Name the centres better than Eichel today

[Sol]

A lot of recency bias here

Guys like Aho, Barzal, Point, Schiefele etc are elite but they are not better than a healthy Jack Eichel

I would say Eichel is definitely top 10 and in the 7-8 range

Recency bias?? On HF? impossible.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

For the playoffs, or next season, I'd take these guys before Eichel:

1. McDavid
2. MacKinnon
3. Barkov
4. Draisaitl
5. Aho
6. Scheifele
7. Stamkos
8. Barzal
9. Malkin
10. Zibanejad
11. Point
12. O'Reilly
13. Bergeron
14. Miller
15. Kopitar
16. Bäckström
17. Seguin
18. Kuznetsov
19. Krejci
20. Couturier
21. Horvat
22. Suzuki

I have absolutely zero confidence in Eichel's ability to play winning hockey. Being an all-around-problem just oooozes from everything he does.

Would take Suzuki and Bo Horvat over Eichel and Matthew's. Ladies and gentlemen we found Milburys burner.

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

For the playoffs, or next season, I'd take these guys before Eichel:

1. McDavid
2. MacKinnon
3. Barkov
4. Draisaitl
5. Aho
6. Scheifele
7. Stamkos
8. Barzal
9. Malkin
10. Zibanejad
11. Point
12. O'Reilly
13. Bergeron
14. Miller
15. Kopitar
16. Bäckström
17. Seguin
18. Kuznetsov
19. Krejci
20. Couturier
21. Horvat
22. Suzuki

I have absolutely zero confidence in Eichel's ability to play winning hockey. Being an all-around-problem just oooozes from everything he does.

Not Crosby?

 

[BKarchitect]

Imagine this thread a year ago. He’d probably be #5 or so at worst. Don’t think he suddenly lost it.

Being perceived as a whiner and on an all time dysfunctional team sure changes things. Buffalo is bound to trade him for a ham sandwich and some team is going to get a franchise center for the better part of the next decade.

 

[Muikea Bulju]

Would take Suzuki and Bo Horvat over Eichel and Matthew's. Ladies and gentlemen we found Milburys burner.

*Over Eichel, Matthews and Crosby*

 

[Muikea Bulju]

Not Crosby?

No.

 

[Crazy Cizikas]

A lot of recency bias here

Guys like Aho, Barzal, Point, Schiefele etc are elite but they are not better than a healthy Jack Eichel

I would say Eichel is definitely top 10 and in the 7-8 range

Recency counts. No one cares about how good he was in draft year. And he hasn’t been great since.

 

[Stephen]

If you had a franchise center matrix and went through the various categories, Jack Eichel could conceivably come out much lower than you'd first expect.

In terms of individual peak numbers, a career high of 36 goals and 82 points and a 0.95 PPG average is not particularly impressive even if you factor in a Buffalo Sabres coefficient, whatever it would be. Puts you in a Mark Scheifele territory.

In terms of being a big game player, he's never really been in a position to have to deliver in a big moment, so he's untested in that category.

In terms of the "intangibles" category where you might compare him to older franchise centers who have more evolved defensive details, emergent leadership qualities etc, he's never even taken the Sabres to a middle of the pack level with his scoring, so we've never seen him have to demonstrate the other stuff to gain an edge.

In terms of elevating teammates, which could be an "intangible" quality, not a lot of guys have thrived playing with Eichel. Maybe Jeff Skinner when he had his one 40 goal year in Buffalo, but you can look at a number of high picks and a handful of bigger ticket acquisitions and it's not that good.

 

[SI90]

Easy to do this when he’s been hurt all year and hasn’t had a big year.

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

No.

lol...... alrighttyyyy then.

 

[Stephen]

A lot of recency bias here

Guys like Aho, Barzal, Point, Schiefele etc are elite but they are not better than a healthy Jack Eichel

I would say Eichel is definitely top 10 and in the 7-8 range

When you say "recency bias" pertaining to Sebastian Aho and Brayden Point, you might actually referring to "their whole NHL careers."

Aho has outscored Eichel in terms of most goals per season, highest point totals, a climbing PPG average propelling sustained regular season success on a mid 2010s rebuild team that has turned into a true contender, a very good playoff track record, more career goals and closing in on career point totals.

Brayden Point has delivered a Stanley Cup as a first line center and a Conn Smythe caliber run, produced a 41 goal season and 92 point career high and 50 more playoff points.

A lot of time has passed since that 2015 draft.

 

[2 others]

When you say "recency bias" pertaining to Sebastian Aho and Brayden Point, you might actually referring to "their whole NHL careers."

Aho has outscored Eichel in terms of most goals per season, highest point totals, a climbing PPG average propelling sustained regular season success on a mid 2010s rebuild team that has turned into a true contender, a very good playoff track record, more career goals and closing in on career point totals.

Brayden Point has delivered a Stanley Cup as a first line center and a Conn Smythe caliber run, produced a 41 goal season and 92 point career high and 50 more playoff points.

A lot of time has passed since that 2015 draft.

Two very well run teams, on the rise. You should know.
Comparing those teams to one of the worst run teams in professional sports in the last decades is ludicrous.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Would be interesting to see how well he would do with some other top players to play with. Like imagine him with Marchand or with Kucherov. Someone of that nature. I feel like he would go up a few notches on some people's list.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Inspired by TSN. Assuming full health and disregarding age and cap hits, name the centres you think are better than Eichel right now.

Matthews, Mcdavid, Mackinnon, Barkov, Point, Bergeron, ROR, Crosby, Malkin Scheifele

 

[Stephen]

Two very well run teams, on the rise. You should know.
Comparing those teams to one of the worst run teams in professional sports in the last decades is ludicrous.

Even if you shifted all the blame to the Sabres in the Eichel career trajectory and absolved the player of any negative impact to the rebuild over the years, you can't rank a guy higher for the career he didn't have.

 

[Muikea Bulju]

lol...... alrighttyyyy then.

I would be building a winning team, not a losing one

If my team was trying to tank, then he'd be on my list, right after Eichel and Dahlin

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Mcdavid
Crosby
Matthews
Leon
Mack
Etc

 

[Michael HOMERUNing]

I would be building a winning team, not a losing one

If my team was trying to tank, then he'd be on my list, right after Eichel and Dahlin

Interesting. Crosby has more cups than the top 8 on your list have combined

 

[Muikea Bulju]

Interesting. Crosby has more cups than the top 8 on your list have combined

I'm not trying to collect historical cup rings, I'm trying to win some cups in the future

I have zero trust in Crosby having enough appetite left to win.

 

[Atomos2]

In no particular order:

Matthews

Mackinnon
McDavid
Crosby
Draisaitl
Barkov
Point
Bergeron
ROR
Malkin

 

[KlefDown]

When you say "recency bias" pertaining to Sebastian Aho and Brayden Point, you might actually referring to "their whole NHL careers."

Aho has outscored Eichel in terms of most goals per season, highest point totals, a climbing PPG average propelling sustained regular season success on a mid 2010s rebuild team that has turned into a true contender, a very good playoff track record, more career goals and closing in on career point totals.

Brayden Point has delivered a Stanley Cup as a first line center and a Conn Smythe caliber run, produced a 41 goal season and 92 point career high and 50 more playoff points.

A lot of time has passed since that 2015 draft.

No doubt they are on the same tier and arguments can be made for them being better but you have to consider the situations they are placed in considering their teams.

Can you imagine Eichel if he were playing in Aho's or Pointers spots? can you for certain say that Eichel would not match or beat their production?

 

[AyyLmao]

McDavid, MacKinnon, Crosby. Eichel is fourth on my list.

I would slide Draisaitl as #2 and keep the rest the same.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

No doubt they are on the same tier and arguments can be made for them being better but you have to consider the situations they are placed in considering their teams.

Can you imagine Eichel if he were playing in Aho's or Pointers spots? can you for certain say that Eichel would not match or beat their production?

Point is not Tampa's best player but Aho is for Carolina. Carolina was pretty much a joke when Aho joined them.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

Give me McDavid, Crosby, Matthews, Draisaitl and MacKinnon over him. THATS IT

 

[Cricket Green]

For those that have Eichel ahead of Barkov: why?