<p>With the final days of 2024 ahead, I figured what better way to celebrate them by highlighting some of the best performances that we’ve witnessed in the calendar year?</p>



<p>Over these last few days of the year, I’ll look at the best players at all five positions (goaltender, defense, right wing, left wing, and center) from 2024, which includes the January to April months of the 2023-24 season, the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the October to December months in the 2024-25 season.</p>



<p>To wrap up the countdowns, we’ll be looking at centers. As always, the center position is loaded with talent across the league, as players who didn’t even make the cut for the honorable mentions on this list would probably have made the lists for left and right wingers. It’s made up of some of the best of the best, so let’s see who made the cut.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="149"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Honorable Mentions</h2>



<p><strong>Sidney Crosby –</strong> It speaks to the legacy of Crosby that he’s still producing at well over a point-per-game pace and it feels like a disappointment. With 32 goals and 98 points in 85 games, he still had an excellent year, especially for a 37-year-old. But despite the common belief with him these days, he’s actually been playing worse defensively in the past few seasons, and it’s his subpar defensive game that kept him off the list in what was a five-horse race for the fourth and fifth spots. No playoff games also didn’t do him any favors, but you can’t really blame him with what he has to work with on the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/pittsburgh-penguins/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> these days.</p>



<p><strong>Jack Eichel – </strong>The magic of Vegas heals all, apparently, as since joining the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/vegas-golden-knights/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vegas Golden Knights</a> in 2021, Eichel seems to have finally evolved his game to the level that made him 2015’s second overall pick behind Connor McDavid. I’m sure Eichel would certainly prefer his 2023 season where he won a Stanley Cup, but he was very productive this season with 25 goals and 76 points in just 62 games, a 1.23 point-per-game pace that ranks 11th in the league in 2024, and he also had three goals and seven points in their seven-game series loss to the Dallas Stars in the playoffs. He isn’t quite getting the recognition for it, but Eichel has really stepped up to become one of the league’s top centers.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="244"></div>



<p><strong>Brayden Point – </strong>Point was the last cut from the top five, as he certainly had the production to justify making it. In 2024, he’s ninth in points-per-game with 1.29 and has 52 goals, which leads all centers in that category – including a particular goal-scoring center who also plays for a blue and white team. As you’ll see shortly, that center eventually won out despite producing slightly less than Point, as it was Point’s defensive game that proved to be the deciding factor. It’s not just that this other center is good defensively, but also that Point is one of the worst defensive forwards in the league, with a +0.61 5v5 expected goals against per 60 minutes relative to his teammates (xGA/60 Rel) that is the eighth-worst among forwards with at least 500 minutes played in 2024. That and the lack of a playoff run with the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/tampa-bay-lightning/line-combinations">Tampa Bay Lightning</a> didn’t give him a lot to pull away from the rest of the competition here.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="166"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. Auston Matthews</h2>



<p><strong>Regular Season:&nbsp;</strong>72GP, 51G, 35A, 86P<br><strong>Playoffs:&nbsp;</strong>5GP, 1G, 3A, 4P</p>



<p>Matthews sure likes to give me a hard time with finding a place to rank him on these year-end lists. At his peak, he’s by far the best goal-scorer in the game with a defensive ability that makes him some freak hybrid of Alex Ovechkin and Anze Kopitar. However, unlike the centers ahead of him, Matthews’ talent has proven time and time again to have the capability of being shut down, especially in the playoffs, and his injury history can also affect his totals on the year, and usually playing through the injuries also means that his play takes a step back.</p>



<p>For the third year running, Matthews was the best of both worlds. His January to April stretch saw him not only chase 60 goals, but 70, as he had 40 goals and 63 points in the final 48 games of the regular season and put him in the race for the Hart Trophy, even if he was a distant fourth. But in the playoffs and so far in the 2024-25 season, he was a bit more inconsistent with 12 goals and 27 points in 29 games, and that’s when he hasn’t missed time with injuries.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="205"></div>



<p>His defensive game is what ultimately got him on the list (-0.09 5v5 xGA/60 Rel and a Selke finalist), but the lack of a long playoff run with the <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Toronto Maple Leafs</a>, or the lack of an ability to elevate his game in the postseason like the four centers ahead of him, makes it hard to justify putting him any higher, despite the fact that his peaks can see him challenge McDavid for best player in the league.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Aleksander Barkov</h2>



<p><strong>Regular Season:&nbsp;</strong>67GP, 22G, 53A, 75P, Selke Trophy<br><strong>Playoffs:&nbsp;</strong>24GP, 8G, 14A, 22P, Stanley Cup</p>



<p>As I alluded with Matthews, the top four centers all have the ability to elevate their game in the playoffs and find success despite all the extra pressure. However, Barkov is different from the other three ahead of him, as it isn’t his offensive game that steps up, but his defensive game. Sure, his eight goals and 22 points in 24 games was also very good, but it was his ability to shut down the likes of Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak, Artemi Panarin, Leon Draisaitl and McDavid on route to the first Stanley Cup in <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/florida-panthers/line-combinations">Florida Panthers</a> franchise history that makes him stand out above the rest.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="4" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="197"></div>



<p>On top of an elite defensive game that’s turned him into the de-facto Selke Trophy winner in a post-Patrice Bergeron world (which Barkov won again in 2024), Barkov was also still quite productive in the regular season for the Panthers across the 2024 calendar year. His 22 goals and 75 points in 67 games isn’t quite at the level of some of the other centers on this list, and is only tied for 18th among forwards in 2024 in points-per-game at 1.12, but it’s the fact that he produces at that level while also facing top competition and usually teaching them a lesson that earns him the No. 4 spot this year.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Leon Draisaitl</h2>



<p><strong>Regular Season:&nbsp;</strong>83GP, 50G, 71A, 121P<br><strong>Playoffs:&nbsp;</strong>25GP, 10G, 21A, 31P</p>



<p>Anyone who knows me or has read my work long enough knows that I am probably one of Draisaitl’s biggest critics. It’s not that I never thought he was talented, but there just seemed to be so many holes in his game. Whether it was the fact that he had consistently been one of the worst defensive forwards in the league, he generally relied on the power play for his production, or just that he plays with the best player in the league, there was always some way to criticize his game and never truly look at him as a player at the level of a McDavid, Matthews or Nathan MacKinnon.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="5" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="231"></div>



<p>Well, he’s got me this year. He was once again one of the highest scoring players in the league this year with 50 goals and 121 points in 83 games, but only 39 of those points have come on the power play. He’s actually a positive-impact defensive player this year with a -0.03 5v5 xGA/60 Rel in 2024, but especially so in the 2024-25 season with a -0.2 5v5 xGA/60 Rel. Add in that he was incredible in the playoffs with 31 points in 25 games despite battling an injury for who knows how much of the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Edmonton Oilers</a> run to the Stanley Cup Final, and I couldn’t really deny Draisaitl a top three spot, no matter how much of a hater I am.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Nathan MacKinnon</h2>



<p><strong>Regular Season:&nbsp;</strong>82GP, 46G, 96A, 142P, Hart Trophy<br><strong>Playoffs:&nbsp;</strong>11GP, 4G, 10A, 14P</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="6" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="134"></div>



<p>You’ve probably deduced who the top two centers are at this point, and it certainly was a close one to decide who placed where. So it really speaks to how good of a year McDavid had overall that MacKinnon won the Hart Trophy in 2024 and is one of the leading candidates to win it again this season, but wasn’t able to take the top spot on this centers list. Ultimately it came down to the fact that MacKinnon didn’t have nearly as long of a playoff run with the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/colorado-avalanche/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Colorado Avalanche</a>, as McDavid, and that McDavid is also much better defensively.</p>



<p>In the regular season, MacKinnon was right there with McDavid, as his 142 points in 82 games in 2024 was good for 1.73 points per game, which was third in the league and 0.04 behind McDavid. MacKinnon has really established himself as not only the clear-cut second-best center in the league, but also consistently challenging McDavid for the title. Unfortunately, only playing two rounds hurt MacKinnon a bit here, along with the fact that he is below average defensively with a +0.1 5v5 xGA/60 Rel. Sorry Nate, the margins are slim when you go up against the best.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="7" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="200"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. Connor McDavid</h2>



<p><strong>Regular Season:&nbsp;</strong>77GP, 34G, 102A, 136P<br><strong>Playoffs:&nbsp;</strong>32GP, 15G, 35A, 50P, Conn Smythe Trophy</p>



<p>As I mentioned with MacKinnon, I did almost consider going with him over McDavid for the top spot. After all, MacKinnon had more points and won the Hart Trophy, which are accolades that would normally help a player’s case. But come on, this is McDavid we’re talking about. He’s the ideal specimen for hockey players, and even if there are very few skill sets that he’s actually the best at, he’s still really, really good at every aspect of the game. It would probably take an injury-riddled season for him to be dethroned, and even then, he still might put up 80 points in 40 games and earn himself the spot anyways.</p>



<p>McDavid’s scoring race and Hart Trophy candidacy in 2023-24 was hindered by a slow start to the season, but by the time the evaluation period for this list took effect in January, he was back in full swing. Even after another quiet start by his standards in 2024-25, he’s back up to 15 goals and 52 points in 33 games, giving him a total of 34 goals and 136 points in 77 games. On top of that, his defensive game that was once the lone chink in his armor of criticism is more than well-rounded by this point with a -0.05 5v5 xGA/60 Rel, and much better than MacKinnon’s.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="8" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="232"></div>



<p>But what really won me over in the back-and-forth between the two players was McDavid’s playoff performance, which was the kind of play you see once in a lifetime. With 42 points in 25 games, he put up the fourth-highest scoring playoff race in playoff history, and was the third player after Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux to hit the 40-point mark in a playoff run. McDavid also broke the record for the most assists in a postseason with 34. And he was only five points off the record, which really didn’t feel like a lofty mark to hit for McDavid. To round it all up, he was the first player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy despite not winning the Stanley Cup since Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003, which should really put into perspective how good his playoff performance was. It really makes you wonder what kind of show he’ll put on if he ever actually wins the damn thing!</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="9" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="160"></div>



<p>_____</p>



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<p>POST SPONSORED BY bet365</p>



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