Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov ranked 13th on NHL Network’s countdown show Top 20 Centers Right Now, which had its initial airing on Sunday night, ranking the best centers in the National Hockey League. Barkov, who ranked 17th on last year’s countdown, finished one spot ahead of the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals’ Nicklas Backstrom and one spot behind Backstrom’s teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Tony Luftman, E.J. Hradek and 11-year NHL veteran Mike Johnson counted down the best centers based on player performance over the past several seasons, with an emphasis on the 2017-2018 season.