NHL 21: Top Centers

Need one of the best players of NHL 21 to dictate the play of your top line and special teams? Get one of the best centers in the game.

The center position is pivotal to every top team. Most of the time, it’s a center who becomes the team’s talisman, as the top line pivots are the ones who win possession, dictate the play, and work both ends of the ice.

In ice hockey, offence invariably runs through the center, and if you have one of the top centers in NHL 21, you have an even better chance of turning possession into goals.

Here, you’ll find all of the highest-rated top centers of NHL 21, with the very best featured just before the full list at the foot of the page.

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (95 OVR)

Age: 23
Overall Rating: 95
Team: Edmonton Oilers
Player Type: Playmaker
Shoots: Left
Best Attributes: 98 Offensive Awareness, 97 Acceleration, 97 Passing

Known as ‘The Next One,’ Connor McDavid continues to prove himself as one of the best players in the league, consistently ranking among the highest-scoring players in each campaign.

Had last season not ended 11 games short for the Edmonton Oilers, the team captain will have almost certainly secured his fourth consecutive 100-plus point campaign, finishing on 97 points in 64 games.

McDavid ranks as the highest-rated player in NHL 21, and thus, the top center – easily standing as the most user-friendly forward in the game. He’s also the second-best at deking in NHL 21.

The left-shot playmaker comes in with 97 passing, 96 hand-eye, 96 deking, 98 offensive awareness, 93 slap shot accuracy, 95 wrist shot accuracy, 97 acceleration, 97 speed, and 97 agility.

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins (93 OVR)

Age: 33
Overall Rating: 93
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Player Type: Playmaker
Shoots: Left
Best Attributes: 95 Poise, 95 Passing, 95 Stick Checking

An irrefutable future hall of famer, Sidney Crosby is one of the primary reasons why the Pittsburgh Penguins have made it to each of the last 14 postseasons.

In just 16 games’ time, the Cole Harbour-native will join the 1,000 club and will do so in style. At 984 regular season games in, Crosby already had 462 goals and 1,263 points – not to mention his 189 points in 168 playoff games.

McDavid’s senior by a decade, Crosby is still rated among the best players in NHL 21, with his 93 OVR being just a couple of points back of the Oilers captain.

Still a top-class playmaker with plenty of time left, Crosby offers any lucky team 95 poise, 91 faceoffs, 95 stick checking, 93 agility, 95 passing, 93 wrist shot accuracy, 94 deking, and 94 puck control.

Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers (92 OVR)

Age: 24
Overall Rating: 92
Team: Edmonton Oilers
Player Type: Sniper
Shoots: Left
Best Attributes: 94 Offensive Awareness, 94 Passing, 93 Hand-Eye

Having been taken third in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, expectations were high for Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton, being brought into the NHL lines for 37 games in the season that the Oilers picked him.

Then, McDavid arrived, and the WHL-developed German went from strength-to-strength with each passing season, with the duo now emulating something akin to a modern Gretzky-Kurri combo.

The reigning Art Ross Trophy winner comes into NHL 21 as a multi-position forward (both a center and a left wing), with his 92 OVR making him one of the best players at either position.

Draisaitl’s 79 faceoffs and 90 poise ratings make him a decent center in the duel, but his 93 slap shot accuracy, 92 slap shot power, 93 wrist shot accuracy, and 91 wrist shot power have him best-suited to feeding off of a playmaker.

Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (92 OVR)

Age: 25
Overall Rating: 92
Team: Colorado Avalanche
Player Type: Playmaker
Shoots: Right
Best Attributes: 94 Speed, 94 Offensive Awareness, 94 Passing

The first overall pick of the 2013 Draft was noted for his blistering pace and savvy in the offensive end, but in the years since, Nathan MacKinnon has also upped the physical side of his game tremendously.

Still demonstrating the skill, speed, and knack for scoring flashy goals that convinced the Colorado Avalanche to pinch him at the top of the bill, the Canadian is now a hefty contender all over the ice, owing to his 183cm, 93kg frame.

In NHL 21, Colorado’s leading point scorer of 2019/20 (by a clear 43 points) boasts a 92 overall rating and a set of attribute ratings that emphasise his skill and speed on the puck.

MacKinnon’s highlight ratings include his 93 deking, 93 hand-eye, 93 puck control, 92 stick checking, 93 acceleration, 93 agility, 94 speed, and 88 strength.

Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins (91 OVR)

Age: 35
Overall Rating: 91
Team: Boston Bruins
Player Type: Two-Way Forward
Shoots: Right
Best Attributes: 95 Poise, 95 Defensive Awareness, 95 Stick Checking

Revered as one of the best two-way centers in the modern game, even at 35-years-old, Patrice Bergeron is still a leading contender for the Frank J. Selke Trophy each year, standing on a joint-record of four to date.

Last season, the Bruins center put up 56 points in 61 games, but more impressively, he was only dealt 25 penalty minutes, put up 203 shots on goal, 46 hits, 46 blocked shots, and held an incredible 57.9 faceoff win percentage through 1,311 duels.

Bergeron stands as the best two-way center in NHL 21, and even over the coming seasons when his overall rating begins to decay, his defensive attribute ratings remain very high.

The 35-year-old is still a top center at both ends of the ice, thanks to his 95 defensive awareness, 94 offensive awareness, 95 poise, 94 faceoffs, 95 stick checking, and 92 passing.

All of the top centers in NHL 21

Sorted by their overall ratings at the start of NHL 21, these are all of the top centers in the game.

Name Overall Type Age Team Best Attributes
Connor McDavid 95 Playmaker 23 Edmonton Oilers 98 Offensive Awareness, 97 Acceleration, 97 Passing
Sidney Crosby 93 Playmaker 33 Pittsburgh Penguins 95 Poise, 95 Passing, 95 Stick Checking
Leon Draisaitl 92 Sniper 24 Edmonton Oilers 94 Passing, 94 Offensive Awareness, 93 Hand-Eye
Nathan MacKinnon 92 Playmaker 25 Colorado Avalanche 94 Passing, 94 Offensive Awareness, 94 Speed
Patrice Bergeron 91 Two-Way Forward 35 Boston Bruins 95 Poise, 95 Stick Checking, 95 Defensive Awareness
Evgeni Malkin 91 Playmaker 34 Pittsburgh Penguins 95 Poise, 95 Hand-Eye, 95 Puck Control
Jack Eichel 91 Playmaker 23 Buffalo Sabres 94 Passing, 94 Puck Control, 94 Offensive Awareness
Steven Stamkos 90 Playmaker 30 Tampa Bay Lightning 95 Passing, 95 Puck Control, 94 Deking
Auston Matthews 90 Sniper 22 Toronto Maple Leafs 95 Poise, 94 Puck Control, 93 Wrist Shot Accuracy
Anze Kopitar 90 Two-Way Forward 33 Los Angeles Kings 93 Stick Checking, 92 Defensive Awareness, 92 Wrist Shot Power
Aleksander Barkov 90 Two-Way Forward 25 Florida Panthers 94 Puck Control, 93 Passing, 93 Stick Checking
Brayden Point 89 Playmaker 24 Tampa Bay Lightning 93 Agility, 93 Offensive Awareness, 92 Wrist Shot Accuracy
Mark Scheifele 89 Playmaker 27 Winnipeg Jets 93 Passing, 93 Offensive Awareness, 92 Deking
Tyler Seguin 89 Playmaker 28 Dallas Stars 94 Passing, 93 Deking, 93 Puck Control
Ryan O’Reilly 89 Two-Way Forward 29 St. Louis Blues 95 Faceoffs, 93 Defensive Awareness, 93 Stick Checking
John Tavares 89 Sniper 29 Toronto Maple Leafs 93 Deking, 93 Passing, 93 Puck Control
Evgeny Kuznetsov 89 Playmaker 28 Washington Capitals 95 Deking, 94 Passing, 94 Wrist Shot Accuracy
Elias Pettersson 89 Two-Way Forward 21 Vancouver Canucks 94 Deking, 94 Passing, 94 Puck Control
Dylan Larkin 88 Playmaker 24 Detroit Red Wings 94 Acceleration, 93 Speed, 92 Offensive Awareness
Sebastian Aho 88 Two-Way Forward 23 Carolina Hurricanes 92 Offensive Awareness, 92 Passing, 92 Puck Control
Nicklas Backstrom 88 Playmaker 32 Washington Capitals 93 Deking, 93 Passing, 93 Puck Control
Sean Couturier 88 Two-Way Forward 27 Philadelphia Flyers 92 Defensive Awareness, 91 Endurance, 91 Stick Checking
Claude Giroux 88 Playmaker 32 Philadelphia Flyers 94 Passing, 94 Puck Control, 93 Deking
Jonathan Toews 87 Two-Way Forward 32 Chicago Blackhawks 95 Poise, 93 Faceoffs, 93 Stick Checking
Matt Duchene 87 Playmaker 29 Nashville Predators 94 Speed, 93 Agility, 93 Acceleration
Mika Zibanejad 87 Two-Way Forward 27 New York Rangers 90 Stick Checking, 90 Agility, 90 Endurance
Bo Horvat 86 Two-Way Forward 25 Vancouver Canucks 91 Stick Checking, 90 Faceoffs, 89 Endurance
Logan Couture 86 Playmaker 31 San Jose Sharks 90 Acceleration, 90 Speed, 90 Deking
Sean Monahan 86 Two-Way Forward 25 Calgary Flames 90 Offensive Awareness, 90 Puck Control, 90 Passing
Mathew Barzal 86 Playmaker 23 New York Islanders 94 Speed, 92 Passing, 92 Deking
Brayden Schenn 86 Two-Way Forward 29 St. Louis Blues 89 Deking, 89 Hand-Eye, 89 Puck Control
J.T. Miller 86 Two-Way Forward 27 Vancouver Canucks 89 Stick Checking, 89 Offensive Awareness, 88 Strength
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 86 Two-Way Forward 27 Edmonton Oilers 92 Passing, 91 Agility, 91 Puck Control
Pierre-Luc Dubois 86 Power Forward 22 Columbus Blue Jackets 90 Durability, 89 Passing, 89 Puck Control

If you want one of the top centers of NHL 21, pick one of the skaters from the table above.

Want to learn more about playing NHL 21?

NHL 21: Complete Controls Guide (Goalie, Faceoffs, Offense, and Defense) for PS4 and Xbox One

NHL 21: Complete Deke Guide, Tutorial, and Tips

NHL 21: Best and Worst Teams to Use and Rebuild

NHL 21: How to Fight and Win

NHL 21 Ratings: Best Enforcers

NHL 21 Draft: Best Prospects and Top Draft Steals 2021

NHL 21 Franchise Mode: Best Young Players

NHL 21: All Team Ratings


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