Aleksander Barkov is entering his sixth NHL season, which saw him produce career highs in points, assists, power play points, shorthanded goals, and faceoff percentage.
What the NHL still seems to forget is that Barkov is just 22-years-old, and will be 23 when the season begins. Barkov was just 1 point off a point-per-game average, but is still drawing less media attention than a lot of players below him.
Barkov is the perfect first line center for any hockey club in this day and age, meshed with talent across every skill set from defending to breakaways.