All sports fans love a good rankings list. They particularly love them during the quiet portion of the offseason, which the NHL is in the midst of, going through the dog days of August.
That’s what makes it a perfect time for the NHL Network to unveil its annual top 20 player rankings at each position. On Wednesday, the spotlight shone on the league’s best centermen, and the debates have raged on in the hours since.
Auston Matthews received quite a bit of flak for his down 2024-25 campaign, slotting in as the seventh-best center one year after being in the top three. His countryman, Jack Hughes, wasn’t far behind at number 11, and one analyst had quite the bold take comparing the two.
Former NHLer, now analyst, Mike Rupp said during the reveal show that he would rather have a healthy Jack Hughes than Auston Matthews.
“A healthy Jack Hughes, I would take him over Auston Matthews,” Rupp said.
“A healthy Jack Hughes, I would take him over Auston Matthews”
– Mike Rupp on NHL Network’s ‘Top 20 Centers’ show.
— Vinnie Parise (@VinnieParise) August 20, 2025
While Matthews fell from three to seven in a year’s time, Hughes also took a slight fall from nine to 11 in the process. Both players dealt with injury in 2024-25, heavily affecting their season totals.
Hughes needs to prove he can stay healthy
Jack Hughes is one of the most talented players in the world, and nobody can disagree with that. The problem is, we’re six years in, and the now 24-year-old has played in 65 or more games just once in that span.
He showed us what he’s capable of when putting together a full season, racking up 99 points (43 goals, 56 assists) in 78 games back in 2021-22. The skill set and potential are tantalizing, but the small frame and continuous injury woes are concerning.
Because of that, it’s hard to justify ranking him ahead of a three-time Rocket Richard winner, two-time 60-goal scorer, two-time 100-point producer, and former Hart Trophy winner who’s still in his prime, like Auston Matthews.
If he does find a way to stay healthy, Hughes could very well start adding some accolades and hardware to his own resume in the future.
