Top Player to Watch From Every 2020 NHL Postseason Team: Western Conference
With the exception of the three California teams, every team in the Western Conference will be playing in the postseason. No matter how poorly of a season a team had, they can still sneak into the playoffs, as long as they are in the top 12 of their conference. Even if a team such as the ones in double-digit seeds didn’t have great years, there is always one player that has an outstanding season. Although these players may not be a Nathan MacKinnon or a Connor McDavid, if they had a year where a lot of improvement has taken place, they can sneak up on teams in the playoffs. Below is one player from each Western Conference postseason team that has the potential to flood the scoresheet this summer.
Arizona Coyotes: Conor Garland
There are a few players on the Coyotes that could be mentioned, though not for the right reasons. Taylor Hall, Phil Kessel, and Clayton Keller, all have to prove themselves to Yotes fans. On the other hand, Conor Garland had a standout season, amongst an otherwise mediocre team. Garland put up 39 points in 68 games this season, compared to the 18 points he put up last year in 47 games. The 24-year-old is in his second year in the NHL, and he should come into the qualifying round strong, as he had significant time off this year due to injury.
Calgary Flames: Andrew Mangiapane
Throughout the last few years, Andrew Mangiapane has tried to prove he belongs on the Calgary Flames full time. He has certainly done that this year with a breakout season. 32 points in 68 games isn’t bad for his third year in the NHL, much better than his 13 points in 44 games last season. I expect to see Mangiapane have a good qualifying round. He needs to show the Flames organization that he can be a significant piece in the playoffs, and not just an average player in the regular season. Bringing the reassurance factor to his game this summer could seal the deal in making him a full-time part of Calgary’s roster.
Chicago Blackhawks: Alex Nylander
For most of Alex Nylander’s career, he has been overshadowed by his brother William, a star player for the Toronto Maple Leafs. This season though, Nylander had a breakout year with the Hawks. 26 points in 65 games is a huge improvement from last season in Buffalo. The 22-year-old Left winger also has never played in the playoffs, so he should be a fun player to watch. With the somewhat disappointing season his brother had, I could see Alex putting up a few points in the qualifying round, trying to show he is almost as good as his sibling.
Colorado Avalanche: Andre Burakovsky
There are multiple players on the Avalanche that could have made this list. It seems as though the entire Colorado roster took big steps this year, making them one of the most dangerous teams in the playoffs. Amongst this powerful lineup, Andre Burakovsky has really made a name for himself this season. Burakovsky almost doubled his points this season, from 25 to 45, and in a fraction of the games he played last season. Burakovsky also knows what it’s like to go all the way, as he already has one Stanley Cup under his belt from his time in Washington. This experience is important for a team that should do big things this year.
Dallas Stars: Denis Gurianov
With the Dallas Stars suffering in the scoring department this year, there were few players that broke out offensively. One exception to this is Denis Gurianov, who played his first full season with the Stars this year. He put up 19 points in 64 games, only putting four points to his name last season. The young winger is incredibly fast, and Dallas should be looking to him to continue to develop and score in the playoffs.
Edmonton Oilers: Kailer Yamamoto
Out of any player in the NHL, Kailer Yamamoto may be the most dangerous player in this postseason. Yamamoto had a breakout season, to say the least, finishing the year one point short of point-per-game, with 26 on the season. The winger also finished his extremely short season with an insanely good plus/minus of 17. Yamamoto’s season got cut short due to injury, and as a young player with so much time off, I would imagine he’ll come back just fine. With how great of a season he did play, he is likely ready to go and wanting to show everyone how good he is, who didn’t notice. Showing people truly how good he is going to be an important task for Yamamoto this postseason. It’s not easy to take the spotlight while being on the same team as Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but it is insane how close Yamamoto got in the short season he played, after only scoring two points last year. This could be a good thing though. Teams aren’t going to pick him up, giving him the room to do what he does best. I would put money on this young player exploding in the playoffs, possibly amongst the league’s leaders.
Minnesota Wild: Kevin Fiala
To say the least, the Mikael Granlund and Kevin Fiala trade worked out for the Wild. Fiala put up a pretty good 54 points in 64 games this season. The dangerous part about Fiala is his latter half of the season. By the end of the year, Fiala was considered one of the NHL’s best players, and he is likely the player hurt the most by the season pause. There is the argument that he could lose the energy he had, but this is the best Fiala has played in his career, so I don’t think he’s just going to let that go. If the Wild want a shot a beating the Vancouver Canucks, Fiala is going to have to produce similarly to how he did near the end of the season, and I think he is going too.
Nashville Predators: Ryan Ellis
Although the Nashville Predators had a disappointing year, Ellis showed some serious improvement this season, despite being later in his career. Ellis put up around the same number of points as usual this season, 38 to be exact, but in only 49 games, rather than the usual 70 to 80 games. He distributes the puck well, with 30 out of his 38 points being assists. The Preds are going to lean on Ellis to lock down the blue line this postseason.
St. Louis Blues: Zach Sanford
The St. Louis Blues are the pick of many for the Stanley Cup this season. They have a similar roster to the championship-winning team we saw last year, with even more players developing into their own. One of these players is Zach Sanford. This season he had a 0.18 increase in point per game, with 30 points in 58 games. Last year, Sanford didn’t play in every game in the Cup run, but he will look to be a big piece for the Blues their second time around.
Vancouver Canucks: Adam Gaudette
There are a number of exciting players on this year’s Canucks postseason team. There are many young players who broke out this season, making them a dangerous team these playoffs. Adam Gaudette is a player who stands out and could do a lot of damage throughout the qualifying round. Gaudette played three games more this year than he did last season, putting up 21 more points than last season, for a total of 33. Teams could get distracted watching Hughes, Boeser, Pettersson, and other young stars for Vancouver, allowing Gaudette to put his name on the scoresheet.
Vegas Golden Knights: Alec Martinez
Although Max Pacioretty had a very impressive season with Vegas, Alec Martinez could be a dark horse these playoffs. Martinez was having another subpar season, but after he was traded to the Golden Knights, he really picked things up. Martinez put up the same eight points with Los Angeles and Vegas this season. The only difference is that he played 41 games with the Kings while only playing 10 with the Golden Knights. Martinez also knows what it’s like to win the Cup, as he was part of the LA Kings dynasty. He also scored the goal in double overtime to win the Stanley Cup in 2014. He hasn’t gone to the playoffs in a while, so he should be excited to get back to that style of hockey.
Winnipeg Jets: Neal Pionk
When Pionk was dealt from the Rangers to the Jets in exchange for Jacob Trouba, most considered it a loss for Winnipeg. It turns out that Pionk really paid off. Pionk played two fewer games this year than he did last season, and put up 19 more points, for a total of 45. This will be Pionk’s first shot at the playoffs, so he is likely to continue his success in the qualifying round. The Jets don’t have the best blue line in the league, and if they want a shot at beating the Flames, Pionk is going to have to keep things up.
