So it's been continually said that if you're going to get Quinn Hughes in a trade, you're going to have to give up a first line center, which is probably the hardest position to fill in the NHL. So today I wanna look at how important it is to have a first line center and help me first line centers actually exist in the NHL right now.
What is the first line center?
A first-line NHL center is a player who can be trusted to:
Play 19–22 minutes
Drive offense against elite competition
Anchor both ends of the rink
Create advantages for his wingers
Handle pressure, matchups, and big moments
To be considered a first line center in my opinion a player needs to be above .85 points per game closer to .9 and above
So...how many first line centers are there exactly...using last year's numbers...
RankPlayer. Team. 2024-25 PPG. Tier
| 1 | Connor McDavid | EDM | 1.64 | Superstar 1C |
| 2 | Nathan MacKinnon | COL | 1.41 | Superstar 1C |
| 3 | Leon Draisaitl | EDM | 1.24 | Elite 1C |
| 4 | Auston Matthews | TOR | 1.11 | Elite 1C |
| 5 | Jack Eichel | VGK | 1.12 | Elite 1C |
| 6 | Sidney Crosby | PIT | 1.09 | Elite 1C |
| 7 | Elias Pettersson | VAN | 1.08 | Elite 1C |
| 8 | Aleksander Barkov | FLA | 1.05 | Elite Two-Way 1C |
| 9 | Brayden Point | TBL | 1.02 | Elite 1C |
| 10 | Mika Zibanejad | NYR | 0.98 | High-End 1C |
| 11 | Dylan Larkin | DET | 0.96 | High-End 1C |
| 12 | Roope Hintz | DAL | 0.94 | High-End 1C |
| 13 | Tim Stützle | OTT | 0.90 | High-End 1C (Rising) |
| 14 | Nico Hischier | NJD | 0.88 | Elite Defensive 1C |
| 15 | Sebastian Aho | CAR | 0.92 | High-End 1C |
| 16 | Bo Horvat | NYI | 0.82 | Strong 1C |
| 17 | Tage Thompson | BUF | 0.84 | High-Ceiling 1C |
| 18 | Nazem Kadri | CGY | 0.80 | Veteran 1C |
| 19 | Nick Suzuki | MTL | 0.82 | Developing 1C |
| 20 | Anze Kopitar | LAK | 0.78 | Aging but Elite IQ |
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In my opinion, there's 20 top line centers in the NHL....Considering two of those are on Edmonton, that means only 19 of the 32 teams have a top line center and reconsider that seven of these players fall behind a normal threshold for top line centers. You could say that only 12 of 32 teams have a top line center.
So how important is the top line center to your chance is to win a Stanley Cup? Below is a chart of the last 24 cup winners and if you use the basic metric of .8 points per game, only 1 Cup, since the most turn of the centur, the 2003 Jersey devils won is Stanley Cup without a top line center
YearTeamLeading CenterPlayoff PPGRegular Season PPG
| 2024 | Florida Panthers | Sam Bennett | 1.04 | 0.74 |
| 2023 | Vegas Golden Knights | Jack Eichel | 1.04 | 0.95 |
| 2022 | Colorado Avalanche | Nathan MacKinnon | 1.00 | 1.35 |
| 2021 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Brayden Point | 0.96 | 0.96 |
| 2020 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Brayden Point | 1.25 | 1.16 |
| 2019 | St. Louis Blues | Ryan O'Reilly | 1.04 | 0.93 |
| 2018 | Washington Capitals | Evgeny Kuznetsov | 1.28 | 1.05 |
| 2017 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Evgeny Malkin | 1.13 | 1.16 |
| 2016 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Evgeny Malkin | 1.09 | 1.02 |
| 2015 | Chicago Blackhawks | Jonathan Toews | 0.87 | 0.78 |
| 2014 | Los Angeles Kings | Anze Kopitar | 1.00 | 0.99 |
| 2013 | Chicago Blackhawks | Jonathan Toews | 0.83 | 0.88 |
| 2012 | Los Angeles Kings | Anze Kopitar | 1.00 | 0.81 |
| 2011 | Boston Bruins | David Krejci | 1.04 | 0.77 |
| 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks | Jonathan Toews | 1.09 | 1.00 |
| 2009 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Evgeny Malkin | 1.41 | 1.38 |
| 2008 | Detroit Red Wings | Pavel Datsyuk | 1.00 | 1.34 |
| 2007 | Anaheim Ducks | Andy McDonald | 0.95 | 0.88 |
| 2006 | Carolina Hurricanes | Rod Brind'Amour | 0.96 | 0.85 |
| 2005 | No Cup Awarded (Lockout) | — | — | — |
| 2004 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Brad Richards | 1.30 | 0.90 |
| 2003 | New Jersey Devils | Joe Nieuwendyk | 0.71 | 0.78 |
| 2002 | Detroit Red Wings | Steve Yzerman | 0.95 | 0.81 |
| 2001 | Colorado Avalanche | Joe Sakic | 1.09 | 1.21 |
| 2000 | New Jersey Devils | Jason Arnott | 0.91 | 0.85 |
So who could move their top line guy for Hughes and survive>
