Jack Eichel keeps landing where the NHL Network says the elite centers belong, and the Golden Knights star did it again.
In the network’s Top 20 Centers Right Now list, Eichel checked in at No. 6 for a second straight year. The Olympic gold medalist once again served as Vegas’ lone representative among the league’s top centers, while William Karlsson, Tomas Hertl, and Nic Dowd were left off the list.
Eichel’s spot fits the résumé. Last season, he posted 27 goals and 63 assists for the Golden Knights, numbers that closely mirrored his record-setting 2024-25 campaign. The production has made him one of the defining players in Vegas, and the ranking reflects that.
A couple of other names tied to the Golden Knights also showed up in the mix. Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki, who spent time as a Golden Knights farmhand, came in at No. 9 after a strong 2025-26 season. He finished with 29 goals and 72 assists for 101 points and led the Canadiens in several categories.
Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin also cracked the list. Larkin, another Olympic gold medalist and a player long rumored to be among Vegas’ preferred targets, scored 34 goals and 33 assists last season.
For the Golden Knights, Eichel’s place on the list is another reminder of how central he has become to the franchise’s identity. Vegas spent years searching for the kind of game-changing center that could anchor the middle of the ice, and Eichel ended up being the answer after arriving from the Buffalo Sabres. It was a major swing at the time, but one that changed the direction of the team.
That importance shows up in the bigger picture, too. The Golden Knights have been able to compete for the Stanley Cup consistently, won the Cup in 2023, and Eichel is on pace to pass Jonathan Marchessault’s all-time points mark with the team, which stands at 417.
And there’s another layer here. If Vegas ever found a way to put Eichel and Larkin on the same roster, the center depth would be the kind of thing most teams can only dream about.
For now, though, the headline is simple: Eichel is still right where the NHL Network says he belongs, among the league’s best centers, and he may still be heading toward another milestone in a Golden Knights sweater.
In Other News...
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For players in that kind of spot, the margin for error can disappear quickly once exhibition games begin. A strong stretch could push one of them closer to a full-time role, while a flat showing might send a player sliding toward demotion or out of the conversation altogether. For a Golden Knights group that has plenty to settle before opening night, the battle among those three is one of the more consequential subplots to watch. [Read more 🡒]