was a mid-season poll where he happened to be top 5 in scoring at the time, you’re an even bigger hater

 

[bobholly39]

Draisaitl easily.
And then Crosby at #5 just as easily

33

He was playing on one leg for like 3/4 of those games and doing nothing on the ice. Productiong is nice, but he wasnt good.

I think these rankings have to be a mix of how good you are, but also how good you've done recently. Draisaitl has done significantly better than Crosby multiple years in a row, including both last season and playoffs. In larger sample size too (playoffs). No reason whatsoever to rank Crosby above him at this point - even if you believe he somehow can still be better at his best.

Draisaitl legitimately beat a peak Wayne Gretzky scoring record last year (most playoff points in a 5 game series) - how insane is that?

 

[McJedi]

He provides better 2-way, leadership, grit, playmaking, clutchness and hes just as good (Id say better) offensively.

He had a better playoffs this year than any of the remaining Cs ever had.

His team didn’t even make it out of round 1 vs a Rangers team that requires their goalie to stand on his head most nights.

 

[Rengorlex]

He provides better 2-way, leadership, grit, playmaking, clutchness and hes just as good (Id say better) offensively.

He had a better playoffs this year than any of the remaining Cs ever had.

Really? 4 good games and not showing up for G7 is better than Brayden Point leading the playoffs in goals in back to back years?

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

John Tavares should go here or else you just hate the Leafs because this is where he was ranked in his last season as an Islander.

What?

As for the poll,

Leon
Barkov
Crosby

next 3 for me

 

[wetcoast]

This one will be fast, I imagine. #5 will be interesting, #6 fast, and then it will really open up.

Pretty much this, add Elias Lindholm.

Took Leon again but Crosby is just a shade behind him.

 

[Machinehead]

Still Crosby all these years later

 

[Steven Toast]

He was playing on one leg for like 3/4 of those games and doing nothing on the ice. Productiong is nice, but he wasnt good.

I would really like to hear you elaborate on this.

 

[bossram]

Looks like I'll be voting Bergeron for a while now.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Crosby > Leon

 

[Malkinstheman]

I think Leon here and then Crosby at #5

 

[Busher]

Draisaitl. It’s a clear top 4 centers right now.

Everyone else has much to prove at this point.