EP Rinkside is producing “Top 20” lists at each and every one of hockey’s six positions. Alex DeBrincat earned a spot in JFresh’s best left winger’s rankings, Lucas Raymond earned a spot in JFresh’s best right winger’s rankings, and today, Dylan Larkin earns a spot in JFresh’s best centers‘ rankings:
19. Dylan Larkin – Detroit Red Wings
2023 Ranking: Tier 6
Larkin finally inched above a point per game for the first time in his career in the 2023-24 season, a far cry from the first year I did these rankings when he was coming off two seasons at a 54-point pace. Even as his team’s playoff dreams fell apart, his production remained eerily consistent; pick any segment of 15-plus games from last year, and he almost definitely scored at roughly a point per game pace. From a skills perspective, Larkin is a well-rounded player who, despite slowing down a bit over the course of his twenties, has retained great puck skills, strong passing, and tremendous finishing upside. He plays all situations against difficult competition and manages to hold his own at both ends of the ice, no small task.
Continued; I don’t see him getting slower, but I’m biased.
