10 Under-the-Radar Players Who Could Turn 2013 NHL Playoffs on Their Head

No matter how many pundits predict a Chicago Blackhawks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Final for 2013, hockey fans know that the NHL playoffs are all about upsets.

Unexpected teams get hot—hello, 2012 Los Angeles Kings—and unexpected players grab the spotlight.

Here's a look at a few less-obvious characters whose names could soon be on everyone's lips—either during early upsets, or when the cup is finally hoisted in late June.

These under-the-radar players run the gamut from raw rookies to All-Stars. Some many steal the spotlight from bigger stars on contending squads. Others could put their teams on their backs and carry them to unexpected heights.

Who do you think will come out of nowhere during this year's playoffs? Sound off in the comments below.

Cory Conacher: Ottawa Senators

Cory Conacher finished the 2012-13 season ranked third among rookie scorers with 29 points. He's tops among rookies who are appearing in the playoffs, finishing behind Nail Yakupov of the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers' Jonathan Huberdeau.

After a fast start with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Conacher's production dropped off and he was dealt to the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline for goaltender Ben Bishop. The diminutive left winger had two goals and five points in 12 games after being acquired. He was used sparingly down the stretch.

Ottawa struggled to score goals all season. They finished 27th in the league with just 2.33 goals per game, the lowest total of any playoff team. Conacher was acquired for his scoring touch and could blow a series open if he rediscovers the offensive magic that had tongues wagging in Tampa Bay back in January.

Jarred Tinordi: Montreal Canadiens

After free-falling through much of April, the Montreal Canadiens tightened up defensively and won their last two important games of the season. Thanks, in part, go to big rookie Jarred Tinordi, who averaged more than 15 minutes of ice time during those two games and helped tighten up the penalty kill.

Tinordi has just eight games of NHL experience but is proving to be a difference-maker. At 6'6", he provides a welcome physical presence on the Habs' back end. A rugged defensive defenseman like Tinordi could be just the ticket to get All-Star Carey Price back on his "A" game as the playoffs progress.

Jussi Jokinen: Pittsburgh Penguins

Much was made about the Pittsburgh Penguins acquiring Brenden Morrow and Jarome Iginla at the trade deadline. Jussi Jokinen joined the group with much less fanfare but so far, he has been equally effective as part of Pittsburgh's points-by-committee system.

In 10 games with the Penguins, the versatile Finnish forward has seven goals and 11 points, while Iginla has 11 points in 13 games and Morrow has 14 points in 15 games.

Jokinen has been filling in while Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been nursing injuries. If Crosby's broken jaw causes him to miss time in Round 1, players like Jokinen will need to pick up the slack if the Penguins have any hope of realizing their potential as Stanley Cup favourites.

John Tavares: New York Islanders

It may seem counter-intuitive to describe a player who finished third in NHL goal scoring as "under-the-radar," but if anyone fits the bill, it's John Tavares.

On a New York Islanders team that quietly climbed from 27th place in 2011-12 to 17th place this year, Tavares has become a candidate for the Hart Trophy as league MVP, as my colleague Nicholas Goss points out.

Tavares' strong play got his team into the playoffs for the first time since 2007. He'll be making his career postseason debut when his team faces off Wednesday against the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins.

If Tavares and his teammates step up and the Islanders send the favored Penguins packing, the 2013 NHL Playoffs will definitely have been turned on their head.

Derek Dorsett: New York Rangers

When the New York Rangers sent Marian Gaborik to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the trade deadline, they received center Derick Brassard, right wing Derek Dorsett, defenseman John Moore and the Blue Jackets' sixth-round pick in 2014.

Brassard has been a strong addition to the Rangers' lineup, while Moore has been a steady third-pairing defenseman. Dorsett, however, has yet to dress as a Blueshirt due to a broken collarbone suffered March 7 against the Vancouver Canucks.

With Brian Boyle and Ryane Clowe still on the sidelines for the Rangers, gritty forward Dorsett told Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News that he hopes to be ready to play in the first round. His tenacious style could be a difference-maker for the Rangers in what's sure to be another hard-fought series against the Washington Capitals.

Jay Bouwmeester: St. Louis Blues

How's Jay Bouwmeester as a playoff performer? After 11 years and 764 games in the NHL, we're about to find out.

Thanks to long tenures with the Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames earlier in his career, the NHL's current Ironman had never made a postseason appearance—until now.

Bouwmeester's new team, the St. Louis Blues, finished the season strongly after Bouwmeester's arrival in a deadline deal from the Flames. The Blues put up an 11-3 record after the trade and moved up to fourth place in the Western Conference. That gives St. Louis home-ice advantage as they renew acquaintances with the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year, the Los Angeles Kings.

A big body like Bouwmeester's on the blueline helped the Blues grab Game 1 and take the first step in avenging last year's loss. If the Blues triumph this time around, Bouwmeester himself could be anointed the "King Killer."

Jason Pominville: Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild acquired Jason Pominville from the Buffalo Sabres in an effort to improve their woeful offense.

Despite nine points in Pominville's first 10 games with the Wild, an April swoon nearly prevented the team from making its first postseason appearance since 2008. The Wild's eighth-place finish in the Western Conference pits them against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Chicago Blackhawks as their first-round opponent.

Pominville missed the Wild's last two regular season games after taking an elbow from Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings on April 23. Brian Hedger of NHL.com reported that Pominville did practice before the Wild's first game against the Hawks, but was not ready to start the series.

After a hard-fought but ultimately losing effort in Game 1, it's clear that in order to mount a charge against Chicago, the Wild will need all hands on deck. Getting Pominville's scoring back in the lineup would be a big help if they hope to follow in the footsteps of last year's Los Angeles Kings and pull a major upset.

Damien Brunner: Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings may have just squeaked into the playoffs this year, but they have a good shot at upsetting the second-seeded Anaheim Ducks.

After a hot start, the Ducks finished out the season with a tepid 5-4-1 record over their last 10 games. The Wings won their last four to grab the seventh-seed and extend their league-leading streak of 22 consecutive playoff appearances.

The Ducks are familiar with the Wings' attack, but a player like Damien Brunner has largely flown under the radar. A 27-year-old rookie out of the Swiss league, Brunner showed plenty of offensive dazzle to start the season but tapered off as the year wore on.

If he can provide reliable production, especially on the power play, he may become yet another important name to add to the Red Wings' long list of European stars.

Brent Burns: San Jose Sharks

When the San Jose Sharks acquired Brent Burns from the Minnesota Wild in the summer of 2011, they thought they were getting a big, reliable defenseman with a booming point shot.

As we move towards the summer of 2013, Burns has morphed into a gigantic right winger and thoroughly annoying net presence.

Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks were driven to distraction by a similar creature named Dustin Byfuglien in the 2010 playoffs. Whether it's Luongo or Cory Schneider in net for Vancouver during their series against the Sharks, Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail suggests that Burns will be deployed in a similar fashion.

If Brent Burns does his job successfully, expect his name to be on everyone's lips just as quickly as we learned how to pronounce "Byfuglien" a few years back.

Roberto Luongo: Vancouver Canucks

It's so hard to say goodbye.

More than a full calendar year after Cory Schneider deposed incumbent Roberto Luongo in the 2012 NHL playoffs, the Vancouver Canucks' $64 million man is still on the roster, and still making headlines.

On April 27, the Canucks' final "mean-nothing" game caused a media firestorm. Filling in for an injured Cory Schneider, Luongo surrendered six third-period goals in a 7-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, then stormed out of Rexall Place after the game without speaking to the media.

The day before their playoff campaign opens against the Sharks, Schneider told Brad Ziemer of the Vancouver Sun that he's ready to start the series, but Canucks' coach Alain Vigneault is keeping the door open for any possibility.

Whether it's opening Game 1 or playing later in the playoffs, Luongo is bound to make an appearance at some point. This is supposed to be Schneider's time to shine but Luongo's play—good or bad—will continue to draw attention and will likely go a long way towards determining Vancouver's playoff fortunes.

Schneider and Luongo winning a Cup together with the Canucks might be the only fitting resolution to this strange goaltending saga.

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