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Zibanejad ranked 10th best center in the NHL…not high enough!

By Steve Paulus

Mar 11, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) reacts to his goal in the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) reacts to his goal in the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Rangers have the 10th best center in the NHL according to the NHL Network

The experts at the NHL Network ranked the top centers in the NHL and came up with a list of the two 20.  New York Rangers star Mika Zibanejad came in at 10th overall. For the most part, the rankings make a lot of sense, but Zibanejad could easily have moved up at least two or three slots.

Here are the top 20 centers:

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

It’s hard to argue with the Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Nathan MacKinnon.  Auston Mathews and Jack Eichel had pretty spectacular seasons and deserved spots in the top ten.  The argument for ranking Zibanejad higher is when it comes to Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patrice Bergeron and Brayden Point.  Let’s look at them individually.

Zibanejad vs Crosby

Crosby was ranked fourth best and this had to be a reputation pick.  He only played in 41 games, scoring 47 points.  He averaged 20:16 Time on Ice (TOI) and won 55% of his faceoffs.  His plus/minus was -8 and he scored only 16 goals.  Interestingly, the description of Crosby was all about his prior years, not this one.

ZIbanejad averaged 21:38 TOI and had a better goals per game and points per game average than Crosby.  He killed penalties and was solid on faceoffs.  He also had the single greatest goal output for any player in the NHL last season with his five goal game against Washington.  No doubt about it, this season Mika Zibanejad was  better center than Sid the (no longer a) Kid.

Zibanejad vs Malkin

This one is a little tougher.  They were both incredibly close statistically.  Malkin had 74 points in 55 games. Zibanejad had 75 points in 57 games.  Malkin had many more assists and Zibanejad had 16 more goals.  When it came to ice time, Zibanejads 21:38 TOI was a full two minutes more than Malkin with 19:31.

It’s the defensive side of the game that tilts the scales in Zibanejad’s favor.  He averaged 2:37 TOI shorthanded, sixth most among centers. Malkin played all of 1:30 on the penalty kill last season.  He played one full minute less in the entire season than Zibanejad averaged every game.

When it came to power play time, it was a wash as Malkin averaged 3:42 TOI to Zibanejad’s 3:40.  Zibanejad had a higher shooting percentage and a better plus/minus (+9 to +7).

Sure, Malkin led the Penguins in scoring last season, but when they have to point out that he won the Conn Smythe Trophy in the 2009 playoffs, they are talking about ancient history.  When you factor in his defensive play, Zibanejad comes in ahead of Malkin.  Again, no doubt about it.

Zibanejad vs Bergeron

Here’s another reputation pick and this time it’s defense that did it.  There is no doubt that Patrice Bergeron is one of the finest defensive forwards the game has ever seen. A four time winner and nine time finalist for the Selke Trophy, his defensive prowess is well known.

Bergeron is also a valuable offensive weapon for the Bruins, scoring 31 goals and 56 points in 61 games and finishing with a +23 rating, fourth highest among centers.  With a 57.9% success rate on draws he is one of the best in the game.  He also does well in advanced stats with a higher Corsi For percentage than Zibanejad (56% vs 50.3%).

While no one has been comparing Zibanejad to Bergeron when it come to defense, perhaps it is they start.   It’s hard to believe, but Bergeron doesn’t kill as many penalties as the Ranger center, averaging 1:43 per game on the penalty kill.  That’s 59th most among NHL centers, compared to the 2:37 minutes Zibanejad averaged.

Ironically, it was Bergeron’s reverse hit on Zibanejad that knocked him out for 13 games last season.   With four goals and 11 points in his first eight games, the Ranger was off to a great start.  One can only wonder how much better Zibanejad would have done if he hadn’t missed those games.

While the Bergeron reputation landed him in seventh place and an argument could be made for Zibanejad to finish ahead of him, his slot in the top is deserved.  It’s also worth pointing out that Bergeron plays for one of the top teams in the league with a much better surround cast, for what it’s worth.

Zibanejad vs Brayden Point

Brayden Point finished one spot ahead of Zibanejad, in ninth place overall. You have to wonder how much the image of him parading around Rogers Place with the Stanley Cup influenced the judges.  While he finished behind Zibanejad in pretty much every major statistical category, he did have 33 points in 23 playoffs games, leading all scorers with 14 goals.  He also ended that amazing five overtime win over  Columbus, the stuff of legends.

This came down to the postseason.  If it was based on the regular season, Point wouldn’t make the top ten despite leading all centers in plus/minus at +28.  In the regular season, he didn’t average a point a game,  He was 19th in goals scored and 13th in points.  He was 29th in average TOI among centers.  Zibanejad was head and shoulders above Point in all offensive categories, but it all came down to the Stanley Cup.  Fair?  Maybe.

Summing up

So there you have it.  We’ll be the first to admit that we are biased, but at the very least, Mika Zibanejad deserved to finish at least seventh or eighth best.  Unfortunately, it was not to be and it will be up to Mika himself to have another great season and get the recognition that he deserves.

So, here’s Blue Line Station’s top ten centers in the NHL:

  1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton
  2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado
  3. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton
  4. Auston Matthews, Toronto
  5. Jack Eichel, Buffalo
  6. Patrice Bergeron, Boston
  7. Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers
  8. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh
  9. Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg
  10. Brayden Point, Tampa

Sorry Penguins fans, reputations are not a reason for making this list.

Agree or disagree?  Feel free to weigh in.

light. Related Story. A look at Met Division playoff rivals

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