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NHL Network ranks Zibanejad as league’s 10th-best center

That seems quite high, but we’ll take it

New York Rangers star center Mika Zibanejad finished 10th on NHL Network’s countdown of the Top 20 Centers Right Now. Read it and weep, Aleksander Barkov. Zibanejad finished ahead of some other big names, including Sebastian Aho, John Tavares, recent Conn Smythe winner Ryan O’Reilly, and Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele.

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NHL Network’s Top 20 Centers

  1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
  2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
  3. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
  4. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
  5. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
  6. Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
  7. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
  8. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
  9. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning
  10. Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers
  11. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
  12. Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
  13. Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
  14. John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs
  15. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
  16. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
  17. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
  18. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
  19. Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
  20. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

Of course, Zibanejad had a monster year in 2019-20. The 27-year-old scored 41 goals and notched 37 assists in 57 games. Despite missing a good chunk of the season with an injury, Zibanejad finished third in the league in power-play goals (16) and finished seventh in the league in 5-on-5 goals scored per-hour (1.43 G/60) among skaters who played at least 700 minutes at 5-on-5.

In case you were curious and would enjoy a headache, here’s the fan’s list of the Top 20 Ce- is that Kevin Hayes? At 6? Oh boy.

Where do you think Zibanejad ranks among the NHL’s centers? Do you think 10th is a little high for him? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Data courtesy of naturalstattrick.com.

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