August isn't the most robust time for NHL news, so what better way to create some excitement than some good old fashioned debate?
The NHL Network has been releasing its rankings of the top players at each position this month, and the lists for centers and wings were the first to be revealed.
Bruins fans likely won't have too many issues with the top 20 wingers ranking. Bruins left winger Brad Marchand is at No. 4, while right winger David Pastrnak is at No. 10. Sure, Pastrnak could be higher after scoring 38 goals in just 66 games last season, but the competition here was quite strong.
Here's a look at the top 20 wingers in the league, according to NHL Network:
The ranking where Bruins fans might take issue with is centers. Patrice Bergeron, despite being the top two-way player in the league (sorry Ryan O'Reilly), comes in at No. 7. For what it's worth, the fans voted Bergeron at No. 3 among all centers.
Here's the full list of NHL Network's top 20 centers.
Bergeron tallied 79 points (32 goals, 47 assists) in 65 games last season, in addition to his excellent work defensively and on special teams. His nine goals tied for the team lead in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. Aleksander Barkov and Nathan MacKinnon are really good players, but are they both better than Bergeron right now? Probably not.
The Bruins star was voted the league's third-best all-around player in The Athletic's player poll released in February, so we know Bergeron's peers understand his immense value to the B's and how he impacts the game in so many ways at a high level.
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