You won't find a better two-way player in the NHL than Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron.
With all due respect to 2020 Frank J. Selke Trophy winner Sean Couturier of the Philadelphia Flyers, the longtime B's forward is the gold standard when it comes to performing at an elite level in all three zones.
Bergeron is a four-time Selke winner himself, and consistently drives puck possession, limits scoring chances and excels on the penalty kill for a Bruins team that prides itself on playing excellent defensive hockey.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Ranking the Bruins' top 10 prospects entering next season
The 32-year-old veteran also is an underrated offensive player. He has scored 20 or more goals in nine consecutive non-lockout seasons. In fact, Bergeron actually has tallied 30-plus goals in three consecutive seasons despite not playing more than 65 games in any of those years.
NHL Network is currently doing its top 20 player rankings at each position. The list of the best defensemen was released earlier this month, and on Monday the network unveiled its ranking of the top centers.
Here's where Bergeron ranks among his peers, per NHL Network.
- Connor McDavid, Oilers
- Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche
- Leon Draisaitl, Oilers
- Sidney Crosby, Penguins
- Auston Matthews, Leafs
- Jack Eichel, Sabres
- Patrice Bergeron, Bruins
- Evgeni Malkin, Penguins
- Brayden Point, Lightning
- Mika Zibanejad, Rangers
- Aleksander Barkov, Panthers
- Mark Scheifele, Jets
- Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes
- John Tavares, Leafs
- Ryan O'Reilly, Blues
- Elias Pettersson, Canucks
- Steven Stamkos, Lightning
- Sean Couturier, Flyers
- Mathew Barzal, Islanders
- Anze Kopitar, Kings
This is a pretty fair ranking for Bergeron. You could maybe put him ahead of Eichel, but the other centers in the top seven are just in another class offensively compared to Bergeron.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins will need another stellar season from Bergeron if they're going to return to the Stanley Cup Final, and if he's healthy, the team should feel good about his chances of meeting those expectations.