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It’s the off-season, which for us fans of the NHL Network means one thing: list shows. No highlights? No problem.
They’re on the Top 20 Centers Right Now, which will then segue into looks at the top 20 in every other position. No word on whether this format will also transfer over to mascots, but I really do think they’re missing a golden opportunity by not producing that show (even though we all know who number one is). Here’s their top twenty:
For those of you who don’t want to squint to see who every player is, this is the list. You might notice a familiar name at number 12:
1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
3. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
4. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
5. John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs
6. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
7. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
8. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
9. Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
10. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning
11. Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
12. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
13. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
14. Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
15. Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
16. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals
17. Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
18. Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals
19. Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames
20. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
The question here is if O’Reilly, who won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP, the Selke, and the Stanley Cup this year, should be ranked a little higher on up.
Eeehhhhhhh, probably not.
He was a consistent performer on a Blues team that didn’t always have a consistent performance, he was incredible in the post-season (by far better than Bergeron in the Final), but doesn’t offer the scoring punch of those above him. I could argue that perhaps he may be a little higher, but who do you take out of the top ten, and can ROR inch upward past eleven?
I’m happy with his performance last season and Blues fans know that we have something special. Let’s just leave it at that and enjoy the fact that number one on this list will probably never be Sidney Crosby again. Viva fresh blood.