Ranking The Centers

It’s fantasy hockey draft time and we’ve got our rankings ready, starting with the top 20 centers.  See who made the list and why you should draft them.

1. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins:  his teammate Sidney Crosby is probably a better hockey player, but Malkin is a better fantasy player.  He just has a knack for power play goals with a rocket of a shot.  While Malkin looks to shoot and score, Crosby looks to set him up - that’s a big difference for a fantasy player.
2. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins: so it’s not that I’m going to drop Crosby all that far.  We are still talking about the best offensive player in the game right now.  He is a gifted playmaker who makes others better around him.  Fantasy-wise, you would love to see him shoot more, but it’s not like you would complain about having him on your fantasy team.
3. Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks:  this is a player that might fly under the radar, but may be the next superstar.  Playing on a line with Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan makes him a true threat, as this is one of the best lines in the NHL.  True, he is coming off surgery for a hernia in the offseason, but he should be ready to go before the regular season starts, others may sleep on him, don’t you.
4. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings:  I’m tempted to place Datsyuk third but with the loss of Marian Hossa to Chicago and the likelihood that Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg may not always be on the same line, makes Pavel my fourth best center.
5. Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes:  A truly dangerous sniper scoring at least 30 goals in four straight seasons. 
6. Jeff Carter, Philadelphia Flyers:  Carter would be the definition of a sniper.  Incredible wrist shot allows him to score from anywhere inside the circles.
7. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks:  The addition of Dany Heatley as a winger can cut both ways.  Thornton has been criticized in the past for not shooting enough, and with Heatley on his wing, he may shoot even less now in order to get the puck to him.  Of course he may rack up a ton of assists with Heatley and Devin Setoguchi flanking him.
8. Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning:  Would certainly be higher on this list but with shoulder and wrist surgery in his recent past, I’d rather not take the chance.
9. Olli Jokinen, Calgary Flames:  Jokinen is another player that doesn’t get enough recognition, mostly because he has played for so many bad teams (Panthers, Coyotes, Islanders).  Playing his first full season with Jarome Iginla should end all that.
10. Jason Spezza, Ottawa Senators:  The Senators may be a mess, but with a top line of Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Alexei Kovalev, they will do some damage.
11. Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals
12. Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks
13. Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
14. Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers
15. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
16. Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche
17. Jason Arnott, Nashville Predators
18. Michael Cammalleri, Montreal Canadiens
19. Chris Drury, New York Rangers
20. Derek Roy, Buffalo Sabres

This post was written by George Kurtz