NHL Power Rankings: Top 25 Centers Entering 2017-18

Who are the best centers in the NHL? Here’s a list of the top 25 entering the 2017-18 season.

The NHL is the greatest hockey league in the world. But let’s face it, in everything, someone is better than someone else. Everyone has a different opinion of who the best centers in the league are. That’s because people tend to have differing qualifications for what makes a great center. Everyone has their favorite center and are fully convinced the center in question is elite.

However, not everyone can be a top 25 center. There’s only room for 25 centers on that exclusive list. Even if only one center per team made the list, that still leaves six teams unrepresented. Entering the 2017-18 season, 25 centers have separated themselves from everyone else.

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This list is not just about who was great for one season. Past seasons will be taken into consideration as well. Longer sample sizes will generally get the nod over shorter ones, though if a shorter one is more impressive, exceptions will be made.

Qualifications for this list are as follows. I took scoring into consideration. Goals were weighed more heavily than assists because goals are more meaningful than assists. Points per game matter too because players can’t control injuries. Possession numbers matter a lot as well. There’s more to being a center than just putting up points. Being strong defensively matters a lot too.

Before the list begins, let’s take a look at some of the honorable mentions. Mikael Granlund of the Minnesota Wild was left off the list for the same reason. Ditto with Alex Galchenyuk. But if the quartet were centers, they would have been on my list, no question. Sean Monahan and Claude Giroux were the last true centers left off the list and it broke my heart to leave them off. Vincent Trocheck and Sean Couturier were darn close as well.

25. Jordan Staal

Many fans are probably surprised to see Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes on this list. If you do the math, each of the top 25 centers are first line caliber centers. Staal doesn’t immediately strike you as a top center, but he’s remarkably consistent.

He’s about as consistent of a 40+ point scorer as you can get. And on a team like the Hurricanes who struggle to score, that’s impressive. It doesn’t matter who Staal gets paired with, all he does it put up points at an impressive rate.

However, Jordan isn’t on the list primarily for his offense. It’s his overall game that gets him the nod at number 25. Staal consistently ranks among the league leaders in relative Corsi For percentage at even strength. Not only that, the Hurricanes are a much better team when he’s on the ice. Looking at goals, Carolina allows far fewer goals and scores far more with Staal on the ice.

The 2017-18 season could be the season everyone realizes how good he is. With a much better team around him, the Hurricanes could make the postseason. It’ll be up to Staal to continue to dominate whoever he plays against and to lead the way in scoring.

24. Eric Staal

Eric Staal of the Minnesota Wild can brag to his brother Jordan that he’s ranked higher on this list than him. After suffering a down year during the 2015-16 season, a down year for the center, he had a heck of a rebound season in 2016-17.

Staal’s 65 points last season are his most since the 2011-12 season, when he had 70. He put up 28 goals and 37 assists for the Wild. Staal led the team in goals and finished second to Mikael Granlund in points.

Over his career, he has averaged 0.84 points per game. Staal put up 0.79 points per game last season. Much like his brother, Eric puts up impressive possession and goals for numbers. He’s constantly in the green in even strength Corsi For percentage. Moreover, Staal has impressive relative goals for numbers, often venturing into the double digits.

His days of putting up 70 points consistently are probably over. However, thanks to being a great 200 foot player who dominates in all three zones, Staal’s still a top 25 center. It remains to be seen how long this will remain the case. If Staal’s 13.3 shooting percentage last season isn’t just a fluke, he could still be on the list next season. But there’s a lot of talented young centers pushing for a spot on the list.

23. Ryan O’Reilly

Along with Jack Eichel, Ryan O’Reilly is really helping the Buffalo Sabres turn their fortunes around. And it’s not every day you see a player with over 1,500 minutes played only record 10 penalty minutes in a season. O’Reilly’s discipline is what enables him to go out and post points. And because he’s such a great two-way center, it’s extremely helpful that he doesn’t spend much time in the penalty box.

The Sabres are prepared to build around their top two centers. It seems like they’re finally surrounding Eichel and O’Reilly with the right wings. Now the Sabres must make their jobs easier by improving their forward depth. Buffalo’s hopefully improved blue line should help immensely as well. O’Reilly was a serious contributor last season, and has proven himself to be one of the best centers in the game. It’s rare you find a shutdown center who you can pencil in for 50 points a year, but he’s one of them.

In terms of possession, O’Reilly hasn’t had a negative relative even strength Corsi For percentage since 2009-10, his rookie season. Aside from the 2013-14 season, his relative goals for percentage at even strength has been in the green throughout his career. O’Reilly has been on some bad teams, so maybe that’s why he doesn’t get the respect he should be getting.

22. Nathan MacKinnon

Nathan MacKinnon, the first overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, and recipient of the Calder Memorial Trophy for 2014, comes in at number 22 on this list. Currently in the struggling Colorado Avalanche organization, he still deserves a spot on this list because of what he brings to the table on offense.

He continues to be a major force for Colorado providing offense in the form of goals and assists. MacKinnon led the Avalanche in points (53) and assists (37) last season while finishing in the top five on the team in goals (16). Of the players to skate in at least 60 games last season for Colorado, only John Mitchell had a better plus-minus rating than him.

The youngest player to ever receive the Calder Memorial Trophy, and the third player in NHL history to record seven points in his first two playoff games, MacKinnon is something special. He’s a player that the Avalanche organization is looking to build their team around. Once Matt Duchene inevitably gets traded, MacKinnon will be the man moving forward. Even after a rough season, it’s important to look at the context. The Avalanche were terrible last season and no single player would have changed that. MacKinnon is a building block, or at least Colorado is hoping that this is the case.

21. Mikko Koivu

Another underrated Minnesota Wild center, Koivu gets a lot of his reputation thanks to his outstanding defense. He’s consistently in the running for the Selke Trophy and on a team that at times struggles to generate consistent offense, is a consistent driver.

Koivu put up 58 points last season, his highest total since the 2010-11 season. Despite unfavorable deployment that resulted in under 40 percent offensive zone starts, he still ended the season with a positive even strength relative Corsi For percentage. Koivu is among the most impactful centers in the NHL defensively, suppressing shot attempts and eating up very tough minutes.

Because it’s hard to evaluate centers on defense, guys like Koivu are underrated. But when you watch him play, he makes a ton of smart plays and it’s surprising to see him make a bad play. Koivu’s offense is still above average, but it’s closer to second line caliber than first line caliber. However, his defense is far above average. And considering Koivu’s defensive deployment, he gets a pass for the less than stellar offense.

Defense is underrated, so it’s great to see a guy like him get rewarded. With so many young centers on the brink of this list, this might well be his last year on it.

20. Alexander Wennberg

The Columbus Blue Jackets lost franchise center Ryan Johansen (more on him later) to the Nashville Predators in the Seth Jones trade. However, it turns out Alexander Wennberg has replaced him. After a breakout season in 2016-17, the young center should be a huge cornerstone of the Blue Jackets offense. In his first season averaging over 16 minutes per game, Wennberg put up 59 points (13 goals and 46 points).

He should be a direct beneficiary of the Artemi Panarin for Brandon Saad trade. The former Chicago Blackhawks wing will likely get playing time with Wennberg and Cam Atkinson. So expect the Blue Jackets’ top center to increase his point totals in the 2017-18 season.

Wennberg has had impressive possession numbers throughout his career. As the Blue Jackets continue to improve their forward depth, he should get even more optimal deployment. Wennberg is far from a liability defensively, but his skill set is clearly tilted towards offense.

He’s a driving force of the Blue Jackets’ power play. Wennberg’s 23 power play points led Columbus. So did his 21 power play assists. He will start the 2017-18 season at 23 years old. His sky high potential and outstanding breakout season is enough to warrant a top 20 spot on this list of best centers.

19. Ryan Johansen

The Nashville Predators gave up a lot to pry Ryan Johansen loose from the Columbus Blue Jackets. They gave up a very promising young defenseman in Seth Jones. For a team that has never really had a true number one center, it was a worthwhile gamble. So far, Johansen has been doing everything in his power to make the Predators look smart.

In 124 games with Nashville, he has 95 points, including 22 goals and 73 assists, in 124 regular season games. Johansen has added seven goals and 21 points in 28 postseason games, including 13 in 14 in 2016-17. Losing him due to injury definitely hurt the Predators chances of beating the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Last season, Johansen and his two wings formed one of the most deadly forward lines in the NHL. They steamrolled over tough competition and put up impressive point totals. Johansen had 61 points in 82 games.

The one major criticism about his game is that he’s not much of a goal scorer. However, Johansen makes up for it with stellar defensive play and impressive play making. He needs to be more aggressive with his shot because he has a very good shot. Johansen is also one of the better face-off men in the NHL, winning 54.6 percent of his draws last season.

18. Evgeny Kuznetsov

The Washington Capitals have something special on their hands with Evgeny Kuznetsov. He can make magical things happen, even if his goal scoring hasn’t been as great as expected. Kuznetsov can drive possession and he can make his line mates better.

Sure, he has unquestionably benefitted from getting playing time with Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie. But it’s worth noting those two did better with him in 2015-16 than with Nicklas Backstrom. Granted, it was a relatively small sample size, but that’s still impresive.

Kuznetsov got off to a rough start in the 2016-17 season, perhaps due to an injury. However, he took over starting in December and finished last season with 59 points, including 19 goals. Considering Kuznetsov had just eight points in his first 21 games, that’s outstanding.

Going into 2017-18, he has to work on being more consistent. Kuznetsov did very well in the last six months of the regular season and postseason. However, he has to make sure he doesn’t disappear for two months like he did in October and November. Kuznetsov has the talent necessary to be a top 15 center and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him rise on this list. As his overall game improves, so should his ranking on this list.

17. Jeff Carter

Jeff Carter of the Los Angeles Kings lands a spot on this list at number 17. While his best season points wise may have been with the Philadelphia Flyers, he has something really special going on in with the Kings.

Carter is under a lot of pressure to score, thanks to the Kings top heavy approach to their forward groups. Still, he produces at a pretty consistent rate. Last season, Carter scored 32 goals, his highest goal total since the 2010-11 season. Also, his 66 points were tied for the second highest of his career, trailing only his 84 points in 2008-09.

However, there are some legitimate concerns with Carter’s game. While he is an impressive goal scorer, he isn’t the playmaker that most centers are. But to be fair, goals are more valuable than assists. Still, Carter has to be better at passing. Maybe getting some better line mates would help with this.

While his possession stats aren’t outstanding, it’s worth noting the Kings are an excellent possession team. So Carter’s negative relative CorsiFor percentage at even strength should be taken with a grain of salt. He never seemed to be a perfect fit in Darryl Sutter‘s defensive system. However, Carter should thrive in a more mobile system, which is what new head coach John Stevens is hoping to implement.

16. Jonathan Toews

The skill of Jonathan Toews isn’t in the numbers, but it’s in the success that he has brought the Chicago Blackhawks. Three Stanley Cup victories is all takes to put this guy on a very high pedestal. As a leader, and as a play creator, Toews is certainly one of the best in the NHL. He’s also one of the NHL”s top two-way centers, taking on top competition and dominating it.

Toews has posted at least 50 points in each full season. Even during the 2012-13 lockout shortened season, he put up 48 points in 47 games. Toews has also posted at least 20 goals in every season, including 2012-13. Also, the lowest plus-minus rating of his career? Last season’s +7.

His speed to the net is something to behold. Toews’ creative puck movement keeps things rolling for Chicago’s offense. Toews is the backbone of Chicago’s success. His numbers may not be legendary, but he finds other ways to bring out the best in his team. And that itself is legendary.

Toews isn’t as productive as the other centers on this list, but his overall game warrants a top 16 spot. And it’s hard to argue with his postseason stats and resume, even after two consecutive first round exits.

14. Anze Kopitar

Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings had a terrible season by his lofty standards last season. His 52 points are his career worst. Also, last season was the first time in a full season he didn’t put up at least 60 points. Still, Kopitar has earned a long enough leash that he shouldn’t be negatively judged based on one season. A season, mind you, that a lot of centers would call a career season.

He’s one of the most consistently productive two-way centers in the NHL. Kopitar has won a Selke Trophy and a Lady Byng Award. He has finished in the top four in Selke Trophy voting four times. So far in his career, Kopitar has 736 points in 840 games. He put up a ton of points in an offense that simply wasn’t that good.

Kopitar also has a very impressive postseason resume. He has 64 points in 75 postseason games, helping the Kings win two Stanley Cups. Kopitar put up 46 points in 46 games during those two title runs. Both times, he led the postseason in assists and points. Kopitar might have had a rough first season as the Kings captain, but hopefully the coaching changes will help him. Sutter’s system has probably taken a toll on his body.

13. Steven Stamkos

He’s the one and only Steven Stamkos. His name strikes fear in his opponents just knowing he will be facing them in their next game. In his last full season, he didn’t manage to lead the NHL in anything. However, he was eighth in scoring. Among centers, however, that’s a different story.

Among centers, he was third in scoring, first in powerplay goals (fifth in the NHL overall), and was seventh in game-winning goals. He wasn’t his usual NHL dominating self last season, but he’ll hopefully be healthy this year, and we can expect him to be back to dominance.

Three years in a row, Stamkos had put up 90 points or higher. After his injury in 2013-2014, breaking his tibia, Stamkos’ numbers had changed. But his influence and effect on the Tampa Bay Lightning haven’t. Stamkos’ health is a legitimate question. He’s had two very serious injuries over the past two seasons. In both cases, those injuries might come back to haunt Stamkos long-term.

Still, given his overall talent and elite scoring ability, it’s safe to say when he’s on the ice, he’s one of the most dangerous players in the NHL. With a strong season, Stamkos will be right back in the top 10 where he belongs.

12. Aleksander Barkov

From the packed 2013 NHL Draft, Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers is another young player featured on this list. His penalty killing and power play is key to his being here. In 2015-16, Barkov spent on average 1:47 on the ice during shorthanded moments. That was the 50th most among centers. In 2016-17, this shrunk to 1:16 per game, but still put him in the top 75 among centers. Barkov ranked 23rd in power play time, averaging 2:54 per game.

Averaging 19:24 of ice time per game, he ranked 16th in the NHL in overall ice time per game among centers. At 48 seconds, Barkov also had a very high average shift length. And with that time on ice, he did a lot of good things. Barkov’s 0.85 points per game put him just outside the top 10 among centers who played at least 40 games.

He’s quickly turning into an all-around excellent center. The Panthers rely on him a lot and they suffered without Barkov in the lineup last season. If he stays healthy this season, Florida should be in the playoff hunt. The Panthers have several needs to address, but they don’t need to worry about getting a franchise center because they already have one. And his name is Barkov.

11. Leon Draisaitl

The Edmonton Oilers have two top 11 centers (more on the second a bit later). Leon Draisaitl is a bit of an enigma, as he plays both center and wing. NHL Network classifies him as a wing, but considering how many face-offs he took last season, we’ll call him a center. The difference between Draisaitl and Jack Eichel is minimal. They’re very similar players and they both possess elite skill. But the latter got the nod and (spoilers) is the 10th best center.

One reason Eichel gets the nod is he does a ton of damage despite not having a good team around him. Draisaitl has an excellent team around him. And it’s worth noting he did most of his damage with Connor McDavid as his center. Draisaitl’s production took a huge nosedive in the regular season when he didn’t play next to 97. And though he dominated scoring wise in the postseason, his possession stats were terrible.

Draisaitl appears to be ready to take on a number two center role for the Oilers. We’ll have to see how long the experiment lasts. But Draisaitl appears to have all the physical tools you like to see in a number one center. He just hasn’t proven he can drive a line by himself consistently. Eichel (and every center above him on this list) have proven they can.

10. Jack Eichel

Jack Eichel has only played in two seasons for the Buffalo Sabres. However, every thing he has done so far suggests he’s a franchise center. And Eichel has been doing this on an otherwise unimpressively mediocre team. Despite not getting ideal line mates and getting baptism by fire in his first two seasons, he’s put up amazing numbers.

A season after posting a rookie season total of 56 points in 82 games, Eichel missed 21 games last season thanks to a high ankle sprain suffered in training camp. Despite that, he still posted a career high with 57 points and 33 assists. Eichel also tied his rookie season total with 24 goals. His 0.93 points per game put him eight in the NHL among all centers and 11th overall.

Eichel hasn’t shown the leadership that the guys above him have. However, his maturity is still very impressive. Eichel hates losing and he has to find a way to channel that into positive energy. Dealing with the daily soap opera the Sabres have had in his first two seasons certainly didn’t do him any favors.

Jack does just about everything for Buffalo. However, his greatest strength has been his power play production. Eichel’s a huge reason the Sabres had one of the NHL’s most efficient power plays last season.

9. Ryan Getzlaf

What is there to say about the legendary Ryan Getzlaf? How about he was top ten in points among centers between 2012-2015? Or how about he was second in assists in 2015-16? The Anaheim Ducks captain might be on the wrong side of 30 years old, but Getzlaf is still one of the 10 best centers in the NHL.

Getzlaf’s overall game doesn’t get much attention because of how good he is on offense. However, he is a true number one center, in that he plays a 200 foot game and plays during all situations. Getzlaf averaged 21:04 of ice time a game last season. Only three centers spent more time on ice per game than him. Getzlaf finished 10th among centers in average power play time on ice per game, with 3:04.

He’s one of those guys that never seems to age. Getzlaf’s high hockey IQ and terrific strength have allowed him to remain productive despite losing a bit of an edge speed wise. He’s consistently productive in the postseason as well. Among centers last season, Getzlaf’s 58 assists were the third most. Only Nicklas Backstrom and Connor McDavid had more. He also placed in the top 10 in points with 73. Getzlaf is a huge reason why the Ducks are annually Stanley Cup contenders and Ducks fans should treasure every darn moment he’s on the ice.

8. Auston Matthews

Auston Matthews had an extremely impressive rookie season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was a huge reason they were able to surprise everyone by making the postseason. And despite facing the President’s Trophy winning Washington Capitals, Matthews was arguably the Leafs best player in the series, posting four goals and an assist in six games.

However, let’s pump the brakes a bit on him being a top five center in the NHL. Matthews has to prove last season wasn’t a fluke. Though to be fair, it would be very surprising if it wasn’t. Matthews centered a line featuring fellow young forward William Nylander and grinder Zach Hyman. He was the driving force of the line, and posted 40 goals. Anytime you can do that with someone like Hyman on your line, you’re a great player.

Maple Leafs fan have every reason to be mad Matthews isn’t ranked higher. However, this list values consistency and longevity. Don’t be upset, though, Toronto fans. Matthews will probably be top five by the end of this season. He’s an elite shooter and plays extremely well around the crease. Goal scoring is hard to do, but Matthews has a skill set that’s a pretty good recipe for success.

7. Patrice Bergeron

Let me start off by admitting as someone from Baltimore, I look for every excuse to hate on Boston. Hating that city of chowder eaters is an American tradition. And gosh darn it, Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins is impossible to hate.

He’s one of the most consistently productive centers in the NHL. Bergeron has seven straight 50 point seasons (excluding the lockout shortened 2012-13 season). Since 2010-11, he has posted at least 20 goals each season. And with a career plus-minus rating of +134, Bergeron is nothing short of elite defensively.

He also dominates in the faceoff circle winning over 50 percent of his draws. Giving his team an edge at the start of the game and in crucial situations is enough to put Bergeron on this list. But let’s touch on his defense.

Bergeron is consistently one of the most impactful defensive forwards in the NHL. He has four Selke Trophies, which ties him with Montreal Canadiens legend Bob Gainey for the most ever. And Bergeron probably should have more than four as well. So there’s a strong argument he’s the best defensive center of all-time. Offense isn’t everything for a center. Defense matters a lot. And nobody comes close to Bergeron defensively.

6. Tyler Seguin

In Tyler Seguin‘s first season with the Dallas Stars, he put up 84 points and 37 goals. He was second among centers scoring in 2013-2014, as well as being fourth in points among centers. Since then, Seguin has remained extremely productive, driving the Stars to success.

He’s consistently among the highest scoring centers in the league, and last season didn’t shy away from doing it again. He was seventh among centers in points with 72, and tied for 17th in goals with 26.

Seguin’s one of the fastest guys on the ice, and despite some injury woes in the past, another full season of fitness will enable him to continue to put up more big numbers. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, he ranks fourth among centers in goals (178). Seguin’s 405 points tie him with Backstrom for fifth among centers during that time span as well.

Even though the Stars had an off year last season, Tyler sure didn’t. And with a more talented cast around him, he should be back to being an elite scoring center. He has averaged just under a point per game since the start of the 2011-12 season. In today’s game, that’s very rare. Expect Seguin to have a huge season, especially if he gets regular playing time with Alexander Radulov.

5. John Tavares

If John Tavares hits the free agent market after this season, the New York Islanders captain might be the most sought after free agent of all-time. And rightfully so, as he’s one of the elite centers of the NHL. Tavares has six straight seasons (excluding 2012-13) of at least 60 points. Moreover, he’s gotten serious Hart Trophy consideration in 2014-15 and 2015-16 by leading the Islanders to the postseason.

Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Tavares has averaged just under a point per game, with 416 points in 426 games. This puts him sixth among centers. Tavares’ 134 power play points is also sixth among centers during the same time span. He has averaged 20:34 of ice time as well, which puts him third among centers.

Tavares finished eighth in time on ice per game last season with 20:25. Though he had a down year (by his incredibly lofty standards) with 66 points, that was still good for 12th in the NHL. Tavares has had far from ideal line mates, which further proves how excellent he is.

This season could be a great one for the Islanders captain. Tavares will be playing with his 2008 World Juniors buddy Jordan Eberle. The two were dominant together, which bodes well for the Islanders this season.

4. Nicklas Backstrom

Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals have been remarkably consistent. Despite his production, he was very underrated until the past few seasons, when he emerged as the Caps best player. Backstrom’s calling card is his power play production, as he paced the NHL with 35 power play points in 2016-17. He also finished with 86 overall points, third in the league behind only Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. Only the latter had more assists than Backstrom’s 63.

However, he’s also an outstanding defensive center. The emergence of Kuznetsov has made his job a bit easier, but Backstrom still consistently goes against his opponent’s toughest lines and pairings. In fact, teams usually try to keep their best players away from his line, which tells you how much they respect him.

Backstrom is also one of the NHL’s top performers in the face-off circle. He’s an overall amazing center and is averaging almost a point per game for his career. In today’s era, that’s very impressive.

Whether it’s fair or not, Backstrom hasn’t gotten as much attention as he deserves because of his team’s playoff failures. That’s the society we live in today. But it doesn’t change that if the Capitals wanted to trade Backstrom, there’d be approximately 30 teams interested in him.

3. Evgeni Malkin

You can play Evgeni Malkin as little as you want, and he’ll still lead the NHL in something. His health is a legitimate issue. However, Malkin is also unquestionably dominant whenever he’s on the ice. He’s been a huge reason for the Pittsburgh Penguins recent success, putting up 46 points in 48 postseason games during the Pens’ two consecutive Stanley Cup runs.

Over the years, Malkin has been a model of consistency and domination. Without him, the Pittsburgh Penguins would not have three Stanley Cups. If he didn’t get hurt as often as he did, his numbers may be on par with Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, or better. Malkin is averaging 1.18 points per game, which is second among all active players. Of course, Sid the Kid is number one in that regard.

But even without playing a full season since 2008, Malkin is king of the ice when he’s on it. He’s truly a legend when he’s playing. A full season would be nice, though. Malkin also plays with a bit of an edge, not afraid to mix things up when needed. He impressively led the NHL in points AND penalty minutes during the 2016-17 postseason. Malkin might not be quite as good as Crosby, but he’s darn close. And that’s saying something.

2. Connor McDavid

The second youngest and most inexperienced center on this list, yet the most exciting with the brightest future. If you haven’t jumped on the Connor McDavid bandwagon, you better do it now. However, it might be too late already, as he won the Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, and Lester B. Pearson Trophy in his sophomore season.

With McDavid on the ice, the Edmonton Oilers were extremely dominant. He makes everyone he plays with much better. McDavid possesses generational speed and playmaking abilities. He’s not an excellent goal scorer, but thanks to his great vision and blinding speed, he’s still a very good one.

At his age, he’s playing like he’s been in the league for ten years. McDavid is only going to get better from here on out. That should be frightening to every other NHL team. McDavid is the clear heir apparent to Crosby’s throne as the best player in the world. However, number 87 isn’t ready to relinquish the throne yet. But McDavid is very close to doing so, and could easily be on top of this list a year from now.

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Rightfully, Connor set a record with his recent extension. He’ll be getting over $10 million a year , and he’s worth every penny of that.

1. Sidney Crosby

Who knows how much longer Sidney Crosby will hang onto the title of “best player in the world”. McDavid could wrestle it away from him as soon as this season. But even after number 97’s incredible sophomore season, Crosby’s still the man at the top. Despite suffering numerous injuries, including no fewer than four concussions, his numbers place him among the all-time greats.

Crosby’s best known for his offense. And rightfully so, as his career regular season points per game average is over one. However, this probably causes people to underrate his overall 200 foot game. Crosby is extremely good defensively as well. He’s like having a third defenseman on the ice.

What makes Crosby so excellent is he’s always seeking ways to improve. He’s incredibly smart and can pick up on any shortcomings he has very quickly. And Crosby makes it a point to work relentlessly until it’s no longer a weakness.

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He’s coming off captaining two consecutive Stanley Cup championship teams. Crosby won the Conn Smythe in each of the two seasons, leading his team impressively in 2016-17 even without star defenseman Kris Letang.