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Each year the top players (Ovechkin, Malkin, Crosby, etc.) will score their fair share of points regardless of who they skate with. Then there are the players who will score above their averages simply by forming chemistry with their linemates. The symphony displayed from three forwards who are all on the same page is truly amazing. From the Legion of Doom to Sedin-Sedin-Burrows to Perry-Getzlaf-Ryan and more, chemistry is absolutely huge in hockey. While it’s only two games into the season, Buffalo’s line of Thomas Vanek, Luke Adam, and Jason Pominville already has combined for 13 points, with all three players finding their names in the top 10 of NHL scoring.

Last year the New Jersey Devils went from being one of the more consistent upper echelon teams to absolutely plummeting.  Many have debated what the cause was – anything from Ilya Kovalchuk being a cancer in the dressing room to Martin Brodeur getting old to Zach Parise missing almost all year and just about everything in between. The fact of the matter is that something went wrong early and the team was forced to react.

Right around the middle of the season, I love looking back at one-year drafts and seeing who went where. There are always players who fall much further than they should and the more you can snag, the better your team will perform. Since many draft rankings are based on the prior year’s performance, it’s easy to lose names in the draft day madness. Here are some Eastern Conference picks that might be ranked lower than they should.

With each passing day of the NHL offseason, fantasy owners look further and further into statistics, hoping desperately to find the “steal” of the draft. Almost every guide or magazine on the market will provide their reasons why each player will score X amount of points. But even in most “points-only” leagues, power-play-points is still a prevalent scoring category.  Remember that if a player scores a point on the power-play, you’re typically collecting points in two scoring categories instead of one. This article will look into some of the clutch performers from last season and whether or not they have the opportunity to replicate that success.

Going stride for stride with my Western Conference counterpart, I am providing an Eastern Conference version of Ryan Ma’s Earmarked for Success. As Ryan has cautioned, please do not fret over the line combinations. We are merely separating the top-six players from the bottom-six on each team, which can be applied to potential fantasy success for the upcoming season. Top-six players obviously get the lion’s share of ice time, both at even strength and on the power play.