The Top 10 NHL playoff duds of 2016

One thing that both Stanley Cup finalists had in common is that neither one of them had a disappointing player. The other 14 postseason teams can't say the same. A couple of weeks ago we looked at the top 10 players who had their stock improve through strong postseason play.

This week, we're doing the opposite. Below is a list of players that struggled this postseason. However, these duds probably won't have their draft stock affected next fall because of their poor performance. But in keeper leagues, there's a small chance that maybe you can pick these players up for a cheaper price than you could have before the playoffs. There is a chance that some of the players on this list might see their NHL playing career affected by their poor season. That will affect their fantasy stock, but we're a few months away from knowing for sure the full effect there.

Here are the top 10 duds of the 2016 playoffs.

10. Jaromir Jagr

I guess the fountain of youth can run out. After a great comeback season with 66 points in 79 games, Jagr had a very disappointing playoff with just two points in six games. That just happened to be his second-worst playoff performance ever. And it just wasn't good enough for the ageless wonder and for those that drafted him in pools hoping the Panthers were going to go deep in the playoffs.

9. Henrik Zetterberg

Sure most of the Red Wings were disappointing. Gustav Nyquist and Dylan Larkin had just one point, and Pavel Datsyuk had zero. But Zetterberg's one point was more of a dud than those two because he should have had a better playoff. He's got more playoff experience than Nyquist and Larkin, and Datsyuk was distracted with all the KHL talk. It's obvious Zetterberg's career is on the decline, but this was a little ridiculous.

8. Jimmy Howard

A year ago, Petr Mrazek had the chance to wrest the Red Wings starting job away from Howard. And Mrazek seized the opportunity. Howard had the chance for payback this postseason. But he bombed. Despite starting two of the Wings five playoff games, Howard was 0-2 with a 3.59 GAA and a .891 save percentage. This was his opportunity to become fantasy relevant again heading into next season but he blew it.

7. Mike Ribeiro

Ribeiro has been a decent fantasy option the couple of seasons. But this postseason was horrific for the Preds second-line centre. He was eventually surpassed by Mike Fisher and was stuck playing with Viktor Arvidsson and Calle Jankrok. He still had a regular shift on the power play, but Ribeiro had just two points in 12 games and was a healthy scratch for two of the Predators playoff games.

6. Filip Forsberg

Much like teammate Mike Ribeiro, Forsberg had a playoffs that he won't want to remember any time soon. Forsberg was expected to shoulder much of the offensive load for Nashville. And he underwhelmed. He had just four points in 14 games despite having the second highest time on ice for Preds forwards.

5. Henrik Lundqvist

To win a playoff series, the Rangers need Lundqvist to steal the series for them. Just look at his numbers (or series) the last few years. This year, Lundqvist wasn't able to steal the first-round series. In fact, he wasn't anywhere near as good as he could have been. He had a 1-3 record, 4.39 GAA and a .867 save percentage. Sure he was playing the mighty Penguins, but those numbers are the worst then any of the four main goalies that faced the Penguins this postseason.

4. Claude Giroux

Linemate Jakub Voracek could have easily been put in this spot as well. But Voracek also had a poor season where he spent time on the fourth line. Giroux managed 67 points and has shown to be a playoff beast in the past (61 points in 57 playoff games before this year). But Giroux was stymied by the Washington Capitals in the first round, finishing with just one point in six games.

3. John Klingberg

In the regular season, Dallas had the highest goals for per game, coming in at 3.23. Klingberg had 58 points. In the postseason Dallas was seventh at 2.69 goals per game. Klingberg was a major reason for the decrease in goals with just four points in 13 games. He still got plenty of ice time but just couldn't put up any points.  

2. Evgeny Kuznetsov

Kuznetsov was one of the surprise players this year by hitting the 70-point mark for the first time in his short career despite playing on the Caps second line and second power play unit. So he was a high draft pick in many playoff pools. Then he became a disappointment as he had just two points in 12 postseason games.

1. Steve Mason

Mason was one of those goalies that has been underappreciated in hockey pools the last couple of seasons. He's put up  decent numbers when healthy (.922 save percentage and 2.39 GAA the last two years combined), which is similar to guys like Henrik Lundqvist, Tuukka Rask and Roberto Luongo. This postseason undid any good will Mason may have picked up. He let in the worst playoff goal in the past decade. He went 0-3 and with 4.09 GAA and an .852 save percentage, paving the way for Michal Neuvirth to start the last three games of the Flyers postseason and opening the door a sliver for a goalie battle next year.