Draft Strategy For Your NHL Playoff Pool

Draft strategy for your NHL playoff pool needs to be different from how you draft for any regular-season pool. Picking the next best available player from random teams won’t work. It makes winning the pool very difficult.

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NHL Playoff Pool Draft Strategy

Here’s ONE simple strategy that will put you in the money if you select the right teams. There are variations to this, and different strategies you can implement as well. For beginners, this works well.

Pick two teams. One from each conference you firmly believe can reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

Pick a third team, your sleeper team. This is a team you firmly believe can create a first-round upset and carry that momentum deep into the playoffs.

Once you pick these teams. Try not to stray and draft scraps from other teams.

Some folks like taking a fourth team as well. There is something to be said for picking the top players from a couple of sleeper teams. They can give you 7-10 points in one round.

There’s also the rare duck that will go ALL-IN on one team. You gotta admire commitment.

All this said, the key is somewhat luck. It is largely an all-or-nothing strategy. The teams need to go deep. If you manage to get the majority of your roster to the conference finals or finals, you’ll do very well.

Here’s your first round match-ups:

Eastern Conference:

Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabres

Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Ottawa Senators vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Western Conference:

Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche

Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars

Utah Mammoth vs. Vegas Golden Knights

Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers

NHL Playoff Draft Tiers

Legitimate Cup Contenders:

Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning

Players from these teams will be drafted early and fast. If you take one with a first-round pick, commit to drafting at least two more players from this team. Going all in with two teams from this group will be difficult. Everyone will be after them.

Also Cup Contenders:

Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo Sabres

The Wild and the Stars play each other in the first round. One of them will be golfing in 14 days. Picking either is dangerous, especially with Colorado likely waiting in the second round. Still, you can’t ignore the Wild as a real threat.

Vegas and Edmonton have played much better down the stretch. The Tortorella coaching change could be significant enough that it pushes them deep into the playoffs. Edmonton once again enters the playoffs with massive questions in net. Their playoff experience should help them avoid a first-round upset.

As talented as Buffalo is, they’re green. It is their first playoff appearance in 14 years. Picking Sabres brings risk.

Obvious Sleepers:

Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers

It’s hard to pick Montreal over Tampa Bay. There’s so much experience with Tampa that you can’t ignore it. That said, it’s Montreal. Hockey lore seems to rear its ghostly head come playoffs and create magic.

Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are both surprises. One will be in the second round. I’m expecting a lot of goals in this series. The Metropolitan Division is often filled with surprises. Carolina can’t seem to get over the second-round hump. Besides, it’s hard to bet against Sidney Crosby.

The Real Sleepers:

Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks, Utah Mammoth, and Los Angeles Kings

Boston gets Buffalo in the first round. If there’s one big sleeper that could pull off the upset, it’s Boston. There’s a veteran presence that remains that could pull them through the trenches and grind out a long series win.

The rest face uphill battles, all with large portions of their rosters with little playoff experience and holes in their lineup.

Utah finished just three points below their opponent, Vegas. If not for the Knights’ hot play these past 20 days, I’d be more inclined to take a chance on picking them to upset.

It is more likely than not that all five teams are eliminated by the end of the first round. If you draft this route, buyer beware.