Every summer, the NHL Network releases its top 20 players at each position across the league. It’s a fun offseason series that always draws scrutiny and sparks debate, and this year was no different.
To no surprise, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Leon Draisaitl rounded out the top three spots, but from there onwards things got interesting.
What stood out the most was how far three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner Auston Matthews fell after one down season, coming in at number seven on the list. Aleksander Barkov, Sidney Crosby, and Jack Eichel were the three other centermen who ranked ahead of the Maple Leafs captain.
NHL Network shared the complete top 20 in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Our Top 20 Centers Right Now list has a total of:
• 12 Stanley Cups
• 5 Conn Smythe Trophies
• 10 Ted Lindsay Awards
• 8 Hart Trophies
• 8 Art Ross Trophies
• 7 Maurice Richard Trophies
• 3 Selke TrophiesWhat do you think of our list?@NHL | #NHLTopPlayers pic.twitter.com/7xSsx0hpuh
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 20, 2025
Matthews was the number-three-ranked center on last year’s list following a massive 69-goal, 107-point season that had him in Hart Trophy conversations.
Down year and all, Matthews should be higher
It wasn’t fair to expect Auston Matthews to remain in the top three again this time around, but he still deserved to rank among the top five centers in hockey.
His 78 points (33 goals, 45 assists) in 67 games in 2024-25 were a disappointment, though he still scored more goals than Eichel (28) and Barkov (20) while burying just as many as Crosby (33).
Seeing his goal totals cut in half from the previous year is obviously not ideal, but we can’t forget he was playing through an injury most of the year and still provided a very strong two-way game, which drew rare reviews from new head coach Craig Berube.
All of the disrespect and talk about Matthews and the Maple Leafs should further motivate him to come back with a vengeance in 2025-26.
