The Ducks are in a playoff spot as the third place team in the Pacific Division. That season saw Pastrnak finish as the Bruins' leading scorer with a career-high 48 goals and 95 points in 70 games. From 2018-19 to the 2020-21 season, among players who played at least 1,000 minutes at 5-on-5, Vrna is third in the NHL in goals/60 only behind Auston Matthews and Brendan Gallagher, and is 13th . Hockey-Reference.com Blog and Articles; We're Social.for Statheads. That has changed in a big way in 2022-23, as he already has a career-high 34 goals in just 54 games split between the Vancouver Canucks and New York Islanders. This list is a collaborative effort by Pete Jensen and Anna Dua. The rise of the Colorado Avalanche from a wild-card club in 2017-18 into a Presidents' Trophy winner last season was powered by their first line of left wing Gabriel Landeskog, center Nathan MacKinnon and right wing Mikko Rantanen. While not surprising, he is quickly showing that last seasons Stanley Cup Championship doesnt have him satisfied, as he is right back to dominating again in 2022-23. I'm not sure the Blackhawks are interested in moving him or that they would get adequate return for him. Hes well above replacement level offensively but also holds his own defensively at even strength. Compher -- Valeri Nichushkin, TBL L2: Nicholas Paul / Alex Killorn -- Steven Stamkos / Anthony Cirelli -- Ross Colton / Brandon Hagel, NYI L1: Anders Lee -- Brock Nelson -- Anthony Beauvillier, CAR L2: Max Domi -- Vincent Trocheck -- Teuvo Teravainen, FLA L3: Mason Marchment -- Anton Lundell -- Sam Reinhart, STL L3: Ivan Barbashev -- Brayden Schenn -- Jordan Kyrou. Bonino has quietly earned a reputation as one of the better 3rd-line centers in the NHL. His style of play sometimes takes a toll on his own body, as he's currently sidelined by a lower-body injury. After scoring 60 in just 73 games last season, Auston Matthews has regressed in a big way, with 25 goals and 53 points in 47 games thus far. Anze Kopitar, C, LAK31. Mikko Rantanen, C/RW, COL6. His 107 points in the postseason since 2011-12 lead the NHL. Choosing to put Jack Hughes ahead of Thompson wasnt an easy decision, as both have been incredible in 2022-23. He is able to play a physical game while also being a good enough skater to not get caught out of position.Winnipeg Jets center Adam Lowry (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers). If they sign someone like Bozak or Bonino as a stop-gap until a prospect is ready, they should be in good shape. Here are the best available options for teams looking to upgrade ahead of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. Manage Settings He set NHL career highs in power-play goals (11), points (27) and rating (plus-5), and he was tied for third in the NHL with nine game-winning goals. Bergeron is one of the greatest two-way players in NHL history. The Boston Bruins have been the best team in the NHL this season, but that doesn't mean they're perfect. Tavares scored at least 60 points for the ninth time in 10 full NHL seasons and won 55.3 percent of his face-offs, the sixth straight season he won at least 50 percent. Lindholm, 27, is right behind Gaudreau this season with 27 points. March 1, 2023 - 9:51 pm. A few thoughts before we dive in: Jason Dickinson has had a really good season for the Blackhawks but he's banged up right now. Despite missing 37 games with an injury as a rookie in 2015-16, McDavid ranks first in the NHL in points over his five seasons in the League with 469 (162 goals, 307 assists), four more than Kane in 46 fewer games. Kopitar took the fourth-most face-offs in the League (1,407), won the fourth most (776), and was tied for 10th with Boone Jenner of the Columbus Blue Jackets in face-off winning percentage at 55.2 percent (minimum 750 taken). Bunting is the least known of the trio but could soon garner more attention as the season progresses. That point total is second on his team, trailing only Mikko Rantanen who has suited up for 11 more games. Enter Search Term. Though Jost's point-production dipped slightly, 2021 was a breakout campaign for him in every other sense. Connor McDavid, C, EDM2. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. NHL 2023. ", Video: MacKinnon places 2nd on the top 20 center list. Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. 1 guy for New York. He is turning the puck over plenty and has had many questionable plays in his own end of the ice in which some have deemed lazy. Since his debut in 2015-16, he leads all skaters with 621 points. Of his nine points, just two are goals, with one occurring shorthanded.Minnesota Wild center Charlie Coyle (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports). The 24-year-old center sits third among all skaters this season with 20 goals in 27 games. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. NHL 2023. 2021 Seattle Expansion Draft Simulator. Oct. 19, 2020 at 3:19 p.m. #3. nickthehabsfan. TBL L1: Ondrej Palat -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov (-5), 10. Fantasy Hockey Staff, Stanley Cup Final | Avalanche vs. CAR L1: Andrei Svechnikov -- Sebastian Aho -- Seth Jarvis (SAME), 7. "We know the offensive game is there despite the crazy-weird curve on his stick, but it's all the other stuff that he does beyond point production that makes him so valuable. Aleksander Barkov, C, FLA 7. Related: Predicting the Devils Expansion Draft Protection List. "He does everything you expect him to do exactly as you expect him to do it. )Tyler Seguin, C/RW, DALNick Schmaltz, C/RW, ARIRyan Johansen, C, NSHAlex Newhook, C/LW, COLRoss Colton, C/LW, TBLDylan Strome, C/RW, WSHChandler Stephenson, C/RW, VGKYegor Sharangovich, C/LW, NJDLogan Couture, C, SJSHendrix Lapierre, C, WSH (rookie)Phillip Danault, C, LAKPavel Zacha, C/LW, BOSJack Roslovic, C, CBJMarco Rossi, C, MIN (rookie)Shane Wright, C, SEA (rookie)Connor McMichael, C/LW, WSHJesperi Kotkaniemi, C/LW, CAR, Nicklas Backstrom, C, WSHSean Couturier, C, PHI. He is winning over 50 percent of his faceoffs, has a plus-nine turnover margin, and an even penalty differential. He finished the season with nine goals and 15 points in 52 games a 14-goal, 23-point pace over 82 games. After a few somewhat disappointing seasons from him from an offensive standpoint, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point is right back to being a force in both the goal-scoring and playmaking departments once again. He also added six goals and 17 points in nine QMJHL playoff games. STL L1: Brandon Saad -- Ryan O'Reilly -- David Perron (+3), 19. Level of production, consistency, time together as linemates and talent depth factored into this compilation. Stamkos has scored 54 points (24 goals, 30 assists) in 71 NHL playoff games. Years left: 1. Thats more than a reasonable contract, given his production and play at even strength. Tomas Hertl, C, SJS46. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'thehockeywriters_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_1',823,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thehockeywriters_com-medrectangle-3-0');Third-line centers are asked to play some of the most difficult minutes on a roster, often receiving the worst zone starts while matching up against prolific scoring lines. Scheifele has been one of the most consistent centers in the NHL during the past five seasons. Despite three years of ups-and-downs involving two coaching changes and missing the playoffs last season, the Calgary Flames have relied on wingers Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk to power their offense. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. Hockey-Reference utilizes Official NHL data for current NHL seasons. He led the Canucks in rating (plus-16) and was third with 24 power-play points. But his play fell off dramatically after a 59-point season in 2016-17 as a 22-year-old. His strong all-around play makes him an invaluable part of this line. In those games, hes been pretty good, with two goals and one assist, all coming on the powerplay. "He was on a great run and he has been now for a couple of years," Johnson said. Those scoring numbers aren't as high as others on this list,. Had he not suffered an upper-body injury that forced him to miss time earlier in the season, Nathan MacKinnon may have found himself in the No. He has scored at least 34 goals in each of his first four NHL seasons, and his 158 goals since 2016-17 are second in the League behind Ovechkin's 181. He was voted winner of the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 2017-18, when he scored 85 points (22 goals, 63 assists) in 82 games. The 28-year-old Gaudreau has been their top producer for years, leading all Flames in total points since his 2014-15 rookie season with 523. Dylan Larkin, C, DET29. I looked at turnover and penalty differentials to see who were safest with the puck and didnt negatively impact their teams. A right shot defensive prospect in Kemp. I dont entirely agree with all the heat Koskinen gets. Led by Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider and rising star Lucas Raymond they have one of the best collections of young talent in the league with significant skill at all positions. A gritty, two-way winger with a decent scoring touch, he has two 21-goal campaigns. The trio of Zach Parise, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Oliver Wahlstrom could be one of the NHL's best third lines. Video: Scheifele places 12th on the top 20 centers list. Together since 2017-18, the trio of center Patrice Bergeron flanked by left winger Brad Marchand and right wing David Pastrnak has carried the bulk of their club's scoring. Zibanejad had the only five-goal game in the NHL last season (March 5 against the Washington Capitals) and led the NHL in goals per game (0.72; 41 in 57). One of this season's longest-serving lines belongs to the Boston Bruins. Brayden Schenn, C/LW, STL45. Josh Norris, C, OTT25. None of these players were considered elite scorers, but each served a pivotal role in helping their teams win a Stanley Cup. A big reason for this is the chemistry he has created with Brandon Tanev and Andrew Copp this line has a 61 percent Corsi while receiving a majority of their zone starts in the defensive zone. EDM L1: Evander Kane -- Connor McDavid -- Jesse Puljujarvi (+4), 6. Claude Giroux, C/RW, OTT27. He finished with Corsi and expected goals percentages below 50 percent and was just about replacement level at even strength. Maltsev finished the season with a GAR of 1.5 and had a Corsi percentage of 51.8 percent, though his expected goals percentage was 46.8 percent. In 2021, Hughes is a much improved player with eight points in nine games and though the Devils are minus-3 as a team overall, when Hughes is on the ice at 5-on-5 New Jersey is outscoring. He had a combined GAR of 12 and positive two-way value at even strength in his previous two seasons. Once Smith came back his numbers went back up. "They didn't just find someone, they found one of the best players in the world. He has more than enough offensive upside to play a 3rd-line, middle-six center role too. Danault is a top 25 centre in the NHL Hes not gonna be the 3rde line center on Pittsburgh. "You look at the physical tools of course, the speed and the strength, and the way that he's able to combine that with the hands and the vision to become one of the best offensive players," Johnson said. Berglunds 23 goals in 2016-17 were second-highest on the Blues, and 19 of them occurred at even strength. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Even at 35 years old, Stastny continues to thrive as a middle-six or 3rd-line center. Fantasy Hockey Staff, Stanley Cup Final | Avalanche vs. Leon Draisaitl His skill set seems better tailored at center than on the wing, so if he can find that next level, the spot could be his for the taking when training camp begins in September. His production has been consistent, but hes been a much more valuable player than his point totals indicate. Had this list been compiled last season, he would have been ranked higher, but a slow start this season limits him. He is great at creating space for himself, has good hands in tight spaces, isnt afraid to go to the net, and can win faceoffs. Regardless of McDavid's wingers, the Oilers' first line will always be among the league's best as long as he's centering it. Rantanen has emerged from MacKinnon's shadow as a star in his own right. This isn't surprising at all, as the nobody on Edmonton has been able to cement themselves in the role. An unrestricted free agent next season, his future in Calgary remains uncertain, but it's not affecting his performance. Updated hourly, with analysis, commentary and features from hundreds writers worldwide, our articles are read over 5 million times every month. Lightning. He doesnt have the same kind of two-way prowess as Bonino, but hes had a positive impact on offense and defense at even strength:EV & PP RAPM Type (per 60), Standardized, 18-21 (via Evolving-Hockey). Those scoring numbers arent as high as others on this list, but Lowry is tasked with playing a defensive game this season and is thriving in that role. Best Attributes: 95 Stick Checking, 95 Defensive Awareness, 92 Offensive Awareness Stalwart Patrice Bergeron maintains his reign as faceoff king in NHL 22, reflecting his real-life statistics. He's also second in total points (206) since joining the Flames in 2018-19. He projects to land a 2-year deal at a cap hit of $2.552 million. 1. PIT L1: Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust (-7), 13. The second wild card for the Devils is Boqvist. League Champion: Tampa Bay Lightning. ", Video: Bergeron places 7th on the top 20 centers list. His speed and puck pressure were immediately obvious, but his offensive game appeared well suited for the Pittsburgh Penguins fourth line.. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Nick Bonino is likely one of the first names that comes to mind in any discussion of third-line centers. A finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 10 consecutive seasons since 2011-12, the 36-year-old Bruins captain won it four times. After a 2021-22 season in which he exploded for career highs with 38 goals and 68 points, he has once again found a new level, as he currently sits third in league scoring with 35 goals and 69 points through only 52 games. To understand Boninos full value, it must be recognized that he is Nashvilles most defensively-responsible center, and that counting stats dont tell the full story. Marner tends to shuffle between Matthews line and the second line alongside John Tavares. At that price, he could serve as a stop-gap until one of the Devils young centers other than Hischier or Hughes is ready to serve as a full-time 3rd-line center. Not a top-line center anymore, but if he is . Any contract above three years would be too much term for the Devils, but signing him for two to three years at a cap hit of $3 to 4 million could make sense. THE TOP 30: Realistic Trade Candidates, Ranked by Potential Impact. Instead, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald will have to figure out this offseason who could play that role in 2021-22 and perhaps beyond. He's rebounded well this season, sitting second in team scoring with 30 points in 28 games before being sidelined by COVID-19 again. Wennberg shot an unsustainable 20.7 percent this season, but he still played well. For the first time since 2014, NHL players will be returning to the Olympics. But as with McLeod, the question is, does Maltsev have enough upside to play higher up the lineup? Stephenson, 27, is the least heralded of this group, growing into the first-line center position since last season. Advanced stats and contract projections fromEvolving-Hockey. J.T. He's also in the league's COVID protocol but sits third among Hurricanes scorers with nine goals and 21 points. In 2018-19, Stamkos scored 45 goals and an NHL career-high 98 points, ninth in the NHL. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. best third line centers in nhl 2021. Trevor Zegras, C, ANA (INJ.)36. 1. Finally, I looked at general possession numbers, zone starts, and faceoff percentages. Forward positions indicate eligibility in Yahoo Fantasy leagues for this season. After all, his 79 points are second in league scoring. I moved him for the haters solely for the cap space. Visit ESPN to view 2022-23 NHL stat leaders. Mercer is one of two wild cards for the Devils in figuring out this position. Nick Suzuki, C, MTL48. With his current rate, Crosby is on pace to hit the 100-point mark for the first time since the 2018-19 season. NHL Power Rankings: Looking at top 2021 unrestricted free agents: We take a look at the top unrestricted free agents for the 2020-21 offseason. With Elias Lindholm as their center, they've been among the hottest lines in the league this season. Its because of this that ranking this position is both important, as evident by Pittsburghs search for one this season, and challenging as they cannot be measured like other forwards. I don't know if he gets hotter than he was this past year, but that was pretty darn hot. Get a complete list of current starters and backup players from your favorite team and league on CBSSports.com. Winnipeg Jets center Adam Lowry ( Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) In 21 games, he has four goals and six points, all at even strength. Travis Zajac isno longer with the team, and that once figured to be Pavel Zachas spot to lose when Zajacs time in New Jersey came to an end. While he remains a streaky scorer, the 23-year-old right winger is already on track for his best season yet with 23 points in 28 games. 3rd line center. MacKinnon ranks third in the NHL over the past three seasons with 289 points (115 goals, 174 assists), behind McDavid (321) and Kucherov (313).