NHL’s Top 10 Centres for 2026-27: Preseason Update

Centres are often looked at as the most important skater for a team, and it takes a lot to be in the top 10. Now that the 2026-27 season is underway, here is a look at the 10 best centres in the league

There are plenty of players who deserve to be in the conversation for this list, but of course, it is just limited to 10. These players all make their team significantly better, they all produce plenty of points, and they are all integral parts of what makes the NHL exciting.

10. Connor Bedard

Connor Bedard went into his third NHL season and lived up to the sky-high expectations that were on him when he was drafted. Off to a blazing hot start with 23 goals and 53 points in 44 games, Bedard was sidelined with a shoulder injury for close to a month, but he came back and stayed hot.

Though he was left off the initial Team Canada Olympic roster, Bedard has been very impressive and has entered the top 10 list for centres at just 20 years old. He is injured to start the 2026-27 season, but upon his return, he will look to drive the Chicago Blackhawks higher in the standings and will look to push for a playoff spot.

9. Auston Matthews

After scoring 60 and 69 goals, nobody knew what Auston Matthews would do next, but he ended up with just 33 goals in 2024-25, finished with 27 goals in 60 games last season, and hasn’t been as strong defensively as he has been in previous seasons.

His play has fallen off along with the entire team, the Toronto Maple Leafs are a revamped group looking to get back into the playoff picture, and that will start with Matthews getting back to form and staying healthy.

8. Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby is, without a doubt, one of the greatest players in NHL history, and even at 39 years old, he is a top-10 center in the league. The Pittsburgh Penguins were supposed to be in the running for the top 2026 draft pick, but they were able to get into the playoffs, with a big thanks being to Crosby.

Other THW Positional Rankings:

• Goalies
• Defensemen
• Right Wingers
• Left Wingers
• Coaches

Potting 29 goals and finishing with 74 points in 68 games is quite impressive. Adding in the fact that he is still a defensive masterclass and the team around him, it is undeniable that he is still deserving of being on this list.

7. Nick Suzuki

Nick Suzuki had his big breakout season in 2025-26, posting 101 points and winning the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward. The Montreal Canadiens have become an excellent young team, and with Suzuki leading the way on the ice, as well as in the locker room, they are destined for success,

Suzuki’s ability to take over a game goes underrated across the league. While he isn’t a high-end goal scorer or a flashy playmaker, he is such a brilliant player who works harder than most others, leading to great production.

6. Jack Eichel

Since joining the Vegas Golden Knights, Jack Eichel has taken his game to a whole new level. He has been playing at well over a point-per-game pace over the last four seasons. With 90 points last season, followed by another 22 in the playoffs, Eichel was a big reason the Golden Knights found so much success.

Eichel has such a complete game. There are no knacks on his play, with the only concern being his ability to stay healthy.

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 and 2025 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 back-to-back Stanley Cups. If it hadn’t been for McDavid’s outrageous scoring pace, Barkov would have won the 2024 Conn Smythe Trophy, as he received second-place votes on 15 out of the 17 ballots.

Barkov missed the entire 2025-26 season, and has already been placed on long-term injured reserve after suffering another lower-body injury.

4. Leon Draisaitl

After a 97-point campaign with just 67 games played, Leon Draisaitl continues to be a major factor in the Edmonton Oilers’ success.

Draisaitl does anything you could ask for. He has led the league in goals, he is a perennial Hart Trophy candidate, he has been in the top spots for the Selke Trophy, and he just does everything at a superstar level.

3. Macklin Celebrini

Macklin Celebrini had an outstanding rookie season, flirting with the point-per-game mark and playing strong defensively, and has done nothing but build on all of that as a sophomore. Not only that, but he has dominated at the Olympics for Team Canada.

What Celebrini did last year, taking the league by storm and posting 115 points, was unheard of for a player his age. As the Sharks look to get into the playoff picture, Celebrini is going to be the biggest part of that. He should be in the Hart and Art Ross Trophy conversation for many years to come.

2. Nathan MacKinnon

Nathan MacKinnon is doing the impossible by closing the gap as the best player in the NHL. While he is still in second here, there is a very good argument for him to be at the top. With 53 goals and 127 points last season, MacKinnon is chasing down Connor McDavid.

MacKinnon is one of the hardest-playing players in the league. He sits at the top of most offensive stat lists and is the number one reason the Colorado Avalanche are such a powerhouse.

1. Connor McDavid

Connor McDavid still stands as the top center and the best player in the NHL. Winning the Conn Smythe, Hart Trophy three times, and the Art Ross six times, nobody has an individual resume as good as his, but he is still looking to add to it and continues to hunt for his first Stanley Cup.

McDavid has dominated throughout the regular season, playoffs, Stanley Cup Final, 4 Nations, and now the Olympics. There is little doubt that he is the most talented person to ever play the sport of hockey.