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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.

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.

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