Top 10 2015 Playoff-Driven Stock Increases

Tom Collins

2015-06-08

TylerJohnson

 

Top 10 players who have seen their fantasy stock increase thanks to the playoffs

Last week, we looked at the top 10 disappointments of the Stanley Cup playoffs this season. This week, let’s look at the top 10 players who have seen their fantasy stock improve thanks to the playoffs.

Most of these guys will now be higher on someone's draft list than what they were back at the start of April. A couple of them may be making the list for the first time.

5. Nikita Kucherov

While linemate Tyler Johnson gets all the accolades, it is important to note that Kucherov is right up there next to him on a lot of categories. And it won't go unnoticed by smart poolies. While you could take Johnson high, you might also be able to wait a couple of rounds and snatch Kucherov. Of course, that would be easier if Kucherov wasn't having such a great postseason, sending his fantasy value soaring. He's tied for second in postseason goals with 10, fourth in assists with 11, second in points with 21, fifth in plus-minus with eight, and first in power play points with eight.

 

4. Ryan Kesler

It's strange how one good playoff can change the reputation of a player. Whenever I thought of playoff Kesler, I thought of him doing stuff like this. Now, he's seen more as a playoff warrior, thanks to a postseason where he had seven goals and 13 points in 16 games. He was dynamite as a second-line option, and did an excellent job shutting down the other team's top lines while he was at it. From a fantasy perspective, Kesler hasn't cracked 50 points in a regular season since 2010-11. It will be interesting to see if his playoff run will have poolies thinking he could do just that again next year.

 

3. Tyler Johnson

Johnson's been incredible since he came into the league last year as a rookie. And he seems to keep better. While most will still choose teammate Steven Stamkos higher in pools, Johnson is quickly closing the gap. He leads the NHL in goals and points these playoffs, and is the frontrunner for the Conn Smythe trophy. He's also seventh in plus-minus, third in power play points, and second in even strength points. While he may not be a first round choice next season, odds are he's being bumped up a lot of lists.

 

2. Jakob Silfverberg

This was the Silfverberg that had many poolies salivating just a few short years ago. The Ducks second-liner had a definite coming out party, as he went from being a 0.48-point-per-game regular season player to 1.125-points per game in the playoffs. He sits third in the NHL for assists, seventh for points and ninth for plus-minus. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau showed a lot of faith in Silf, as his ice time increased from 15:39 average per game in the regular season to 19:01 in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see if he can have that type of chemistry with Kesler next season for 82 games. If so, he's a top candidate for a breakout season.

 

1. Petr Mrazek

It's easy to forget this now as the Wings were eliminated in the first round, but Mrazek played just as well as opponent Ben Bishop in that first round (Mrazek ended up with 2.11 GAA, .925 save percentage and two shutouts in the postseason), and many would saw the Wings netminder outplayed his counterpart. More importantly, he also stole the starting job from Jimmy Howard. Whether any of this carries forward next season will depend on new head coach Jeff Blashill (still not official), and whether he wants Howard as the number one. For now, Mrazek has proven that he can handle the number one duties on at least an interim basis. And if he can get an opportunity to be a number one goalie in the NHL, then no one's fantasy stock has risen higher these playoffs. 

 

 

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