With the 2017-18 regular season and 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs behind us, NHL.com's fantasy staff reflects on the players that have defined the landscape -- for better or worse.

Fantasy writers Pete Jensen, Rob Reese, David Satriano and James Harding selected their most-valuable players at each position based on standard category coverage at the end of the regular season. Each writer has also provided early bounce-back and sleeper targets for next season, as well as standouts from the 2018 postseason.

FANTASY COVERAGE: Top 250 | 100 'F' | 50 'D' | 25 'G' | Team power ranks

Impact of Hoffman trade | Galchenyuk-Domi | Coaching changes | Cheat sheet

Pete Jensen, NHL.com Senior Fantasy Editor ( @NHLJensen

Fantasy MVP: Nathan MacKinnon, COL (runner-up: Connor Hellebuyck, WPG)

Center MVP: Nathan MacKinnon, COL (runner-up: Evgeni Malkin, PIT)

Left Wing MVP: Taylor Hall, NJD (runner-up: Brad Marchand, BOS)

Right Wing MVP: Nikita Kucherov, TBL (runner-up: Blake Wheeler, WPG)

Defenseman MVP: Dustin Byfuglien, WPG (runner-up: Victor Hedman, TBL)

Goalie MVP: Connor Hellebuyck, WPG (runner-up: Pekka Rinne, NSH)

Standout rookie: Mathew Barzal, NYI (runner-up: Clayton Keller, ARI)

Biggest surprise: William Karlsson, VGK (runner-up: Dustin Brown, LAK)

Biggest underachiever: Carey Price, MTL (runner-up: Duncan Keith, CHI)

Bounce-back candidate: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI (runner-up: Jack Eichel, BUF)

Sleeper for 2018-19: Pavel Buchnevich, NYR (runner-up: Timo Meier, SJS)

Fantasy MVP of 2018 playoffs: Evgeny Kuznetsov, WSH

Playoff MVP (not from Stanley Cup Final): David Pastrnak, BOS

More likely to draft after playoffs: Pierre-Luc Dubois, CBJ

Biggest surprise of playoffs: Lars Eller, WSH

Video: NYR@NJD: Hall wires home PPG to reach 90 points

Rob Reese, NHL.com Fantasy Editor ( @NHLReese

Fantasy MVP: Nathan MacKinnon, COL (runner-up: Taylor Hall, NJD)

Center MVP: Nathan MacKinnon, COL (runner-up: Evgeni Malkin, PIT)

Left Wing MVP: Taylor Hall, NJD (runner-up: Alex Ovechkin, WSH)

Right Wing MVP: Nikita Kucherov, TBL (runner-up: Phil Kessel, PIT)

Defenseman MVP: Victor Hedman, TBL (runner-up: John Carlson, WSH)

Goalie MVP: Connor Hellebuyck, WPG (runner-up: Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK)

Standout rookie: Mathew Barzal, NYI (runner-up: Brock Boeser, VAN)

Biggest surprise: William Karlsson, VGK (runner-up: Jonathan Marchessault, VGK)

Biggest underachiever: Carey Price, MTL (runner-up: Braden Holtby, WSH)

Bounce-back candidate: Braden Holtby, WSH (runner-up: Wayne Simmonds, PHI)

Sleeper for 2018-19: Eeli Tolvanen, NSH (runner-up: Valentin Zykov, CAR)

Fantasy MVP of 2018 playoffs: Alex Ovechkin, WSH

Playoff MVP (not from Stanley Cup Final): Mark Scheifele, WPG

More likely to draft after playoffs: Tom Wilson, WSH

Biggest surprise of playoffs: Devante Smith-Pelly, WSH

Video: DET@COL: MacKinnon goes top shelf with backhander

David Satriano, NHL.com Staff Writer ( @davidsatriano

Fantasy MVP: Evgeni Malkin, PIT (runner-up: Nathan MacKinnon, COL)

Center MVP: Evgeni Malkin, PIT (runner-up: Connor McDavid, EDM)

Left Wing MVP: Taylor Hall, NJD (runner-up: Brad Marchand, BOS)

Right Wing MVP: Nikita Kucherov, TBL (runner-up: Blake Wheeler, WPG)

Defenseman MVP: Victor Hedman, TBL (runner-up: P.K. Subban, NSH)

Goalie MVP: Pekka Rinne, NSH (runner-up: Connor Hellebuyck, WPG)

Standout rookie: Mathew Barzal, NYI (runner-up: Brock Boeser, VAN)

Biggest surprise: William Karlsson, VGK (runner-up: Sean Couturier, PHI)

Biggest underachiever: Carey Price, MTL (runner-up: Duncan Keith, CHI)

Bounce-back candidate: Max Pacioretty, MTL (runner-up: Justin Schultz, PIT)

Sleeper for 2018-19: Casey Mittelstadt, BUF (runner-up: Thomas Chabot, OTT)

Fantasy MVP of 2018 playoffs: Evgeny Kuznetsov, WSH

Playoff MVP (not from Stanley Cup Final): Mark Scheifele, WPG

More likely to draft after playoffs: David Pastrnak, BOS

Biggest surprise of playoffs: T.J. Oshie, WSH

Video: PHI@PIT: Malkin fakes slap shot, buries wrister

James Harding, NHL.com Fantasy Correspondent ( @JHarding_Hockey

Fantasy MVP: Nikita Kucherov, TBL (runner-up: Evgeni Malkin, PIT)

Center MVP: Evgeni Malkin, PIT (runner-up:Nathan MacKinnon, COL)

Left Wing MVP: Taylor Hall, NJD (runner-up: Claude Giroux, PHI)

Right Wing MVP: Nikita Kucherov, TBL (runner-up: Phil Kessel, PIT)

Defenseman MVP: John Carlson, WSH (runner-up: Victor Hedman, TBL)

Goalie MVP: Pekka Rinne, NSH (runner-up: Connor Hellebuyck, WPG)

Standout rookie: Mathew Barzal, NYI (runner-up: Clayton Keller, ARI)

Biggest surprise: William Karlsson, VGK (runner-up: Taylor Hall, NJD)

Biggest underachiever: Carey Price, MTL (runner-up: Braden Holtby, WSH)

Bounce-back candidate: Erik Karlsson, OTT (runner-up: Alex Galchenyuk, ARI)

Sleeper for 2018-19: Owen Tippett, FLA (runner-up: Shea Theodore, VGK)

Fantasy MVP of 2018 playoffs: Alex Ovechkin, WSH

Playoff MVP (not from Stanley Cup Final): Jake Guentzel, PIT

More likely to draft after playoffs: Reilly Smith, VGK

Biggest surprise of playoffs: Tom Wilson, WSH

Video: ARI@TBL: Kucherov one-times home Miller's great feed