NHL Power Rankings: 5 Teams That Will Have Most Productive Centers in 2012-13

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In the NHL, few people touch the puck as often as centers do. From taking faceoffs to leading breakouts and battling for loose pucks in front of the net, a solid group of centers is crucial for a team's success.

If your team can't win faceoffs, you are going to spend more time on defense. Inversely, if you win a significant amount of draws, your team will have a greater chance to gain some time in the offensive zone.

While centers don't take every faceoff throughout the course of the game, the majority of plays start with strong play in the circle.

Once you get into the zone, the battle in front of the net plays a key role in offensive production. From screens, to deflections, to loose pucks, the center seems to always be involved in offensive-zone play. 

Some centers are better at producing than others. Typically, if your team has a strong group of centers, you’re going to be near the top of the standings. 

Here are the five teams who will have the highest producing group of centers in 2012-13. 

5. San Jose Sharks

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Sharks Centers:

- Joe Thornton

- Logan Couture

- Michal Handzus

- Andrew Desjardins

By the Numbers:

- Faceoff percentage: 53.3 (2nd)

- Points in 2011-12: 183 (led by Thornton with 77)

Led by crafty veteran Joe Thornton, the San Jose Sharks have one of the top center groups in the NHL. Logan Couture, 23, will only get better, as we've seen in his first two NHL seasons. Couture could be a 70-point guy in 2012-13. They headline a group that could be one of the best in the NHL. 

4. Boston Bruins

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Bruins Centers:

- Chris Kelly

- Patrice Bergeron

- Gregory Campbell

- David Krejci

By the Numbers:

- Faceoff percentage: 54.5 (1st)

- Points in 2011-12: 181 (Led by Bergeron with 64)

The Bruins have one of the deeper groups in the league. They have other stars like Tyler Seguin who can play center as well. With these four, the Bruins had the best faceoff percentage in the NHL and had two players with over 60 points. They are a young group that will continue to improve and add to their production. 

3. Detroit Red Wings

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Red Wings Centers:

- Pavel Datsyuk

- Valtteri Filppula

- Darren Helm

- Cory Emmerton

By the Numbers:

- Faceoff percentage: 51.6 (T-4th)

- Points in 2011-12: 169 (led by Datsyuk with 67)

The Red Wings have a group of very versatile players in their lineup, which makes picking four centers fairly tough. Filppula can play center and wing. Justin Abdelkader can as well. If needed, so can Henrik Zetterberg.

Regardless of the combination, the Red Wings are as consistent as anyone else in the league when it comes to center-ice play. Any time you have Pavel Datsyuk, you're in pretty good shape.   

2. Pittsburgh Penguins

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Penguins Centers:

- Evgeni Malkin

- Sidney Crosby

- Brandon Sutter

- Joe Vitale

By the Numbers:

- Faceoff Percentage: 50.4 (13th)

- Points in 2011-12: 192 (led by Malkin with 109)

It's tough to put the Penguins anywhere but No. 1 with Malkin and Crosby securing the middle. With that said, they lost Jordan Staal and picked up Brandon Sutter. It will be interesting to see how the lines gel with some consistency.

Either way, the Penguins will be one of the highest-producing center groups in the league. Heck, most nights Malkin and Crosby combined could outscore a good portion of teams in the NHL. 

Others to Watch

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Montreal Canadiens Centers: 

- David Desharnais 

- Tomas Plekanec

- Lars Eller

- Petteri Nokelainen

By the Numbers:

- Faceoff percentage: 48.3 (T-24th)

- Points: 147 (Led by Desharnais with 60)

 

Tampa Bay Lightning Centers:

- Steven Stamkos

- Vincent Lecavalier

- Nate Thompson

- Tom Pyatt

By the Numbers:

- Faceoff percentage: 48.6 (23rd)

- Points: 180 (Led by Stamkos with 97)

 

Chicago Blackhawks Centers:

- Jonathan Toews

- Patrick Kane

- Dave Bolland

- Marcus Kruger

By the Numbers:

- Faceoff percentage: 50.6 (T-11th)

- Points: 186 (led by Kane with 66)

1. Colorado Avalanche

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Avalanche Centers:

- Paul Statsny

- Matt Duchene

- Ryan O'Reilly

- John Mitchell

By the Numbers:

- Faceoff percentage: 51.6 (T-4th)

- Points in 2011-12: 152 (led by O'Reilly with 55)

The Colorado Avalanche have arguably the most talented young group of centers in the NHL. Statsny and Mitchell are the veterans of the group at 26 and 27 years old, respectively. Duchene and O'Reilly are just 21 years old but have tremendous upside.

Duchene was picked third overall in the 2009 draft and will most likely be the Avs' third-line center. Duchene's career high is 67 points in 2010-11. Injuries forced him to miss 32 games last season. 

Statsny and O'Reilly were both second-round picks in 2005 and 2009, respectively. They have been fixtures in the Avalanche lineup since they were drafted. They both have the skills to notch 70-point seasons. 

Mitchell comes to the Avs from the New York Rangers. Mitchell had 16 points in 63 regular-season games. 

When you have a former third overall pick as your third-line center, you've got some talent in the middle. If the Avs put it all together this season, their centers could put up gaudy numbers.