NHL Network Name Nathan MacKinnon As Second Best Center In The NHL

The NHL Network has been ranking the best player at each position leading up to the start of the 2026-27 NHL season. On Sunday, August 2nd, they revealed their current top 20 wings list and ranked Martin Necas 15th. The following week, they released their top 20 list of the league’s best defensemen, ranking Cale Makar 1st.

NHL Network Name Cale Makar As Best Defensemen In The NHLThe NHL Network put out a list ranking the top 20 defensemen in the NHL, and both Cale Makar and Devon Toews have made the list, with Makar ranking 1st and Toews ranking 20th.

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Following it up, they have now released their top 20 centers currently in the league. NHL Network’s Jamison Coyle, E.J. Hradek, and Mike Rupp, who hosted the show, explained that while counting down the best centers in the league, they based the rankings on “player performance over the past several seasons, with an emphasis on the 2025-2026 regular season and 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, while also considering future upside.”

To no one’s surprise, they ranked Nathan MacKinnon second in their rankings for centers right now. The only other player who stood above him was Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid. In second place, he ranked above Macklin Celerini (3rd), Leon Draisaitl (4th), and Aleksander Barkov (5th).

When MacKinnon’s position in the rankings was reached, Hradek said on his placement in the rankings, “He is electric. Nathan MacKinnon’s one of those guys that when you watch him, when you see him coming out of that defensive zone with the puck, he does those quick crossovers. There’s nothing like it in the NHL. He’s like a little locomotive coming up the ice. He’s able to shift gears and move laterally just as fast as he’s able to go forward. He’s a special, special player.” 

It was pretty spot on what Hradek said, and if you had to make a poll among the league’s fans, players, and management, it’s a fair assumption to say that, really, outside of McDavid, MacKinnon has shown these past couple of seasons that he really is the clear-cut second-best center in the league and at times could argue that he could be placed above McDavid.

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This is what NHL Network said in their web article;

“MacKinnon had 127 points (53 goals, 74 assists) in 80 games last season and has had at least 111 points each of the past four. He’s scored at least 30 goals in eight of the past nine seasons; he had 20 in 48 games of the 56-game 2020-21 season. He has 150 power-play points over the past four seasons, a stretch when he’s an NHL-best plus-146. MacKinnon led the NHL last season at plus-57 and won the Rocket Richard Trophy as goals leader. The 2024 Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay winner has been a top-five Hart finalist in six of the past seven seasons. His 1.30 points per game in the playoffs is fifth in NHL history among players with at least 100 games, trailing Wayne Gretzky (1.84), Mario Lemieux (1.61), McDavid (1.53) and Draisaitl (1.48).” 

This past season was a special one for MacKinnon, as he scored 53 goals and 74 assists for 127 points, leading the league in goals and setting a new career high. Helping him take home his first-ever Rocket Richard Trophy, while finishing third in Hart Trophy voting and finishing inside the top 20 in Selke Trophy voting. His 53 goals tied him for the sixth most goals in Nordique/Avalanche history, tying him with Michel Goulet back in the 1985-86 season.

Nathan MacKinnon Wins The 2025-26 Maurice “Rocket” Richard TrophyWith a career-best 53 goals, Nathan MacKinnon has won the 2025-26 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy.

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The biggest critique last season was the power play; despite all the talent, the lack of execution and failure to capitalize on opportunities really stood out, and it showed in many players’ stats, even though they finished with high point totals. Despite MacKinnon scoring 53 goals, only 11 of them came from the power play, while 43 were even-strength goals. That amount tied him for second in Nordique/Avalanche history, with only Goulet having scored more (43).

His even-strength point total was 97, which was the most even-strength points scored in a season since Wayne Gretzky’s 103 during the 1990-91 season. It showed how strong he and the Avalanche team were at 5-on-5, and he still finished with the third-most points of the season despite the team’s power-play finishing at 17.0%

It will be another fascinating season to see how MacKinnon does, with the team making minimal offseason changes and barring any impact on his health from injuries. If we see anything similar to what he has witnessed from MacKinnon these past seasons and the power play reverts to lethal form, it will be another Hart Trophy-esque season for the “Nate Dogg”.

The Latest On Cale Makar’s Future With The AvalancheJoe Sakic sounds increasingly confident that the Colorado Avalanche will get Cale Makar signed to a long-term extension before the 2026-27 season begins.