Here are theScore's center value rankings for Thursday, January 7's seven-game slate:
Top Options
| Name | Opponent | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Spezza (DAL) | vs. WPG | 10 |
| Anze Kopitar (LA) | vs. TOR | 9 |
| Sean Monahan (CGY) | vs. ARI | 9 |
| Mikael Granlund (MIN) | vs. PHI | 9 |
| Aleksander Barkov (FLA) | at OTT | 8 |
| Nicklas Backstrom (WAS) | at NYI | 8 |
| Mikko Koivu (MIN) | vs. PHI | 8 |
The Stars plum matchup against the Jets bodes well for Spezza, who is on fire as of late, scoring 13 points over 10 games, making him a more valuable play than Seguin while Kopitar has recorded at least one point over his last six games.
Best of the Rest
| Name | Opponent | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Dylan Larkin (DET) | at SJ | 7 |
| Tyler Seguin (DAL) | vs. WPG | 7 |
| Evgeny Kuznetsov (WAS) | at NYI | 7 |
| John Tavares (NYI) | vs. WAS | 6 |
| Henrik Zetterberg (DET) | at SJ | 6 |
| Leo Komarov (TOR) | at LA | 6 |
| Frans Neilsen (NYI) | vs. WAS | 5 |
| Joe Pavelski (SJ) | vs. DET | 5 |
| Brock Nelson (NYI) | vs. WAS | 5 |
Tavares has recorded just 22 points over his first 40 games and is too expensive to roster. Larkin continues to find success playing on the third line and is a must-roster in GPPs. Pavelski's price-tag is hefty - he scores points in bunches and is a high-risk high-reward play.
Nothing to See Here
| Name | Opponent | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Bryan Little (WPG) | at DAL | 4 |
| Kyle Turris (OTT) | vs. FLA | 4 |
| Antoine Vermette (ARI) | at CGY | 4 |
| Nazem Kadri (TOR) | at LA | 3 |
| Jeff Carter (LA) | vs. TOR | 3 |
| Mark Scheifele (WPG) | at DAL | 2 |
| Tyler Bozak (TOR) | at LA | 2 |
| Claude Giroux (PHI) | at MIN | 1 |
Carter has been held out of the Kings' lineup with an upper-body injury and his status is uncertain Thursday against the Maple Leafs. Even if he does play, he can't be relied on to produce a strong return.
