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Looking for sleepers in your
playoff pool? Try a checker. They're the unsung hero of the post-season.
They're stuck with the awful job of shadowing first line players. But from
a playoff pool perspective there is a very important upside. Assuming that
the checkers aren't 1st line players themselves (
Joe Sakic,
Jere Lehtinen and
Steve Yzerman are usually out against the top lines of other teams)
there should be a significant increase in playing time. As well, they
could very well be out on the ice against 1st line players who are
inferior in the defensive zone. Below is a list of 10 players who could
significantly benefit from the extra playing time provided by a checking
role.
Don't
count out the defensemen either. Teams tend to drop down to four core
blueliners during the playoffs. As a result, we've picked our Top 5.
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