The Oilers star remains on the throne at No. 1, with some surprises elsewhere in the top 10. Here's how league insiders voted.
It's the most star-studded group of players in any of these lists. One could do a top 30 of only NHL centers and still have significant snubs.
Combined, their insights led to rankings that go behind fan conjecture and media narratives to reveal the best of the best, according to those inside the NHL. McDavid was the only player to appear on all 20 ballots. He was first overall on 15 of them. Every executive had him first overall. Five players did not.There are stretches when the Avalanche star is as unstoppable as, well, an avalanche. It's when MacKinnon is stringing together weeks of consecutive points like it's second nature. Take his recent home points streak: 27 straight games in Denver with a point, scoring 22 goals and 34 assists during that stretch.
Since 2019-20, the 26-year-old has 237 goals, which is nearly 30 more than any other player. His plus/minus of plus-113 in that stretch ranks him fifth. Plus/minus should never be the end-all when discussing a player's defensive prowess, but Matthews has earned the reputation as a quality two-way center in the NHL, having finished top 10 for the Selke Trophy two years ago.
Last season, Crosby appeared on 19 ballots. His highest placement was second overall. This season, Crosby also appeared on 19 ballots and was given a first-place vote by a veteran defenseman. Draisaitl appeared on 19 ballots last year. That number dropped to 17 this season. One general manager and two veteran players left him out of their top 10.
Barkov's offensive output is only part of the story. Some might say it's even the sidebar to his defensive prowess, which has him favored to win another Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward. The Panthers are averaging 1.40 goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 when Barkov is on the ice, which is Patrice Bergeron-esque.Hughes moves up one spot after his star-making season in 2022-23, and just barely missed catching Barkov for sixth overall, falling short by one point.
He had 26 points in 22 playoff games for the Knights, after being a point-per-game player in the regular season. He left an impression as a two-way center that he had never approached in his eight previous seasons in the NHL. Most importantly, he was a No. 1 star center who had earned a Stanley Cup ring.
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