Does Jack Eichel deserve the eighth spot on the NHL Network 20 best centers list?

Jack Eichel seems to be accustomed to being the eighth-best center, according to the NHL Network. He ranked ahead of prominent names such as Elias Pettersson, Connor Bedard, and Jack Hughes, launching himself firmly in the top ten. It's a good representation for the Vegas Golden Knights, who saw Mark Stone fall off the "20 best wingers" list not long ago.

Here's the breakdown of the center's contributions to Vegas last season. He scored 31 goals and 37 assists in 63 games, which amounts to 1.08 points per game. That should warrant a top-ten positioning based on that alone. It's tough to average a point per game or more unless you're Connor "McJesus", where you can almost double that amount.

Still, there are notable names that Eichel ranks ahead of who deserves some merit. Elias Petterson? He scored 55 assists and 89 points last season, averaging just over 1.08 points a game. Jack Hughes? The New Jersey Devils center had 47 assists in 62 games, averaging 1.19 points per game.

That brings up an interesting question: Does Eichel deserve the eighth spot? Or do lesser-known names like Hughes and Pettersson deserve to be ranked ahead of him? It's a debate to end all debates... sort of. There are plenty of reasons why the former second-overall pick shouldn't be in the discussion. But let's look at why he deserves the spot.

Why Jack Eichel deserves to be the eighth-best winger in the NHL Network 20 best centers list

First, let's get the reasons why he shouldn't out of the way. He gets hurt often, where he dealt with a knee injury last season. Missing 19 games can hurt a team offensively, leaving them struggling to put together offense. Therefore, it's easy to see why a healthy Elias Pettersson would be more attractive at his position.

However, there's the playoff side of things that makes Eichel lucrative. Consider the following: The Vancouver Canucks center only scored one goal and five assists in 13 playoff games last season. Eichel? He scored three goals and four assists... in seven games. Looking at J.T. Miller, he might've scored over 100 points in 2023-24 (103). However, he averages less than a point in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs (0.92), scoring 12 in 13 games.

One can argue that all three players could rank ahead of Eichel in the NHL Network's top-20 center list. However, there are other reasons why Eichel deserves the spot, such as blowing out Hughes in goals above expected (5.5 for Eichel compared to Hughes's 1.3) or beating all three in goals per 60 minutes (Eichel had 1.44 goals in 60 minutes, J.T. Miller had 1.41, Pettersson had 1.27, and Hughes had 1.25).

If fans can dig deeper into Eichel's performance and the advanced statistics behind his numbers, they should see why he's a valuable center. Of course, the flip side to this argument suggests otherwise. However, fans should watch for a healthy Eichel to carry the Vegas Golden Knights, especially with the team missing its scoring depth.