Canadiens Captain Makes NHL Top 20 Centers Now Ranking But Lands Lower Than Expected
Who are the nine centers that are deemed better than Suzuki? Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Macklin Celebrini, Leon Draisaitl, Aleksander Barkov, Jack Eichel, Sidney Crosby, and Auston Matthews. It’s hard to argue with the top four; McDavid, MacKinnon, Celebrini, and Draisaitl are in a special class, offensively speaking. However, Barkov didn’t play last season, so he gets fifth place solely based on his body of work before he suffered that season-ending knee injury. Unlike the top four, Barkov isn’t all about points; he has three Frank J. Selke trophies (2021, 2024, and 2025) to his name and is an absolute pain to play against, given how much he excels defensively. He also captained the Florida Panthers to two Stanley Cups, and that probably weighs in the balance.
