The fantasy previews continue with centers. In this post, centers will be evaluated of their past performance and their rankings. Goalies and defensemen previews have already be posted, so check them out today.
Evgeni “Geno” Malkin pops the puck in the air during the 2009 NHL All-Star Game Elimination Shootout.
The top three centers in fantasy hockey are pretty obvious. It is Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins is number one on this list, as well as many others. Hell, Malkin is the number one player in all of fantasy hockey!
Last season, Evgeni Malkin had 109 points in 75 games. If he was to play all 82, he would have most likely broken his career high in points, which is 113. Malkin is a superstar in the NHL and without Sidney Crosby in the lineup most of the last two seasons, he has stood out to many more hockey fans.
At 26 years of age, Malkin is about to enter his prime. During his prime, he very well could break a lot of records. If he is available, draft him first overall without any question.
This season, Malkin is projected to score 105-110 points. However, he could go above that. It all depends on if he is healthy most of the year.
Steven Stamkos is a close second on this list after his incredible season last year in Tampa Bay by scoring 60 goals. Stamkos was the goal scorer leader last season, and if a fantasy owner is looking for goals, he is the player to draft.
The Tampa Bay Lightning didn’t give Stamkos much support last season and that is why he is ranked second. He did it pretty much all on his own and his assists (37) can show that. Having sorda solved the goalie problem in acquiring Anders Lindback from the Nashville Predators, the Lightning should be a better team than last year’s.
Steven Stamkos can develop into a much better player at the age of 22. Scoring 60 goals at that age is certainly remarkable, if not legendary. This season, expect the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner to have 100-105 points this season.
Sidney Crosby is a very risky player to draft. However, his overwhelming skill and passion for the game of hockey erases that riskiness from the brain. After missing 101 games in the past two seasons due to severe concussions, it seems that Crosby has been “cured”. But that has remained to be seen.
Even though Crosby missed a substantial amount of time, his skills are definitely still there. In 22 games last season, Crosby had 37 points (8 g, 29 a). He is a very risky player to select and one should wait until the later part of the first round or the early part of the second round because he is not worth selecting in the Top 5.
Expect Sidney Crosby to put up 90-95 points this season, if he remains healthy throughout the year. But playing the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers twelve times a season can take a toll on the body. Especially a body that isn’t even 90% healthy.
Claude Giroux of the Philadlephia Flyers had a surprise season this year by having 93 points last season (28 g, 65 a). Many websites have this flexible forward as a center, but some have him
Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers ranks #4 in Centers. listed as a right wing. Despite the confusion, Giroux is listed as a center on THP.
Having a great postseason last year, Giroux got the attention of not just the East Coast hockey fan base, but the West Coast fan base as well. His work-ethic definitely showed through the television screen.
Selecting Giroux in the second round would be a very nice pick-up. He is a very reliable player every game he is in the line-up for. Claude Giroux is projected to have 90-95 points this season.
5. Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles Kings. Projected to have 75-80 points this season. After coming off a Stanley Cup victory last season, the experience and drive to winning it helps. Kopitar’s value has risen and would be a great selection. Playing 82 games last season benefits Kopitar as well because he is not regularly injured.
6. John Tavares – New York Islanders. Expect 80-85 points. Tavares is a part of a terrible New York Islanders team. He will have to do most of the scoring himself, which is good for fantasy owners because just about every game, he will get at least a point.
7. Jonathan Toews – Chicago Blackhawks. Expect 75-80 points. Last season, Toews was hit with the injury bug and missed quite a bit of time. However, his skills are still there and should be relatively healthy going into this season. A very skilled player that could go under a lot of people’s radar because of the injury.
8. Pavel Datsyuk – Detroit Red Wings. Projected to have 70-75 points. Datsyuk is a clutch player and will get fantasy owners points on the power play (PPP). The number one center in Detroit looks to hit 70 point mark after being three points shy last season in playing 70 games.
9. Henrik Sedin – Vancouver Canucks. Expect 75-80 points. One can’t go wrong with either of the Sedins. Those twins stay healthy throughout the season. Henrik is a very safe pick in the 2nd-3rd round.
10. Tyler Seguin – Boston Bruins. Expect 70-75 points. Seguin is a must in keeper leagues. With tons of potential and could be “the man” in Boston in the next few seasons, Seguin is worth getting. At only 20 years of age, he could do a lot of damage in the NHL with his size, speed and skill.
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