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Creating the ultimate NHL All-Decade team for the 2010s

By Dave Stevenson

NHL (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NHLI via Getty Images)
NHL (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images /

Centers

It was very hard to name just four centers to the all-decade team. I can see why Team Canada loves having so many centers on their roster. It’s the deepest forward position in the NHL, and it’s not particularly close.

Sidney Crosby

This one was easy. Sidney Crosby is the best center of the decade. He won numerous awards, including two Stanley Cups, a Hart Trophy, two Conn Smythes, two Rocket Richards, two Ted Lindsay Awards, and an Art Ross Trophy. His 105.3 point shares are the most among centers. Furthermore, Crosby made it to at least the second team All-Star roster in seven of 10 seasons.

Evgeni Malkin

Evgeni Malkin has been overshadowed by Crosby for his entire career. But not on this list. He’s one of the four eligible centers who averaged over a point per game for the entire decade. Malkin has a Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award, as well as two Stanley Cups.

Steven Stamkos

No center has scored more goals since the 2009-10 season than Steven Stamkos (370). The next closest center is John Tavares with 312. He finished second among all forwards in goals during the decade, trailing only Alex Ovechkin. Stamkos led the league in goals in 2009-10 and 2011-12.

Much like Malkin, he averaged over a point per game for the decade. The lone blemish on Stamkos’ resume is a lack of postseason success, but his regular-season accomplishments are impossible to ignore.

Patrice Bergeron

Patrice Bergeron’s greatness isn’t hard to quantify. He has won four Selke Trophies, which ties him with Bob Gainey for the most in NHL history. Bergeron’s value is off the charts. Among all forwards, only Stamkos, Crosby, and Ovechkin have a higher WAR over the last 10 seasons than him.

Connor McDavid

Connor McDavid has only played in four seasons, but his resume is already impressive enough to make it impossible to not call him one of the best centers of the decade. McDavid has won a Hart Trophy, two Ted Lindsay Awards, and two Art Ross Trophies. In four seasons, he’s already made it to three first-team All-Star rosters. McDavid barely qualifies, as this will be his fifth season. But for slightly less than half a decade, he’s been elite.

Honorable Mentions

  • Anze Kopitar
  • Jonathan Toews
  • Nicklas Backstrom
  • Ryan Getzlaf
  • Joe Thornton
  • John Tavares
  • Claude Giroux
  • Joe Pavelski
  • Henrik Sedin
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