Top 10 Centers in the NHL Today

The center position in hockey is one of the most important. Centers need to set the table and be playmakers. They need to be great at winning faceoffs and often set the tempo of the offense. He needs to develop chemistry with his wingers and help raise their game to another level. 

The best centers do this. They turn average wingers into lethal scorers. They win draws and don't mind playing some defense, either.

Here are the top-10 centers in the league today. 

10. Ryan Kesler

The American from Livonia, Michigan has really stepped up his game in the last few years. He's never scored more than 75 points, but the value he brings to his team is immeasurable. He helped lead the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Final this year.

Although he was silent in the series against the Boston Bruins, Kesler still had 19 points in the playoffs. This was good enough to be tied for sixth among all players in the postseason.

Kesler is only getting better. He's slowly becoming one of the leaders of the United States National Team, and he's going to be a major part of it throughout his career. 

Most importantly, Kesler was a plus-24 this year on the ice. This means when he was on the ice he made the Canucks better. It's foolish to only look at his 73 points this season and say that he doesn't belong on the top-10 list. Kesler brings more to the table than just goals and assists. He's a well-rounded leader. 

9. Brad Richards

Bit overrated? Perhaps. However, there is no question that Richards has a lot of talent. For the first time in his career, he will be surrounded by a solid offensive threat in Marian Gaborik. It'll be interesting to see the chemistry between the two players.

He had 77 points this year on a Dallas team that really didn't have any stars that stood out. Last season, he had 91 points on a similar Dallas team that didn't make the playoffs. 

Despite his lower point total this year, Richards had a solid 10.3 percent shooting percentage, meaning he took more valuable shots that actually went in the back of the net. 

8. Evgeni Malkin

Geno's stock has fallen in the last few years because of how injury-prone he's been. At one point in time it would've been easy to put him as a top-three center in the league.

Malkin is still very dangerous and is one of the reasons why the Penguins will be an unbelievable threat again this season. When healthy, Malkin is one of the best in the league. He scored 113 points in his last full season (2009); the year the Penguins won the Cup.

He was even more dangerous in that year's playoffs when he scored 14 goals and 36 points, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. 

Malkin is back and healthy this season, and it'll be interesting to see if he can get back to his old ways. 

7. Jonathan Toews

What stands out most about Jonathan Toews aren't his goal totals or his point totals. The man has dominated the +/- category for his whole career. He's never had a season where he's been a minus. Throughout his career, Toews has been a plus-70 and every year his numbers improve. This year he was a plus-25.

Everyone knows about Toews' ring and his 29 points in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. But the value he brings on the ice is easily seen by just looking at his +/- numbers. 

Finally, Toews' scoring totals have been very consistent throughout his career. His point total has an upward trend and he hit the 30-goal mark for the second time in his career last season. This kid has a bright future and he's only getting better. 

6. Eric Staal

Eric Staal has been a model of consistency ever since the lockout ended. Since then, he's never had a season where he's scored less than 29 goals and 70 points. The year he scored 29 goals could've easily been a 30-goal season, but he missed 12 games due to injury.

Staal's consistency and his Stanley Cup ring easily put him in the top 10. He's also played for a team that hasn't been able to attract talented wingers for him through free agency. Staal's numbers could be a lot higher if he played with a great winger. 

5. Ryan Getzlaf

Ryan Getzlaf has been a phenomenal distributor throughout his career. He's also been surrounded by solid players like Teemu Selanne, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan.

Getzlaf has been blessed with talented teammates, but he's also been surrounded by an atrocious defense after he helped the Ducks win the Stanley Cup in 2007. Despite that, Getzlaf's playmaking abilities have been proficient enough to help lead the Ducks to the playoffs, even with a weak defense. 

Getzlaf has been hurt the last two seasons, so his scoring totals have been down, but that doesn't take anything away from the value and skill he brings to Anaheim. 

4. Joe Thornton

As mentioned before, a center's main job on the ice is to be the playmaker for his wingers. Joe Thornton has been that guy throughout his career. A great example of why Joe Thornton is a top-five center in the league is the way he made Jonathon Cheechoo a scoring threat in San Jose. 

In 2005-06, when Cheechoo was on the same line with Joe Thornton, he scored 56 goals. He had a 37-goal season the year after. After that, injuries plagued him and Cheechoo came back down to Earth. However, there is no doubt that Joe Thornton is the main reason why Cheechoo's numbers soared that year.

Thornton had 96 assists that year and 92 assists the year after. He continues to put up unbelievable assist totals. He'll also get the Sharks 20 goals every year consistently. 

He has never won the Cup, but there is no doubt that he is the best distributor in the game. His size and strength also makes him a physical presence on the ice. His experience also makes him a leader. Now if only he can buy some playoff success!

3. Henrik Sedin

Like Joe Thornton, Henrik Sedin has found himself a niche in distributing the puck and being a playmaker. He didn't score 20 goals this season, but his 75 assists helped him get 94 points on the season. 

Two seasons ago he was an MVP candidate when he set up 83 goals and had 112 points. He's had 60 or more assists in each of the last five seasons. 

He's not too shabby defensively, either. He's a plus-158 during his career and in the last three seasons he's a plus-83. The value he brings for the Canucks is understated; one must look at the +/- numbers to really get how great Henrik Sedin is. 

One knock against Sedin is the fact that he's not very clutch in big games. However, at least he's made an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. That alone puts him ahead of Jumbo Joe. 

2. Steven Stamkos

Talk about a guy who has revitalized an entire city in three seasons. The scary thing about Stamkos is that he's only getting better. Stamkos has scored 96 goals in the last two seasons. 

He dishes the puck and sets up goals, too. He has 113 assists in his career. He balances scoring with his playmaking abilities. He has rejuvenated Martin St. Louis' career and lead the Lightning to the Eastern Conference Finals—one game away from the Stanley Cup Final—in only his third season.

1. Sidney Crosby

This isn't even debatable. 

Let's put Crosby's greatness into perspective. In 80 games last season, Jeff Carter of the Philadelphia Flyers scored 66 points. 

Crosby did that in half the time in 41 games. Unfortunately, he was injured and nobody will ever know how many more points Crosby would've scored. He was on pace for 132 points, which is absolutely remarkable. 

Crosby has also never worked with any good wingers. What he has done, though, is turn guys like Pascal Dupuis and Tyler Kennedy into scoring threats. 

At one point in his career, critics said that Crosby was merely a distributor and not a scorer. What did he do the following year? He scored 51 goals and slapped his critics in the face. This year he was on pace for 64 goals before his concussion. 

Crosby is unbelievable in the faceoff circle, too. He has one of the highest faceoff winning percentages in the league annually.

Throw in the fact that he's already won a Stanley Cup and a Gold Medal and it's easily understood why Crosby is the best center and player in the game today.