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Your team's Center depth chart

kerrabria

kerrabria

Registered User
May 3, 2018
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Curious to hear about different franchises' Center situation. In particular, I'd like to hear about guys who usually line up at Wing but might get minutes at C in different situations.

:panthers

1 - Barkov
Always centers the first line. Always the C when he's on the ice.

2 - Bennett
Always the second line center, never slots at wing during 5v5. Lundell briefly jumped him on the depth chart last Spring, but he is established as a Top 6 C regardless of injury or line jumbling.

3 - Lundell
Prototypical 3C who will move up the line up if there are injuries. Maurice briefly tried him at wing, but he looked lost. He's a better Middle 6 Center than Top 6 Winger, so that's where he gets slotted.

4 - Boqvist
Started at 4C, but he's too good, and now usually plays wing higher up the lineup. He's also been first to slide in at 3C when there's an opening.

5 - Luostarinen
He's officially a LW now, but he's a natural center who was a luxury 4C during the President's Trophy season, and he's thrived the handful of times that he's had the opportunity to play Middle 6 C. Maurice originally intended to make Luostarinen the 3C and convert Lundell to wing, but Eetu was more versatile.

6 - Nosek
He's been our 4C this season, but unlike previous 4Cs (Stenlund, Luostarinen, Staal), he won't move up the lineup if Barkov/Bennett/Lundell are out.

7 - Rodrigues
I can't remember if ERod has ever lined up at C for the Panthers, but he's played enough C for enough other NHL teams that I think he should be included on the depth chart.

8 - Reinhart
Reinhart is a RW. He only every played C for the Panthers during his very first weeks, and he didn't look good. But (like Rodrigues) he's played C in the past. He's also great at faceoffs, PKs, and plays in the middle of the ice on the PP, so he may be a perimeter player at 5v5, he's got center attributes.
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1 - Scheifele. PPG undisputed top line center.

2 - Nobody. Jets desperately need to address this if they want to go on a deep run in the playoffs.

3- Lowry. Big tough shutdown stud that can chip in 40 points. Best 3C in the league IMO.

4 - Namestnikov, Kupari, Gustafsson. All decent 4C's that are interchangeable.

5 - Perfetti. Jets really really want him to be their 2C but i dont think its in the cards. Should develop into a decent 2/3 RW.

6 - Lambert. Jets hoping he can develop into a 2C but he's still young and the jury is still out.
 
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Technically or actually?
Johnston
Hintz
Duchene
Seguin
Stankoven
Bourque
Back
Blackwell
Benn
have all/can play center

Actual Centers

Johnston
Hintz
Duchene
Bourque
Back
Blackwell


Seguin, Benn and Stankoven almost exclusively play wing, unless an injury necessitates
 
kerrabria said:
Reinhart is a RW. He only every played C for the Panthers during his very first weeks, and he didn't look good. But (like Rodrigues) he's played C in the past. He's also great at faceoffs, PKs, and plays in the middle of the ice on the PP, so he may be a perimeter player at 5v5, he's got center attributes.
Click to expand...
Reinhart always plays wing, but he does take a lot of faceoffs. He and Barkov switch off depending on which side of the ice the draw will be, at least in the O zone.
 
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:canes

1 - Aho
#1 C at even strength and PP, and also a key PK’er.

2 - Staal
This gets into semantics about what is the 2nd vs 3rd line, but Staal is certainly the next best player after Aho. Elite matchup defender who tends to skate with two-way wingers (currently Jarvis and Martinook) so he is a fixture on d-zone draws and the leader of the PK.

3 - Kotkaniemi
Again this gets into semantics about 2nd vs 3rd line, but Kotkaniemi tends to skate fewer and easier minutes than Staal. Arguably better utilized as a winger or 4C but the Canes have been missing a center who would bump him into those roles.

4 - Jost
Bit of a filler player, journeyman who’s there to skate low event minutes on the 4th line. He’s versatile and has experience at LW. Can be an option on the PK, but the Canes haven’t used him that way.

5 - Jaaska
Interesting player, rookie coming out of Finland close to age 27. Has shown some physical bite, but so far lacks any sort of offense in his game. If everyone’s healthy, he’s on the outside of the lineup looking in.

6 - Martinook
Has some prior experience at C and can play the position in a pinch (notably on the PK where there isn’t a true center position other than the faceoff) but he’s exclusively a winger under normal circumstances. As long as he’s stapled to Staal he will play wing.

7 - Jarvis
This is almost more of an on-paper thing, as he played C in juniors and the position is still attached to his profile in a lot of databases. Jarvis is terrible at faceoffs but is typically the guy to step into the circle when the real C gets tossed. Otherwise he’s used exclusively at wing, but there is a faint chance that he could be moved to the middle at some point, because he does have the underlying skill set. But he’d really have to improve at faceoffs… it’s bad.

8 - Roslovic
Like Martinook he has some prior C experience and is often the guy to step in for a faceoff if the actual centerman gets tossed. But, he doesn’t seem like a natural C at all and it’s hard to imagine him being given those responsibilities in anything other than a desperate situation.
 
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Pettersson
Miller
Suter
Joshua
Blueger
Sasson
Raty

Not much to say - if the Canucks trade Pettersson or Miller that's a really thin group, though Suter, Joshua, and Suter are probably all quality 3rd-liners, especially when the team is healthy and they aren't forced to play too high up the lineup.
 
Capitals

Regular roles:
  • Dylan Strome
  • Pierre Luc Dubois
  • Lars Eller
  • Nic Dowd
Now, natural centers who usually play wing this season are Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael. Centers currently in the minors include Hendrix Lapierre.
 
Suzuki: Solid 2 way first line center but not elite
Dach: Still developing big C, with offensial upside untapped. Poor on the faceoff.
Evans: Most used PKer, solid defensively and can chip in offensively. UFA contract season currently
Dvorak: Low effort type of player, nothing special about any particular aspect but good at faceoff.
 
Flyers

Woof

Cates - Ideally a fantastic middle-six C with a defensive, shut-down focus. Makes tons of little plays that keep the puck heading in the right direction. Been centering our best line this season.
Couturier - Lost a step and was never very dynamic to begin with. Not sure he'll ever be back to his dominant self due to age and injury. Will not be leading any line or be the best player on the line any time soon.
Frost - Enigma. Easily disappears in tough, physical games. Pure finesse game who can be easily cancelled out by physical opponents. Can do a bunch of fancy stickhandling but short in the way of substance that will win you games.
Laughton - Heart and soul locker room guy. Standard-bearer for locker room culture. Can be dangerous on the PK.

I guess?
 
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:flames center depth is kinda weird this season.

They have 2 established centers and then a mess afterwards.

Nazem Kadri is a solid middle-6 center with skill, but really shouldn’t be any team’s 1C.

Mikael Backlund has quietly been one of the best defensive centers in the league for a decade now, but he’s starting to slow down.

After that, the Flames have tried 3 different young(ish) guys as the other top-9 center:

Connor Zary was one of the Flames best players before he went down with injury. He’s shown a lot of skill and creativity this year and he’s still very young. He’s played mostly wing at the NHL level, but was playing center for a few weeks before his injury.

Yegor Sharangovich has had a rough start to the season, but he was very successful last year centering a line with Huberdeau and Kuzmenko. He’s been moved back to center after the Zary injury.

Martin Pospisil started the year centering Huberdeau but that didn’t last long. He’s a nice complimentary player with good physicality but not much of a playmaker.

I think all 3 of these players are ideally wingers, but the Flames are lacking in centers and someone needs to fill the other top-9 C role.

As for the 4th line it’s been either Justin Kirkland, who was chipping in with some timely shootout goals before his injury, or Kevin Rooney, who I think most fans will agree is not a very effective NHLer. Clark Bishop might be looking to replace Rooney as the 4C with his recent call up.
 
Edmonton

Connor McDavid - the best in the world

Leon Draisaitl - arguably the best in the world this season

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Plays wing most of the time, but is a natural C. Only plays C when Leon or Connor go down

Adam Henrique - former top six 6 playing 3rd C. Responsible defensively, putting up okay numbers for a 3C.

Noah Philp - Rookie, doesn't look out of place, but also could have more offense. 10 games in to his NHL career is too early to tell.

Mattias Janmark - Natural W, but can play C in a pinch. Good defensive player, great penalty killer, fast, but in a slump offensively.

Derek Ryan - Veteran, just cleared waivers. NHL career is likely over, after a good run as a depth guy.

Jeff Skinner - Listed in some places as a C/W, but he's not a C for us.

Matthew Savoie - Also listed some places as a C/W, but hasn't cracked the NHL yet, and likely won't this year, and likely won't play C once he does get the call.
 
Buffalo is in a weird spot -

1C was Thompson but he's had some sort of UBI he's playing through on the wing.
2C behind him is Cozens who has struggled badly, even when Thompson is on his wing.

Others include rookie Jiri Kulich, currently center Thompson so "1C" in a way.
McLeod has been good as 3C but has had to play up the lineup at times.
Krebs has been sometimes at 4C, sometimes at 3C, sometimes on the wing.
Kozak is currently up as the 4C but has played LW in the top 9 at times.
Lafferty has been 4C and 3-4RW at times.

AHL depth is Konsta Helenius and Noah Ostlund, though both have had glimpses on the wing in Rochester.
Offshore, Viljami Marjala is nearly a point per game for TPS in Liiga as their 2C but I'm not sure if they sign him or if he can be a North American offensive center though I'd hope they try. Then there are a bunch of fringe NCAA guys like Huglen (who is UFA this summer), Constantini (senior having a meh season) or guys who are playing wing but used to be listed at center like Wahlberg (RW in the AHL) or Stiven Sardarian (mostly playing wing at Michigan Tech).

It's not a settled group at all.
 
Sorry state of affairs on the Preds as usual.

Currently the Predators are doing --

#1 - Stamkos. Was brought in to play wing and we all saw what happened. Threw Stamkos back at C and he's been pretty decent again with Forsberg and Marchessault at his wings.

#2 - O'Reilly. You know what you're getting with him.

#3 - Svechkov. First round pick from a few years ago, has looked impressive in his rookie year. Novak would be here but now he's on wing.

#4 - McCarron. Whatever 4C.

Other dudes who play C in addition to Novak above that are currently playing wing: Sissons is on RW but he plays C just fine. A very good 4C that can fill in 3C in a pinch. Jankowski can play any of the forward positions and sucks at all of them.

Prospect pool ain't pretty. Currently the only C prospects that look to have any decent upside are Edstrom and Surin.
 
Centre is actually one of the Sens strengths thankfully

1 - Tim Stützle
He's struggling a bit offensively, but still creates a ton of chances that his teammates haven't been able to bury. He's been exceptionally good defensively this season though and is probably the only Sens forward outside of Tkachuk at times that has gamebreaking talent. Clearly a legit 1C on the vast majority of teams in the league that isn't near his prime yet.

2 - Josh Norris
Excellent shot, great on draws, and fast, that's about it. He takes a ton of defensive assignments, but I feel he struggles at them (At least on EV, good on the PK). He's also not being utilized properly in regards to his shot. I personally think he's better suited as a winger or should play less difficult defensive minutes. He's a solid 2C, but nothing more.

3 - Shane Pinto
A high end 3C or a lowend 2C. Exceptionally smart player that has good speed, strong defensively, and great athleticism. He's not the most skilled though and while he can definitely improve in that regard, I can't see him really being much more than 50 points all situations rely on defensive C. Still a good 3C though.

4 - Ridly Greig
He really should be playing C ngl, that's where he's looked the best thus far in his career. Fast player that can play all situations and a demon on the forecheck, strong defensively, and overall a pest. Not the smartest nor most skilled player though. He'd be a solid 3C on a team that needs more centres though.

5 - Claude Giroux
He played C for most of his career until he came to the Sens. I still think he can be a lower-end 3C, but is more suited as a 2nd line winger. Exceptionally smart and skilled player, but his speed is now a hindrance at his age.

6 - Adam Gaudette
He played as a 4C before his bump in the top 6 since the Sens have such little offensive forward on the wings. He's alright as a 4C, nothing special. Good shot and net presence, nothing else.

7 - Nick Cousins

I don't like him as a human and he's not really suited as a C on a contender, but can still play as a 4C. Pest, decently skilled, nothing particularly impressive otherwise.

8 - Zack Ostapchuk

He's an okay 4C as he has a good defensive game, strong on the forecheck, fast, and smart. Very little skillset sadly, and I think in his prime can he be a useful 3C, but not quite there yet.

9 - Noah Gregor

Fast af, nothing else. Better as a winger.

Sens have Stephen Halliday in the AHL who is a very skilled player and has the potential to be a 3C.
 
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Ottawa:

Stutzle
Norris
Pinto
Ostapchuk

All of these guys are good defensively with Pinto and Norris being used as shutdown matchups. Pinto and Norris are almost interchangeable now for 2C and 3C
Ostapchuk is still young but big, smart, and can skate, very tenacious.
Stutzle is not very good at faceoffs, but barely needs to take them as Tkachuk, Giroux, or Grieg are very capable.
Grieg is also a natural center and plays much better when there, but will remain a winger unless something changes, like moving Norris to the wing.

Weird to say after I don't know how many years, but the center position is an area of strength for Ottawa; possibly the best it has ever been. A lot of people assume that the only reason for Ottawa's turnaround this year is capable goaltending, but the Stutzle/Norris/Pinto trio being intact is huge. The first time those 3 played in the same game was Apr 17, 2021 after Pinto left NDak. Before this season, there were 41 games where all 3 were in the lineup:
2020/21: 12 games (9-2-1)
2021/22: 5 games (3-2-0) ***Pinto season ending shoulder injury 5 games in
2022/23: 8 games (4-4-0) ***Norris shoulder injury 5 games in, came back for 3 games in January and then shut down again
2023/24: 16 games (9-5-2) ***Pinto suspended for 41 games, returned on Jan 21, Norris out for season Feb 27
2024/25: 39 games (22-13-4)

Almost 5 years in and they still haven't played 82 games together in total

Overall Record since Pinto joined team: 144-140-24 (0.506)
Record with all 3 in the lineup: 47-26-7 (0.631)
Missing at least one: 94-118-19 (0.448)

This year:
26-20-4 overall
22-13-4 all 3
4-7-0 missing one
 
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Bjornar Moxnes said:
Centre is actually one of the Sens strengths thankfully

1 - Tim Stützle
He's struggling a bit offensively, but still creates a ton of chances that his teammates haven't been able to bury. He's been exceptionally good defensively this season though and is probably the only Sens forward outside of Tkachuk at times that has gamebreaking talent. Clearly a legit 1C on the vast majority of teams in the league that isn't near his prime yet.

2 - Josh Norris
Excellent shot, great on draws, and fast, that's about it. He takes a ton of defensive assignments, but I feel he struggles at them (At least on EV, good on the PK). He's also not being utilized properly in regards to his shot. I personally think he's better suited as a winger or should play less difficult defensive minutes. He's a solid 2C, but nothing more.

3 - Shane Pinto
A high end 3C or a lowend 2C. Exceptionally smart player that has good speed, strong defensively, and great athleticism. He's not the most skilled though and while he can definitely improve in that regard, I can't see him really being much more than 50 points all situations rely on defensive C. Still a good 3C though.

4 - Ridly Greig
He really should be playing C ngl, that's where he's looked the best thus far in his career. Fast player that can play all situations and a demon on the forecheck, strong defensively, and overall a pest. Not the smartest nor most skilled player though. He'd be a solid 3C on a team that needs more centres though.

5 - Claude Giroux
He played C for most of his career until he came to the Sens. I still think he can be a lower-end 3C, but is more suited as a 2nd line winger. Exceptionally smart and skilled player, but his speed is now a hindrance at his age.

6 - Adam Gaudette
He played as a 4C before his bump in the top 6 since the Sens have such little offensive forward on the wings. He's alright as a 4C, nothing special. Good shot and net presence, nothing else.

7 - Nick Cousins

I don't like him as a human and he's not really suited as a C on a contender, but can still play as a 4C. Pest, decently skilled, nothing particularly impressive otherwise.

8 - Zack Ostapchuk

He's an okay 4C as he has a good defensive game, strong on the forecheck, fast, and smart. Very little skillset sadly, and I think in his prime can he be a useful 3C, but not quite there yet.

9 - Noah Gregor

Fast af, nothing else. Better as a winger.
Click to expand...
I’d also add Tkachuk, he also takes a lot of faceoffs, but plays wing.
 
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