Center Rankings: Banger Leagues
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Rankings
Top 200 | C | LW | RW | D | G
Here are the top centers ranked in descending order based on their value in 10 or 12 team "Banger Leagues". A typical banger league consists of goals, assists, plus/minus, penalty minutes, power-play points, shots on goal, hits and blocked shots for skaters.
| Rank | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sidney Crosby | PIT |
| 2 | Tyler Seguin | DAL |
| 3 | Connor McDavid | EDM |
| 4 | Steven Stamkos | TB |
| 5 | Joe Pavelski | SJ |
| 6 | Evgeni Malkin | PIT |
| 7 | Claude Giroux | PHI |
| 8 | Evgeny Kuznetsov | WAS |
| 9 | Ryan Johansen | NAS |
| 10 | John Tavares | NYI |
| 11 | Aleksander Barkov | FLA |
| 12 | Anze Kopitar | LA |
It's hard not to have Crosby as the top center. Once the Penguins replaced Mike Johnston with Mike Sullivan as the head coach, he took off. Don't be surprised if he returns to 100-point form.
A full season in Nashville should lead to a career year for Johansen. He will have either Filip Forsberg or James Neal on his wing, or maybe even both at times.
| Rank | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Jeff Carter | LA |
| 14 | Brayden Schenn | PHI |
| 15 | Nathan MacKinnon | COL |
| 16 | Patrice Bergeron | BOS |
| 17 | Tyler Toffoli | LA |
| 18 | Jack Eichel | BUF |
| 19 | Ryan Getzlaf | ANA |
| 20 | Mark Scheifele | WPG |
| 21 | Ryan Kesler | ANA |
| 22 | Jonathan Toews | CHI |
| 23 | Nicklas Backstrom | WAS |
| 24 | Logan Couture | SJ |
Schenn's versatility (C/LW) and his physicality (187 hits) make him excellent for banger leagues. He could have his best year offensively after tallying 43 points in the final 45 games of last season.
Couture may be undervalued after an injury-riddled season, but he was outstanding in the playoffs, registering 30 points in 24 games. With Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau not getting any younger, Couture could take on a bigger role offensively.
| Rank | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Boone Jenner | CLB |
| 26 | David Backes | BOS |
| 27 | Nazem Kadri | TOR |
| 28 | Tomas Hertl | SJ |
| 29 | Matt Duchene | COL |
| 30 | Mika Zibanejad | NYR |
| 31 | Dylan Larkin | DET |
| 32 | Vincent Trocheck | FLA |
| 33 | Sean Monahan | CGY |
| 34 | Jason Spezza | DAL |
| 35 | Alex Galchenyuk | MON |
| 36 | Tyler Johnson | TB |
| 37 | Leo Komarov | TOR |
| 38 | Leon Draisaitl | EDM |
| 39 | Brandon Dubinsky | CLB |
| 40 | J.T. Miller | NYR |
| 41 | Ryan O'Reilly | BUF |
| 42 | Jordan Staal | CAR |
| 43 | Joe Thornton | SJ |
| 44 | Auston Matthews | TOR |
| 45 | Sam Bennett | CGY |
| 46 | Bryan Little | WPG |
| 47 | Robby Fabbri | STL |
| 48 | Derick Brassard | OTT |
| 49 | Henrik Sedin | VAN |
| 50 | David Krejci | BOS |
For an undersized player, Kadri brings a surprising physical element to his game (148 hits). He was very unlucky last season, scoring on just 17 of his 260 shots (6.5 percent). Added talent in Toronto's lineup could lead to a 60-point season.
As mentioned before, age is not on Thornton's side. He really doesn't bring much to the table categorically aside from assists and power-play points. It's best to let someone else in your league draft him.