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To start the 2024-25 season, THW put lists together of the top 10 players for each position, as well as coaches. It goes without saying that it is a very tough list to do given how subjective it is, but nevertheless, we are here to do it once again.
Other THW Positional Rankings:
As you will see, there are names on this list that have changed due to some centermen playing exceptionally through the first half of the season, while others have struggled. With that said, here are the current top 10 centermen in the NHL as of the preseason for 2024-25.
10. J.T. Miller
There has been a huge turnaround for J.T. Miller in his career. At one point, he was looked at as a fairly good scoring center who was horrible defensively, but under Rick Tocchet, his game has become very well-rounded. He has hit over a point-per-game in each of the last three seasons, including two 99+ seasons.
Ever since joining the Vancouver Canucks ahead of the 2018-19 season, J.T. Miller has gone from a nice complimentary piece to a legitimate star. As good as he’s been in recent years, however, he has been an entirely different beast in 2023-24, and is expected to continue that into 2024-25.
Last season, Miler posted 37 goals and 103 points, earning Hart Trophy votes, as well as for the Selke Trophy.
9. Jack Hughes
It’s hard to believe there were many who questioned the eight-year, $64 million deal the New Jersey Devils gave Jack Hughes. It was fair to be hesitant at the time, as he hadn’t shown much to that point early in his career and was instead paid for his potential. Sometimes that pays off for teams, other times not so much. For the Devils, it worked better than even they could have imagined, as they now have one of the best bargain deals in the entire league.
Over the past three seasons, Hughes has quickly turned into one of the top players in the game, and he is still just 22 years old. Injuries have slowed his production down a bit, but when healthy, Hughes is a phenomenal young star. Last season, Hughes posted 74 points in just 62 games. At the start of the season, Hughes was scoring two points per game for the first chunk of the season before going down with an injury. With the Devils looking much better heading into this year, the sky is the limit for Hughes.
8. Sebastian Aho
The Carolina Hurricanes are consistently challenging for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division, and Sebastian Aho is a huge reason as to why. Last season, the now 27-year-old star had played some of the best hockey of his career with 36 goals and 89 points in 78 games.
Not only has Aho broken out into an excellent point-producing forward, but his defensive play is among the best in the league. With Selke Trophy votes in each of the past four seasons, that is a huge reason as to why he is so valuable.
7. Brayden Point
Another underrated center in the league is Brayden Point. He has emerged into a 40+ goal and 90+ point center on the Lightning since taking over the top-line role from Steven Stamkos. Not only can he produce, but he has also received votes for the Lady Byng and Selke Trophies throughout his young career. Point’s emergence has allowed the Lightning to extend their window of contention, and he has become one of the most important players on the team and is irreplaceable.
6. Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby is without a doubt one of the greatest players in NHL history, and even at 37 years old, he is a top 10 player in the league. He has been consistently in the conversation for the Hart Trophy, Selke Strophy, and many other awards. His offense has barely fallen off over the past decade, and his defensive game has arguably gotten better.
With a 42-goal season in 2023-24, as well at 94 points, Crosby’s extremely well-rounded game has led to the Penguins continuing to push for the playoffs, and that all rides on his ability to lead the way.
5. Aleksander Barkov
Aleksander Barkov has taken over as the top two-way center in the NHL now that Patrice Bergeron has retired, and on top of that, has found strong offensive consistency over the past three seasons. During the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Barkov had some of the toughest matchups possible and did an excellent job shutting down the top players on all of the teams he faced on the path to winning the Stanley Cup. If it hadn’t been for McDavid’s outrageous scoring pace, Barkov would have won the Conn Smythe Trophy as he received second-place votes on 15 out of the 17 ballots.
4. Leon Draisaitl
When ranking the league’s best centers simply on talent, Leon Draisaitl is a top-three option in the NHL. Draisaitl has posted over 100 points in five of the last six seasons, with the only exception being the shortened 56-game season, where he was on pace for an impressive 123 points.
Not only does Draisaitl perform well in the regular season, but his playoff performances have been among the best in league history with 108 points in just 74 career playoff games.
3. Auston Matthews
It is undeniable at this point that Auston Matthews is the game’s best goal-scorer. In a down season by his standards in 2022-23 he still managed to pot 40. Now, back to 100% health, he had led the league by a wide margin last season, scoring 69 goals in 81 games.
Not only is Matthews a perennial Hart Trophy finalist, but he has entered the conversation for the Selke Trophy and his defensive efforts are being recognized.
2. Nathan MacKinnon
One thing Nathan MacKinnon hasn’t done much of since entering the league is win personal hardware. While he won the Calder Trophy in 2013-14 and Lady Byng in 2019-20, it’s rare for players of his caliber to finish their career without at least on Art Ross and Hart Trophy, and you can bet that it was weighing on him.
MacKinnon finished the 2023-24 season just four points behind Nikita Kucherov for the Art Ross, scoring 140 points, which would win the trophy in nearly any other season. On top of that, MacKinnon won the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Memorial as the most valuable player, as well as the best player as voted upon by the fans.
1. Connor McDavid
Connor McDavid is undoubtedly the best player in the NHL. With his game-breaking play every night, McDavid pulls himself closer and closer to the top of the list of all-time greats with each game he plays. At just 27 years old, he is still getting better each season.
Heading into the 2024-25 season, McDavid is going to look to continue his dominant play from the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs and further extend the gap between him and everybody else in the NHL. It is one of the rarest feats in NHL history for a forward on the losing team of the Stanley Cup Final to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, but McDavid did so with little competition.
More must-reads:
- Carter Hart, others found not guilty in Hockey Canada sexual assault trial
- Yankees have finally found their third baseman in Ryan McMahon
- The 'NBA Summer League MVPs' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Proposed Matheson Trade Makes Little Sense for Canadiens or Maple Leafs
A recent trade pitch from Heavy.com has the Toronto Maple Leafs acquiring veteran defenseman Mike Matheson from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Simon Benoit, restricted free agent Nick Robertson, and a 2028 third-round pick. While the idea might seem intriguing on paper—especially for a Toronto team looking to add offensive punch from the blue line—the numbers don’t add up terribly well. Matheson, entering the final year of his eight-year, $39 million contract, carries a $4.875 million cap hit. In this hypothetical deal, the Leafs would send out Benoit’s $1.35 million salary and the unsigned Robertson, meaning the club would be taking on over $3.5 million in additional cap obligations. As it stands, the Maple Leafs don’t have that kind of space to play with. In fact, the deal would put them roughly $675,000 over the salary cap, forcing GM Brad Treliving to make additional moves just to stay compliant. That’s a steep price for a player they don’t necessarily need. Toronto’s blue line is already deep, especially with recent additions like Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The team also has Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe, with Brandon Carlo acquired at last season’s trade deadline. Treliving has made it clear he likes the “length” and physicality of his defense corps. While Matheson would add some offensive flair—he posted 31 points in 80 games last season—he doesn’t offer enough of a game-changing upgrade to justify the cap crunch when the real need is more scoring up front. If the idea is to gain that scoring from the back end, it can only mean Toronto has run out of realistic options for their top-six forward group. Canadiens Likely Don’t Love This Trade Either The Canadiens, for their part, could benefit from shedding salary on a player they no longer really need and acquiring two young, controllable pieces. However, as one commenter on the post noted, GM Kent Hughes likes Matheson and has already said there is no rush to trade the defenseman. The Canadiens need a second-line center, and the return from Toronto doesn’t help fill that need. From Toronto’s perspective, this move feels like a forced fit. For Montreal, it removes a tradeable asset and doesn’t bring them back what they’re ideally looking for.
All signs point to Yankees moving on from Anthony Volpe
With the trade for Ryan McMahon now complete, it would seem New York Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman has fulfilled one of his three priorities. He can now cross third base off the list, which leaves the rotation and bullpen as his remaining priorities. However, according to one Yankees writer, Cashman might not be done with the infield. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reported this after the McMahon trade: “The Yankees may not be done adding to their infield. A team source said the Yankees are interested in adding a right-handed hitter who could play the infield.” Kirschner adds that the Yankees have had interest in Willi Castro and Amed Rosario. But the question now is, how would another player fit in the Yankees’ infield? Needless to say, Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. aren’t going anywhere, and McMahon is just getting there. That leaves the low-hanging fruit. Anthony Volpe has been at the center of controversy all this season. His 13 errors, many of which had come at make-or-break moments, amount to the second-highest total in the game. In addition, his bat has not been able to compensate, hitting .214/.286/.407 with 14 home runs. There was always a lot to like about Volpe. He won a Gold Glove in his rookie year, his power has always been promising and his speed is nothing to scoff at. Unfortunately, his glove has become a liability and his speed has also produced very few results. Volpe has swiped just 10 bags in 17 attempts. His power is the one thing that still has some upside, but it hasn’t been enough to justify a spot in the lineup. Both Castro and Rosario have been far more productive at the plate this season than Volpe. Kirschner doesn’t clarify how serious the Yankees are in their pursuit of another infielder, but that most likely isn’t available information. Having just turned 24, Volpe could still become the type of player that was expected from him as a top prospect. However, his recent performance has weighed heavily on his team’s efforts and it may be buying him a ticket out of the Bronx — or at least a spot on the bench.
Athletics' Nick Kurtz makes MLB history vs. Astros
Athletics rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz already had an impressive start to his career. Kurtz entered Friday having posted a .288/.360/.622 batting line in 265 plate appearances, hitting 19 homers and 17 doubles. Despite making his major league debut on April 23, Kurtz has been the A's most valuable player, leading the team with 2.6 bWAR. He appeared to be on the cusp of becoming the superstar the A's needed to sell the team to the residents of Las Vegas. That performance set the stage for what may have been the most impressive game for any rookie in major league history. Kurtz became the 20th player in MLB history to have a four-home run game and the first rookie to achieve that feat. Kurtz's performance also put the 2025 season into baseball history. Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez had a four-home run game on April 26, making this the third time that there have been two four-homer games in a season. That had happened in 2002 (outfielders Mike Cameron and Shawn Green) and 2017 (utility man Scooter Gennett and left fielder J.D. Martinez). Kurtz did not stop with those four homers. He was 6-6 in the A's 15-3 victory over the Astros, with a double and eight runs batted in. The favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, Kurtz put an emphatic stamp on an already impressive season with his barrage on Friday.
Aaron Boone Makes Feelings Clear After Yankees’ Big Trade
The New York Yankees didn't come into the season with the strongest third base situation, and it only got worse over time. They converted traditional second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the hot corner after getting him at the Trade Deadline last season and installed a timeshare with him, DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza, and Oswaldo Cabrera there in 2025. However, the latter player broke his ankle on May 12, and the Yankees released the now 37-year-old LeMahieu on July 10. Chisholm was primarily back at second at that point, so this left Peraza and Jorbit Vivas as their only true remaining third basemen. With Peraza hitting .147 and Vivas hitting .164, it was clear what the team's biggest need was. That's why it acquired veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies on Friday. New York manager Aaron Boone gave his thoughts about the 30-year-old before Friday's bout with the Philadelphia Phillies, via SNY. "I know there's real offensive potential there. I know he's had real offensive success, as well as some struggles there over the last calendar year or two," he said. "It seems like over the last month he's really started swinging the bat like he's capable of. He can impact the ball, he can control the strike zone, he's had some swing-and-misses that have probably hurt him a little bit." "But then he can really defend over there," he continued. "The handful of times that we've played against them that I watch him, you're like, 'That's what it should look like over there.' He moves really well and has that prototypical good third base thing." McMahon is slashing .217/.314/.403 with 16 homers and 35 RBI over 100 games this season. He also has a .978 fielding percentage and six errors. Right-handed pitcher Will Warren (6-5, 4.91 ERA) will start for the Yankees against Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.75 ERA) on Friday.
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