Super 16: Top centers playing in Stanley Cup Qualifiers

The NHL Return to Play Plan was announced May 26. The League moved into Phase 2 of the plan with the opening of training facilities for small group workouts June 8. Phase 3, the opening of training camps, is expected to begin July 13. This week, the Super 16 covers the centers of the 24 teams that will play in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.

The vote for No. 1 couldn't have been closer.

Connor McDavid edged Sidney Crosby by one voting point in this week's Super 16, ranking the top active centers still eligible to win the Stanley Cup this season.

Crosby received seven first-place votes and McDavid got six from the 13 participating voters. The difference was that Crosby was ranked fourth by one voter and McDavid was ranked in the top three by all 13, including five votes at No. 2.

Twenty-four centers were ranked. Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks got in at No. 16 with 29 voting points, two more than Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes.

To create the Super 16, each of the 13 participating staff members put together his or her version of what they think it should look like. Those were submitted and a point total assigned to each.

The center picked first was given 16 points, second got 15, third 14 and so on down to No. 16, who got one point.

Here is the Super 16:

RELATED: [Video: NHL Tonight Super 16 Top Centers]

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Total points: 199

Season stats:97 points (34 goals, 63 assists) in 64 games

Career playoff stats: nine points (five goals, four assists) in 13 games

McDavid was second in the NHL scoring race, 13 points behind teammate Leon Draisaitl, playing in seven fewer games. He had at least one point in 48 of his 64 games and has the most points in the NHL in the past four seasons (421; 146 goals, 275 assists in 306 games). His only appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs was in 2017, when the Oilers were eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks in seven games in the Western Conference Second Round.

2. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

Total points: 198

Season stats:47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) in 41 games

Career playoff stats:186 points (66 goals, 120 assists) in 164 games

Crosby, a three-time Stanley Cup champion and back-to-back Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 2016 and 2017, was limited to 41 games this season because of core muscle surgery he had in November. He returned Jan. 14 and played in Pittsburgh's final 24 games, scoring 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists), tied for fifth in the NHL in that stretch. Crosby is the active leader in playoff scoring and ranks 10th in NHL history, two points behind Doug Gilmour and Joe Sakic and four behind Brett Hull.

3. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche

Total points: 171

Season stats:93 points (35 goals, 58 assists) in 69 games

Career playoff stats: 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in 25 games

MacKinnon had a lower-body injury when the NHL season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus and missed Colorado's last game, a 3-2 overtime win against the New York Rangers on March 11, but he's expected to be healthy when training camps are scheduled to open July 10. MacKinnon was fifth in the NHL in scoring, and is third in the past three seasons with 289 points (115 goals, 174 assists in 225 games). He scored 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 12 playoff games last season, when the Avalanche were eliminated in the second round by the San Jose Sharks.

4. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins

Total points: 167

Season stats:56 points (31 goals, 25 assists) in 61 games

Career playoff stats:103 points (40 goals, 63 assists) in 136 games

Bergeron, a four-time Selke Trophy winner, was second in face-off winning percentage (57.9 percent) among the 28 players who took at least 1,000 this season. He's arguably been the best two-way center in the NHL during his career and helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011 and reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2013 and 2019. Bergeron has won 58.4 percent of his face-offs in the playoffs.

5. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers

Total points: 147

Season stats:110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in 71 games

Career playoff stats:16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 13 games

Draisaitl won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer this season. He had 33 multipoint games, including 14 three-point games, three four-point games and two five-point games. The Oilers were 24-5-2 when he scored a goal; 13-20-7 when he didn't. Draisaitl has the most points in the NHL in the past two seasons (215; 93 goals, 122 assists). Like McDavid, his only playoff appearance was in 2017.

6. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Total points: 137

Season stats: 74 points (25 goals, 49 assists) in 55 games

Career playoff stats: 168 points (63 goals, 105 assists) in 162 games

Malkin, a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins, had a resurgent season compared to last season, when he scored 72 points (21 goals, 51 assists) in 68 games. He scored 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in a five-game point streak before the season was paused. Malkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2009, when he scored 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 24 playoff games. He scored 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 25 playoff games in 2017 and is second among active players in playoff points behind Crosby.

7. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

Total points: 109

Season stats: 80 points (47 goals, 33 assists) in 70 games

Career playoff stats: 13 points (10 goals, three assists) in 20 games

Matthews was third in the NHL in goals this season behind Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak and Washington Capitals right wing Alex Ovechkin, who each scored 48. Matthews scored five goals in the Maple Leafs' seven-game series against the Bruins in the Eastern Conference First Round last season and has scored 158 goals in his four NHL seasons, second in the NHL behind Ovechkin's 181 in that span.

8. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

Total points: 101

Season stats:66 points (29 goals, 37 assists) in 57 games

Career playoff stats: 53 points (23 goals, 30 assists) in 70 games

Stamkos is expected to be healthy for training camp after having surgery on March 2 to repair a core muscle injury. He was expected out until mid-to-late April, which would have kept him out of at least the Lightning's first-round playoff series, but the pause in the season allowed him time to recover. He had a point in 15 straight games that he played (22 points on 12 goals, 10 assists) from Jan. 14-Feb. 25 prior to the injury.

9. Ryan O'Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Total points: 85

Season stats: 61 points (12 goals, 49 assists) in 71 games

Career playoff stats:30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 39 games

O'Reilly won the Conn Smythe Trophy last season when he helped the Blues win their first Stanley Cup championship and tied Bruins left wing Brad Marchand for the most points in the playoffs (23; eight goals, 15 assists) in 26 games. O'Reilly also won the Selke Trophy as the top defensive forward last season. He scored more than 60 points for a third straight season and was on pace for 70 points when the season was paused.

10. John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs

Total points: 76

Season stats:60 points (26 goals, 34 assists) in 63 games

Career playoff stats:27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) in 31 games

The Maple Leafs captain has been to the playoffs four times but has advanced past the first round once. He got to the second round with the New York Islanders in 2016, when he scored 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 11 games. Tavares scored five points (two goals, three assists) in seven playoff games with the Maple Leafs last season, his first in Toronto.

11. Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

Total points: 75

Season stats: 73 points (29 goals, 44 assists) in 71 games

Career playoff stats:26 points (16 goals, 10 assists) in 27 games

Scheifele was on pace for his second straight season with 84 points when the season was paused and scored 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in his last 11 games before the pause. He led the Jets with 14 goals in the 2018 playoffs, when they played 17 games and advanced to the Western Conference Final, which they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

12. Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals

Total points: 71

Season stats:54 points (12 goals, 42 assists) in 61 games

Career playoff stats:106 points (36 goals, 70 assists) in 123 games

Backstrom is one of the NHL's best passers and playmakers of the past decade. He has the most assists (684) since he entered the League in 2007-08 and helped the Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018, when he scored 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) in 20 playoff games. Backstrom is ninth among active players in playoff points.

13. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers

Total points: 59

Season stats:62 points (20 goals, 42 assists) in 66 games

Career playoff stats:three points (two goals, one assist) in six games

Barkov has drawn comparisons to Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar, a two-time Stanley Cup champion. However, Barkov has reached the playoffs once in his previous six seasons, in 2016, when the Panthers were eliminated by the Islanders. He had an NHL career-high 96 points (35 goals, 61 assists) in 82 games last season.

14. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers

Total points: 40

Season stats:59 points (22 goals, 37 assists) in 69 games

Career playoff stats:13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 24 games

Couturier should be in the running for the Selke Trophy this season; he was the runner-up to Kopitar in 2017-18. Couturier played Games 5 and 6 of the Flyers' first-round series against the Penguins in 2018 with a torn MCL in his right knee and finished the series with nine points (five goals, four assists) in five games, including a hat trick and five points in an 8-5 loss in Game 6.

15. Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers

Total points: 39

Season stats:75 points (41 goals, 34 assists) in 57 games

Career playoff stats:17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in 28 games

Zibanejad was the hottest scorer in the NHL when the season was paused. He had a six-game goal streak, scoring 11 goals, when the season was paused and led the NHL with 23 goals and 36 points in 22 games since Jan. 31. Zibanejad set NHL career highs in goals and points despite missing 13 games from Oct. 29-Nov. 25 with a lower-body injury and having the season cut short due to the coronavirus.

16. Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

Total points: 29

Season stats: 60 points (18 goals, 42 assists) in 70 games

Career playoff stats:110 points (40 goals, 70 assists) in 128 games

Toews, a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Blackhawks, is eighth among active players in playoff points. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2010 when he scored 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) in 22 playoff games, and has scored at least 60 points seven times in his 13 NHL seasons. However, Toews has reached the playoffs twice and has one goal in 11 games since the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2015.

Others receiving points:Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes 27; Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks 16; Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning 9; Paul Stastny, Vegas Golden Knights 4; David Krejci, Boston Bruins 3; Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders 3; Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals 2; Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars 1

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Connor McDavid; 2. Nathan MacKinnon; 3. Sidney Crosby; 4. Patrice Bergeron; 5. Leon Draisaitl; 6. Aleksander Barkov; 7. Auston Matthews; 8. John Tavares; 9. Sebastian Aho; 10. Mika Zibanejad; 11. Steven Stamkos; 12. Mark Scheifele; 13. Evgeni Malkin; 14. Elias Pettersson; 15. Ryan O'Reilly; 16. Tyler Seguin

TIM CAMPBELL

1. Sidney Crosby; 2. Patrice Bergeron; 3. Connor McDavid; 4. Evgeni Malkin; 5. Nathan MacKinnon; 6. Leon Draisaitl; 7. John Tavares; 8. Ryan O'Reilly; 9. Mark Scheifele; 10. Steven Stamkos; 11. Niklas Backstrom; 12. Aleksander Barkov; 13. Paul Stastny; 14. Jonathan Toews; 15. Auston Matthews; 16. Sean Couturier.

BRIAN COMPTON

1. Sidney Crosby; 2. Connor McDavid; 3. Nathan MacKinnon; 4. Patrice Bergeron; 5. Auston Matthews; 6. Steven Stamkos; 7. Evgeni Malkin; 8. Leon Draisaitl; 9. Jonathan Toews; 10. Ryan O'Reilly; 11. John Tavares; 12. Nicklas Backstrom; 13. Aleksander Barkov; 14. Mark Scheifele; 15. Sebastian Aho; 16. Mika Zibanejad

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. Connor McDavid; 2. Sidney Crosby; 3. Leon Draisaitl; 4. Evgeni Malkin; 5. Nathan MacKinnon; 6. Patrice Bergeron; 7. Mika Zibanejad; 8. Steven Stamkos; 9. Auston Matthews; 10. Mark Scheifele; 11. Elias Pettersson; 12. Sebastian Aho; 13. Brayden Point; 14. Aleksander Barkov; 15. John Tavares; 16. Jonathan Toews

TOM GULITTI

1. Connor McDavid; 2. Nathan MacKinnon; 3. Sidney Crosby; 4. Patrice Bergeron; 5. Leon Draisaitl; 6. Evgeni Malkin; 7. Aleksander Barkov; 8. Auston Matthews; 9. Steven Stamkos; 10. Mark Scheifele; 11. Sebastian Aho; 12. Brayden Point; 13. Nicklas Backstrom; 14. Ryan O'Reilly; 15. Sean Couturier; 16. Jonathan Toews

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Connor McDavid; 2. Sidney Crosby; 3. Leon Draisaitl; 4. Nathan MacKinnon; 5. Patrice Bergeron; 6. Nicklas Backstrom; 7. Auston Matthews; 8. Sean Couturier; 9. Ryan O'Reilly; 10. Evgeni Malkin; 11. John Tavares; 12. Steven Stamkos; 13. Mark Scheifele; 14. Sebastian Aho; 15. Aleksander Barkov; 16. Mika Zibanejad

ROBERT LAFLAMME

1. Sidney Crosby; 2. Patrice Bergeron; 3. Connor McDavid; 4. Steven Stamkos; 5. Nathan MacKinnon; 6. Leon Draisaitl; 7. Nicklas Backstrom; 8. Auston Matthews; 9. Evgeni Malkin; 10. Ryan O'Reilly; 11. John Tavares; 12. Aleksander Barkov; 13. Mark Scheifele; 14. Jonathan Toews; 15. Sean Couturier; 16. Mika Zibanejad

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Sidney Crosby; 2. Connor McDavid; 3. Evgeni Malkin; 4. Patrice Bergeron; 5. Ryan O'Reilly; 6. Auston Matthews; 7. Nathan MacKinnon; 8. Nicklas Backstrom; 9. Jonathan Toews; 10. John Tavares; 11. Mark Scheifele; 12. Leon Draisaitl; 13. Sean Couturier; 14. Steven Stamkos; 15. Aleksander Barkov; 16. Mika Zibanejad

TRACEY MYERS

1. Connor McDavid; 2. Sidney Crosby; 3. Nathan MacKinnon; 4. Evgeni Malkin; 5. Patrice Bergeron; 6. Mark Scheifele; 7. Steven Stamkos; 8. John Tavares; 9. Sean Couturier; 10. Leon Draisaitl; 11. Ryan O'Reilly; 12. Jonathan Toews; 13. Auston Matthews; 14. Aleksander Barkov; 15. Evgeny Kuznetsov; 16. Mika Zibanejad

BILL PRICE

1. Connor McDavid; 2. Leon Draisaitl; 3. Nathan MacKinnon; 4. Sidney Crosby; 5. Patrice Bergeron; 6. Evgeni Malkin; 7. Auston Matthews; 8. Ryan O'Reilly; 9. Steven Stamkos; 10. Aleksander Barkov; 11. Mika Zibanejad; 12. Mark Scheifele; 13. John Tavares; 14. Sean Couturier; 15. Mathew Barzal; 16. Nicklas Backstrom

SHAWN P. ROARKE

1. Sidney Crosby; 2. Connor McDavid; 3. Patrice Bergeron; 4. Evgeni Malkin; 5. Nathan MacKinnon; 6. Leon Draisaitl; 7. Steven Stamkos; 8. Nicklas Backstrom; 9. Auston Matthews; 10. Ryan O'Reilly; 11. John Tavares; 12. Mark Scheifele; 13. Aleksander Barkov; 14. David Krejci; 15. Sean Couturier; 16. Elias Pettersson

DAN ROSEN

1. Sidney Crosby; 2. Connor McDavid; 3. Nathan MacKinnon; 4. Leon Draisaitl; 5. Patrice Bergeron; 6. Evgeni Malkin; 7. Nicklas Backstrom; 8. Sean Couturier; 9. Ryan O'Reilly; 10. Mika Zibanejad; 11. John Tavares; 12. Auston Matthews; 13. Elias Pettersson; 14. Aleksander Barkov; 15. Mark Scheifele; 16. Steven Stamkos

MIKE ZEISBERGER

1. Sidney Crosby; 2. Connor McDavid; 3. Nathan MacKinnon; 4. Leon Draisaitl; 5. Patrice Bergeron; 6. Auston Matthews; 7. Steven Stamkos; 8. Evgeni Malkin; 9. Mark Scheifele; 10. Ryan O'Reilly; 11. Nicklas Backstrom; 12. John Tavares; 13. Mika Zibanejad; 14. Sebastian Aho; 15. Elias Pettersson; 16. Mathew Barzal