The top 10 center cards in the 2008/2009 Strat hockey set add a terrific amount of offensive prowess but can also help out in multiple areas of the game.
Evgeni Malkin, C, Pittsburgh Penguins The scoring is a bit down compared to last season but Malkin has developed a fine all-around game and Strat registers the improvement with increases in the defense, intimidation, and skate ratings.
PLAYER
G
A
PTS
PPG
SHG
S
SPCT
PIM
Malkin
35
78
113
14
2
290
12.1
80
PLAYER
GP
TEN
POS
PIS
PRB
NOS
NIS
NRB
Malkin
82
***
12.2
22.9
41.1
9.2
18.3
34.2
Pavel Datsyuk, C, Detroit Red Wings This is another fine card out of Datsyuk with strong scoring columns and a bit more on the intimidation rating this year. The SD rating represents a minor hit in the valuation but it does reflect the Detroit season in many respects.
PLAYER
G
A
PTS
PPG
SHG
S
SPCT
PIM
Datsyuk
32
65
97
11
1
248
12.9
22
PLAYER
GP
TEN
POS
PIS
PRB
NOS
NIS
NRB
Datsyuk
81
***
11.0
20.4
35.7
8.6
17.4
31.4
Jeff Carter, C, Philadelphia Flyers The fourth Strat card sees a big upturn in the scoring prowess and defensive rating. Carter is lethal in the rebound situations. He's not one of the more recognizable names in the league, well how much name recognition do most of these guys really have, but Carter is about as solid as it gets for the Strat draft league. Would like to see a little more on the outside shot units in future sets.
PLAYER
G
A
PTS
PPG
SHG
S
SPCT
PIM
Carter
46
38
84
13
4
342
13.5
68
PLAYER
GP
TEN
POS
PIS
PRB
NOS
NIS
NRB
Carter
82
*****
6.9
17.9
30.3
6.9
17.9
30.3
Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins The fourth Crosby card sees a slight increase in intimidation and skating ability and he fares well in all of his scoring columns. Somehow, as evidenced by the playoffs, it's hard to capture just how great Crosby is when he's on the ice. The Strat cards are great but they don't really do him justice.
PLAYER
G
A
PTS
PPG
SHG
S
SPCT
PIM
Crosby
33
70
103
7
0
238
13.9
76
PLAYER
GP
TEN
POS
PIS
PRB
NOS
NIS
NRB
Crosby
77
***
9.6
19.2
34.6
9.6
19.2
34.6
Mike Richards, C, Philadelphia Flyers This is a very similar card to last season and it includes a +2 uptick in the intimidation rating. Richards has emerged as a solid, consistent goal scorer over the past 2 seasons and the DEF-5 and skate ability add another dimension to the draft league team.
PLAYER
G
A
PTS
PPG
SHG
S
SPCT
PIM
Richards
30
50
80
8
7
238
12.6
63
PLAYER
GP
TEN
POS
PIS
PRB
NOS
NIS
NRB
Richards
79
****
7.8
16.8
27.5
6.1
14.9
25.3
Ryan Getzlaf, C, Anaheim Ducks The Getzlaf card is more multi-dimensional in this set with the improved defensive rating but the skate rating did come down a bit though. There is a consistency to the last three Getzlaf cards and that's of great benefit in the draft league scheme of things.
PLAYER
G
A
PTS
PPG
SHG
S
SPCT
PIM
Getzlaf
25
66
91
9
0
227
11
121
PLAYER
GP
TEN
POS
PIS
PRB
NOS
NIS
NRB
Getzlaf
81
***
9.7
17.8
31.8
7.1
13.5
25.0
Joe Thornton, C, San Jose Sharks The offense and intimidation ratings drop by 1 point in the new set but the shooting columns are a little better than last year. Thornton has always been kind of overrated in Strat and doesn't typically have the scoring units of the bigger value players but this card looks very good for the power play situations.
PLAYER
G
A
PTS
PPG
SHG
S
SPCT
PIM
Thornton
25
61
86
11
0
139
18
56
PLAYER
GP
TEN
POS
PIS
PRB
NOS
NIS
NRB
Thornton
82
***
9.3
16.7
30.8
6.7
12.1
23.9
Henrik Zetterberg, C, Detroit Red Wings There is some drop in the defensive and skating ratings but the scoring chances still place Zetterberg as one of the
better centers in this set.
PLAYER
G
A
PTS
PPG
SHG
S
SPCT
PIM
Zetterberg
31
42
73
12
2
309
10
36
PLAYER
GP
TEN
POS
PIS
PRB
NOS
NIS
NRB
Zetterberg
77
****
8.8
19.0
32.2
6.1
14.6
25.6
Eric Staal, C, Carolina Hurricanes This is another very good card out of Staal, maybe not as good as the 05/06 card with the incredible skate rating but it's the fourth card in a row with very solid numbers across the board. He'll exceed 40 goals in draft leagues for teams that excel at distributing the puck.
PLAYER
G
A
PTS
PPG
SHG
S
SPCT
PIM
Staal
40
35
75
14
1
372
10.8
50
PLAYER
GP
TEN
POS
PIS
PRB
NOS
NIS
NRB
Staal
82
*****
8.3
18.8
31.0
6.3
15.8
26.9
Vincent Lecavalier, C, Tampa Bay Lightning This former first round pick from a decade ago may never match that awesome 06/07 card but the numbers for this season look very consistent to his Strat card career as a whole.
PLAYER
G
A
PTS
PPG
SHG
S
SPCT
PIM
Lecavalier
29
38
67
10
1
291
10
54
PLAYER
GP
TEN
POS
PIS
PRB
NOS
NIS
NRB
Lecavalier
77
****
7.9
17.9
29.9
5.8
14.6
25.0
Top Center Cards - II
June 28, 2009
The incredible sophomore Jonathan Toews and the nice surprise Dave Krejci boost the value of any Strat team roster.
Mikko Koivu, C, Minnesota Wild With a nice rebound effort after a somewhat disappointing 2007/08 effort, Koivu continues his all-around game with solid D and skating ratings. The shooting percentage, to be frank, isn't that great and it keeps him in the above-average range of valuation.