In a stacked Western Conference with four teams already eclipsing the 50-win mark this year, fantasy owners will have headaches finding the right players in their playoff pools. Here’s a brief skinny on the playoff picture in the West and their top players to look out for in the draft.
Anaheim Ducks
Following a disappointing finish in the playoffs last season, the offence of the Ducks surged again and they now find themselves leading the West in points. Although they’ve scored more goals than any team in the league, Anaheim’s depth remains shallow as Getzlaf and Perry have combined for 29% of the team’s goals.
- Ryan Getzlaf— The NHL’s top point-getter this year behind Sidney Crosby, he’ll again carry Anaheim’s offence this postseason.
- Corey Perry— Just 7 goals shy of another 50-goal season, Perry and Getzlaf have impeccable chemistry and form the best dynamic duo in the league.
- Cam Fowler— Became a much more responsible defenceman this year and was still a reliable passer on the power play.
- Jonas Hiller— Hiller has never went past the second round of the playoffs but he’ll be the reason why if the Ducks do this year. He has a .935 SP over 20 playoff games.
- Francois Beauchemin— He has played well every time the Ducks went deep into the playoffs and always maintains a high rating.
Chicago Blackhawks
The defending champions from 2013 will have their hands full in the postseason this year as there are plenty of teams with strong two-way games in the West. However, they are still atop the league in goals scored and will only become more dangerous when Patrick Kane returns from injury.
- Patrick Sharp— He’s hit the 30-goal mark for the fourth time in his career and has been the Hawks’ most consistent player in terms of point production.
- Jonathan Toews— We all know what he’s capable of doing, but Toews was virtually non-existent in the playoffs last year and until he becomes a steady scorer there are better options.
- Patrick Kane— He’s promised a return early in the postseason but do get prepared to for an empty spot on your roster over a couple of games.
- Duncan Keith— Forms the league’ best defensive tandem with Brent Seabrook and is one of the craftiest blueliners on the power play,
- Marian Hossa— Aside from health issues, Hossa is still a top-flight forward at age 35 and a prolific producer in the playoffs as well.
Colorado Avalanche
After finishing as the second-worst team in the league the season before, Colorado made a complete turnaround this year and now has a shot at the President’s Trophy. Heading into the postseason, the Avs have won 8 of their last 10 and five of their players currently have 20 or more goals.
- Matt Duchene— The 2nd overall pick from 2009 finally found his scoring stride with the NHL’s top guns and he’s only just getting started.
- Gabriel Landeskog— Highly skilled and plays with a lot of energy, Landeskog is an all-around winger that delivers stats across the any time.
- Paul Stastny— Stastny played much better this year and looked like himself back in 2008 to 2010, and he’s also among the few Avs players with playoff experience.
- Nathan MacKinnon— The last time a player scored this many points in his rookie season, it was Jeff Skinner in 2010.
- Ryan O’Reilly— Developing into a terrific player, but he won’t get you any peripherals as he just got his first penalty of the year a few games ago.
Dallas Stars
Looking to make their first playoff appearance since 2008, the Stars just need three points on the standings to clinch the final playoff spot. Boasting one of the league’s best offensive talents in Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, don’t be surprised if the Stars make a splash in the playoffs as well.
- Tyler Seguin— The move to the Stars solidified Seguin’s status as an elite forward, and he’ll be ready to frontline the Star’s offence.
- Jamie Benn— He’s never been to the playoffs before, but his point total has increased every year minus the shortened 2012-13 year.
- Alex Goligoski— Already has plenty of playoff experience from Pittsburgh, and he didn’t even need Malkin nor Crosby for his first 40-point season.
- Kari Lehtonen— Has only played in 2 playoff contests wit Atlanta, but this hardy goalie plays more games than anyone and only seems to get better.
- Alex Chaisson— Opened the regular season with a bang and is more than likely to repeat the same in the playoffs.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings have been riding high in their recent games, but have essentially rode on their defence’s stellar games as they have the worst offence among all playoff teams. If they are to match the firepower with the best of the West, Drew Doughty would have to repeat his Sochi performance while Gaborik needs to stay healthy.
- Jonathan Quick— Played in 7 playoff series in the last two seasons and yet still kept his GAA under two the entire time.
- Anze Kopitar— Plays in every game and is the backbone of LA’s offence, he’s also not afraid to take it to another level when he needs to do all the work.
- Marian Gaborik— Another fair chance at the Cup will certainly help Gaborik’s motivation, but he’s also liked his stay in LA so far, with 15 points in 18 games.
- Drew Doughty— We’ve all seen his scoring prowess before but he certainly needs to improve his consistency before he’s a safe pick for everyone.
- Slava Voynov— Voynov torched his opponents last year with 6 playoff goals, 4 of them game-winning. He’s now a regular on the Kings first unit and definitely out to do more damage.
Minnesota Wild
The solid play of Minnesota’s core, led by hometown heroes Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, have landed the Wild their second playoff berth in as many years. Minny has been improving ever year but if they are to find success this year they’ll have to get their penalty kill percentage up.
- Zach Parise— Few players in the NHL can match Parise’s skill and desire that’s exactly what he’ll bring to your pool this playoffs.
- Mikko Koivu— Went down with injury before the Olympics and is now back continuing his solid numbers, Saku’s younger brother can score anywhere.
- Jason Pominville— A smart passer that doesn’t have much pedigree in the playoffs, but at the same time he spent little time on winning teams.
- Ryan Suter— Among the top all-around defencemen in the NHL, Suter eats up the most minutes but still needs to up his playoff production.
- Mikael Granlund— He’ll make his playoff debut next week, but his track record in Finn leagues suggests that he scores as much in the playoffs as he does in the regular season.
San Jose Sharks
With the rise of Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture as one of the league’s top offensive forwards, San Jose is again a powerhouse in the West. Abundant in their scoring ability and veteran experience, the Sharks are poised to make their first Cup Final appearance in team history.
- Joe Pavelski— Just a goal away from his first 40-goal season, Pavelski now forms a formidable 1-2 punch playing alongside Jumbo Joe.
- Joe Thornton— His point totals have been slowing streaking downward, but Jumbo Joe is a natural playmaker at age 34.
- Patrick Marleau— A bit streaky here and there, but at the end you’ll find yourself with a lot of goals.
- Logan Couture— Missed out on playing for Team Canada due to injury but still kept his 30-goal pace when he returned.
- Tomas Hertl— Just returned after suffering a knee injury in December, he’s wowed the league early in the season you never know what he’s going to do next.
St Louis Blues
The Blues have been going down a sour stretch lately, they lost four straight games and are dangerously close of losing the race for the President’s Trophy. It could just be an aberration for the Blues, but Ryan Miller has allowed 4 goals in each of his last three starts and needs some momentum back for the playoffs.
- Alexander Steen— Was on his way to become a full-fledged star but went down with a concussion. He’s now 100% ready to go just in time for the playoffs.
- Ryan Miller— Went through the month of April with a lot of gaffes, but he’s highly capable of going lights-out in high pressure situations.
- Alex Pietrangelo— One of the best producers on the blueline plays on a Blues power play that’s ranked 5th in the league.
- Jaden Schwartz— A pleasant surprise for the Blues this year, Schwartz was also one of the few players that looked in sync during St Louis’s current slump.
- David Backes— Provides secondary stats with hits and penalties besides scoring, but still needs to improve consistency.
FEATURED IMAGE: Jaden Schwartz skates on the opposing end of the ice looking for an opening. (Fox Sports)
