Saturday's Center Value Rankings
Here are theScore's center value rankings for Saturday, April 16:
Top Options
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Spezza (DAL) | vs. MIN | 9 |
| Nicklas Backstrom (WAS) | vs. PHI | 9 |
| Sidney Crosby (PIT) | vs. NYR | 8 |
Spezza is fresh-off a multi-point performance and comes at a cheap price.
Backstrom has a plus matchup against the Flyers and has multi-point upside playing in between Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie.
Crosby is the most expensive center on this slate but is worth paying up for, especially if Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist is unable to go.
Best of the Rest
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Derick Brassard (NYR) | at PIT | 7 |
| Evgeny Kuznetsov (WAS) | vs. PHI | 7 |
| Joe Thornton (SJ) | at LA | 6 |
Brassard had a career year in 2015 and is known as a playoff performer. With his first-line real estate and middling price point, he's worth a flier.
Kuznetsov can be rostered with confidence in every format playing alongside playoff veteran Justin Williams and the speedy Andre Burakovsky. The points will come.
Thornton was held point-less for the first time in seven games, but his moderate cost makes him a terrific contrarian option.
Nothing to See Here
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Giroux (PHI) | at WAS | 5 |
| Mikko Koivu (MIN) | at DAL | 4 |
| Anze Kopitar (LA) | vs. SJ | 4 |
These players definitely have multi-point upside but draw tough matchups and will likely fail to return value.