We head to the Eastern Conference today to look at my favorite players in the Atlantic Division
Boston – Patrice Bergeron
What a career Patrice Bergeron has had so far. He’s a champion at both the international and NHL level. He is the elite defensive center in the NHL with four Selke Trophies and also happens to be offensively gifted. He’s tasked with successfully shutting down the best players in the world on a nightly basis and that includes Sidney Crosby. His remarkable career was almost derailed with significant concussion issues and he has been able to not only recover, but maintain his excellence. He’s one of the very best in the league. The epitome of a 200 foot player
Buffalo – Casey Mittelstadt
This kid is going to treat the NHL to some absurd pucks skills and vision. It’s likely the Sabres hit gold with their eighth overall selection in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. When you watch him play everything points to him being an offensive wizard. My hope is that his future coaches in the NHL don’t coach the creativity out of him. I tend to gravitate towards players that do things that very few do. Mittelstadt’s hands do things that very few players can do. I look forward to Rasmus Dahlin springing Mittelstadt into open ice for him to do his thing for many years to come.
Detroit - Henrik Zetterberg
I'm going to be honest. There isn't much here with the Red Wings. You would think with the number of NTC/NMC's Ken Holland has given out over the years that we would have some more interesting players. Zetterberg is the player who stands out on this roster even if his better days are behind him. He's the 2008 winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy when the Detroit Red Wings suffocated every opponent they faced. He's a Gold Medal winner. He was an absolute bull to play against. He was as physical as he was crafty.
Florida - Aleksander Barkov
He was somewhat of a surprise pick with Jonathan Drouin being talked up before the 2013 NHL Draft and it's a good thing Florida went in this direction. Barkov is coming off of his career best season where he had 78 points in 79 games. He is well known for his brilliance in the shootout where he not only scored, but completely embarrasses NHL goaltenders. He played on one of the NHL's best lines when he teamed up with Jaromir Jagr and Jonathan Huberdeau. Barkov's defensive reputation is growing as he was almost a finalist for the Selke Trophy this past season. He's another example of a player where you don't need to sacrifice offensive to be defensively responsible
Montreal - Max Pacioretty
I don't think this option will be available much longer so I'm going to seize the opportunity. He has been one of the league's best goal scorers while being paid a lot less than his market value. He's had to endure terrible management issues where he's been turned into a scapegoat. Throughout Bergevin's pathetic tenure as general manager Pacioretty has been consistently professional. He continued the theme of American born captains in Montreal after taking over from Brian Gionta.
Ottawa - Erik Karlsson
This was a no-brainer. He's one of my favorite hockey players, period. He is a remarkably talented player who does literally everything for the Senators. His ability to break out the puck and facilitate offense is staggering. He is a favorite for the Norris Trophy every season unless it's a good ol' Canadian boy's turn to win. He's dealt with serious injury and has bounced back like it was nothing. He will finally gain his freedom from Ottawa and I couldn't be more happier for him.
Tampa Bay - Steven Stamkos
On a team with many very good players I like watching Stamkos the most. He has one of the best one-timers in hockey alongside Alexander Ovechkin. He's a legit #1 overall pick and has been worthy of the franchise player tag in Tampa Bay. If not for a gruesome broken leg and other injuries his career totals would be even more bloated. He's not just a power play specialist he is usually among the best producers of offense at 5v5.
Toronto - Auston Matthews
He's flat out awesome. His NHL debut was legendary when he scored four times. Since then he's been a goal scoring machine. His shot is ridiculous, his hands are ridiculous, and being able to combine that with his size makes for an impossible task for defenders. He's one of the brightest young stars in the league and is the star of one of the brightest upcoming teams in the league. He has a legit chance to go down as the best Maple Leaf of all-time. This hockey magician did not come from Canada. He came from the Arizona desert which makes it even more remarkable. He's like a left-handed Mario Lemieux and that is pretty great.
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
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