With the fantasy hockey season winding down, managers in keeper leagues need to start considering players to bring over to the 2009-2010 season. This is the fourth and final segment in a multi-part series exploring keeper options at center for keeper leagues.

Scott Gomez | New York Rangers
Gomez only scored 58 points last season, with fifteen coming on the power play. While that would be a great season for many centers, that is a low output for the usually reliable Gomez. The 58 point mark was his lowest since the 2002-2003 season. He is still relatively young and has a strong supporting cast in Madison Square Garden. This native son of Alaska took a few years to start rolling in New Jersey, so give Gomez a little slack and hope he can replicate his 05-06 campaign where he scored 84 points. If nothing else, he might be good trade bait for fantasy owners due to the fact his reputation sometimes outshines his performance.

Mike Ribeiro | Dallas Stars
Ribeiro could easily be bumped up to serviceable centers, but I’m going to keep him back for two reasons: he never hit a high point total in his years with Montreal, and was inconsistent until Brad Richards was lost for the season. With Richards and fellow star Brenden Morrow out for the season with injuries, it allowed Ribeiro to take on more responsibility. He had a huge season where he scored 80+ points and had a +21 rating, but when Dallas’ “stars” come back, Ribeiro’s playing time might take a bump. Mike is a good center for fantasy hockey, but his peripherals are weaker than most, and there will be some safer bets out there. Certainly a good 2nd, possibly 3rd option at center depending on how your league drafts.

Mikko Koivu | Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild have never been known for having a dominant offense, but savvy fantasy owners know that there are some players with scoring punch coming out of America’s hockey hub. Mikko Koivu is the “centerpiece” to the offensive attack. His 67 points last season (26 on the power play, 6 shorthanded) were a pleasant surprise to owners that might have picked Mikko off of the waiver wire last year. Don’t build your fantasy team around Mikko, but the former 6th overall pick in the 2001 draft can exceed expectations next season if Minnesota ever surrounds him with top level talent.

Travis Zajac | New Jersey Devils
Zajac’s big season has been in the making for a few years. The Devils organization has been patient with Zajac as he muddled along in mediocrity. They were rewarded in 2008-2009. With Zajac, comes a slight caveat. It is not a far stretch to assume that Zajac’s success is at the least tied in with super stud Zach Parise. As Parise’s numbers burst into the stratosphere, Zajac accompanied him on his strong campaign. Zajac won’t exactly rack up the penalty minutes, but you will brag to your friends about his +30 plus/minus. One area Zajac can improve on is his power play production. Only fifteen of his sixty-two points came on the man advantage.

Nathan Horton | Florida Panthers
Horton was shifted from right wing to center when Olli Jokinen was traded to Phoenix. This imposing figure seemed well on his way to super stardom until some injuries and inconsistent play derailed his progress in 2008-2009. His drive and playing style might have been called into question this season when his coach demanded he take more shots, but Horton delivered when called upon finishing the season strong. He’s a big, strong, young forward that the Panthers are building around. He’s not afraid to drop the gloves (although he has lessened his tendency to take a seat in the sin bin lately) and has a bit of a mean streak. He has big time scorer potential and sometimes serves as Florida’s enforcer. One interesting note on Florida: even though Horton plays on the top line, he rarely sees much more than sixteen minutes of ice time a game. Florida balances their lines ice time seemingly more than any other team.

Other notables: David Krejci (BOS), Joe Pavelski (SJ), Shawn Horcoff (EDM), Jordan Staal (PIT), Daymond Langkow (CGY), Steve Stamkos (TB)

Saucerpass is currently running a keeper league series uncovering different levels of players at all 5 positions. We have already looked at goaltenders and left wingers, and will continue to breakdown every position until we’ve covered most options for next season:

Keeper Centers for 2009-2010

Top Tier Centers
Solid Centers
Servicable Centers

Keeper Left Wingers for 2009-2010

Top Tier Left Wingers
Solid Left Wingers
Serviceable Left Wingers (Part 1)
Serviceable Left Wingers (Part 2)
Questionable Left Wingers (Part 1)
Questionable Left Wingers (Part 2)

Keeper Goaltenders for 2009-2010

Top Tier Goaltenders
Solid Goaltenders
Servicable Goaltenders
Questionable Goaltenders (Part 1)
Questionable Goaltenders (Part 2)