Are you and your friends already planning the draft for your playoff pool this year? We’ll have you covered at Two Pad Stack with a full fantasy report below. Today we’ll take a look at all the teams in the East today, and under each team you’ll find their top five fantasy players. Good luck to all the managers out there.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins are currently on pace to win the President’s Trophy and have only looked more threatening as of late with their constant onslaught of goals. With Jarome Iginla’s retirement on the horizon, this is the year for Boston to pursue their second Cup in four years.
- David Krejci— Both times when the Bruins went to the Cup Finals, Krejci led the league in playoff scoring. He’ll always be a key figure in Boston’s playoff success.
- Tuukka Rask— Rask finished the 2013 postseason with a 1.88 GAA and .927 SP, he’s thriving under the Boston system and will stand tall in almost any situation.
- Patrice Bergeron— Boasting a strong two-way game, Bergeron only gets better when his team gets deeper into playoffs with 4 goals in last year’s Cup Final.
- Zdeno Chara— Big Z just turned 37 this past March, and it’s evident that his point production has dipped recently, but he’ll continue to score in times of need.
- Carl Soderberg— With so many Bruins putting up big numbers, it’s hard to notice success down Boston’s depth chart. In his last 21 games, Soderberg has put up 18 points.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Clinching just their second playoff berth in franchise history, Columbus is on pace for their best finish in the regular season with two games remaining. Led by breakout centre Ryan Johansen and Vezina-winner Sergei Bobrovsky, the only question that remains from everyone is: Will they make even more noise in the playoffs?
- Ryan Johansen— Quietly enjoying an amazing breakout season with 32 goals, Johansen is now the de facto offensive leader of the Jackets.
- Sergei Bobrovsky— Second year with the Jackets, still the same numbers. He’s more than ready to lead Columbus deep into the playoffs, could be as early as this year.
- James Wisniewski— Veteran power play quarterback has the chops to be one of the best blueliners in the East when postseason rolls around.
- Brandon Dubinsky— The feisty centre has been enjoying his stay in Ohio with 69 points in 103 games over two years, he’ll get you penalties and scoring with ease.
- Cam Atkinson— Speedy winger with soft hands, Atkinson has already broken out this year and could potentially do more damage in the playoffs.
Detroit Red Wings
Despite being the only team in the East with a negative goal-differential on the standings, no one should ever underestimate the Wings’ prowess in the playoffs. Now that Datsyuk has returned from injury plus the development of winger Gustav Nyquist, another threat has just emerged in the East.
- Pavel Datsyuk— Among the most dangerous players in the league when he’s healthy, Datsyuk has 27 points in his last 31 postseason games at age 35.
- Gustav Nyquist— He’s already made a splash in the playoff last year, but Nyquist has become one of the league’s most dynamic scorers with 14 goals in his last 22 games. The Gus is loose everyone.
- Daniel Alfredsson— At age 41, this might be Alfie’s last chance to win a Cup. He knows how to score in the playoffs and it should be no different with Detroit.
- Henrik Zetterberg— Zetterberg has been out since February but has expressed confidence that he’ll return by the playoffs. He’s worth the risk because when he’s healthy, he’s a metronome of consistency just like Datsyuk.
- Johan Franzen— Never forget that this guy once scored 13 goals in 16 games over a single postseason. He still has the ability to be a game changer at age 34 and the numbers tell all the stories.
Montreal Canadiens
Being the only Canadian team left in the playoff picture, Habs fans will be anxious for their team to make a deep postseason run for the first time since hitting the Conference Final in 2010. Backed up by a solid blueline and a goalie that has seen his fair share of drama in the playoffs, look for the Canadiens to contend this year.
- Tomas Vanek— He has 15 points in 16 games with the Habs and now has a real shot at a Cup since 2006-07 with Buffalo, more to come.
- Carey Price— Price’s numbers this year have generated Vezina discussions again, he’s the man that gives the Habs to win every night and his intensity only goes up in the playoffs.
- Max Pacioretty— Although he’s still unproven come playoff time, Patches is now the Habs’ go-to guy in offence and is on pace for his first 40-goal season.
- Danny Briere— No matter how poor this guy might perform in the regular season, never consider him out in the playoffs. Briere has 109 points in 108 career postseason games.
- PK Subban— Scores goals from the point, passes well, and dishes big hits. Subban will give out fantasy points across the board anytime and anywhere.
New York Rangers
Just like Vigneault’s old Canucks, the Rangers found themselves in a funk early in the season but recovered late in the season to fight for playoff home ice. Even under Vigneault’s energetic style of play, the Rangers continue to dominate defensively and have won 8 of their last 11 games.
- Henrik Lundqvist— In his last 32 playoff matches, Lundqvist has maintained a GAA under two and is the most capable goalie out there of leading his team to a Stanley Cup.
- Derek Stepan— On a Rangers squad that didn’t have offensive player that stood out, Stepan has been exceptionally consistent.
- Rick Nash— The current leading goal-scorer for the Rangers is a natural at finding the back of the net, but still needs to find his groove in the playoffs.
- Mats Zuccarello— Finished second in scoring among all Rangers in the playoff last year, add in his breakout numbers this year and you’ll be guaranteed more.
- Martin St-Louis— Forget about his slow start with his new team, St-Louis is still a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs and has 68 points in 63 career contests.
Philadelphia Flyers
After a shaky start that saw the Flyers go down the same path as they did in the previous year, Philadelphia reignited their offence big time thanks to Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds finding back their groove. Once again an offensive powerhouse, teams need to remember the same team dethroned Pittsburgh in 2012.
- Claude Giroux— He singlehandedly turned the Flyers season around and currently has 34 points in his last 26 games. A must-take in the first round
- Jakub Voracek— Has demonstrated consistency in the last three seasons and will produce first-line numbers in the playoffs
- Wayne Simmonds— Enjoying another a career season, Simmonds is making himself known as one of the top forwards in the league
- Scott Hartnell— Though his numbers have fluctuated year to year, Hartnell usually continues his production in the playoff if he had a strong regular season
- Steve Mason— After a series of brutal years in Columbus, Steve Mason has found a career revival with Philly and is now looking capable of leading Philadelphia to playoff success.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Always a favourite to win the Stanley Cup and always stacked in offensive power, the Penguins have run into trouble in recent history finding their way back to the Finals. However, with Sidney Crosby set to finish a season where he played all 82 games is good news for Pittsburgh when they enter the playoffs.
- Sidney Crosby— He has 105 points in 82 career playoff games, plus he’s winning the league scoring race by 15 points as of now, Crosby remains the top fantasy player in the playoffs.
- Evgeni Malkin— Like Crosby, Malkin has struggled with his health lately and has resulted in inconsistencies here and there. But his point-per-game history in the postseason is worth the risk.
- James Neal— Despite missing a handful of games this year, Neal is still a maintaining a point per game so far. He also has 16 points in 18 playoff games with Pittsburgh.
- Chris Kunitz— Clearly benefiting from playing alongside superstars, he’s a sure bet to produce as long as his teammates stay healthy.
- Kris Letang— Returning for the first time since suffering a stroke five months ago, it might take time for Letang to shake off the rust but he’s still one of the league’s best offensive blueliners.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Losing breakout Ben Bishop will be a tough one to take for the team, but with Olympic sensation Kristers Gudlevskis called from the minors, you’ll never know what’s in store for the Lightning. Even if goaltending is an issue, Tampa can always counter with their goal-scoring prowess.
- Steven Stamkos— Stamkos missed 45 games to injury this year and still managed to record two hat-tricks this year. He’s a true-goal scorer and will be the centrepiece of the Lightning’s success.
- Ondrej Palat— Palat’s phenomenal rookie season has everyone talking about a potential Calder win, but can he replicate that in the playoffs? It seems unlikely once scores 57 points with a plus-30 rating by accident.
- Victor Hedman— 53 points along with 13 on the power play, it’s intriguing how the 2nd-overall pick from 2009 almost went unnoticed this year with his breakout season.
- Valtteri Filppula— Bouncing back from his slump-filled final season with Detroit, Filppula should continue his production in the playoffs with plenty of experience.
- Ryan Callahan— Recording 11 points in 17 points so far with the Lightning, Callahan is a good fit on the team and will get you great peripheral stats.
FEATURED IMAGE: Carl Soderberg and Chris Conner fight for the puck. (NHL.com/Getty Images)
