All the attention in the universe is squarely on the upcoming NFL season and fantasy football. With kickoff set for later Thursday evening, I declare that it is time to start looking ahead to fantasy hockey season!

Let’s be honest, if you ended up with Wes Welker, Josh Gordon or Sam Bradford you probably aren’t going to win your league anyway, so let’s focus on the sport where the best players don’t visit police stations unless it is for a charity event.

The NHL preseason kicks of in mid September with the puck officially dropping in the first week of October. No need to scramble for research or panic about players to watch, tune in to eDraft and we’ll steer you in the right direction.

Here are the top fantasy options for every Eastern Conference team

Boston Bruins-Tuukka Rask, G

The Bruins have several great options for fantasy owners, but the player that will bring the greatest reward is their goaltender, Rask. He’s proven to be an elite goaltender and plays behind one of the best teams in the NHL. His stats across the board are top three in the league, and if you like to draft goalies early, Rask is your guy.

Buffalo Sabres-Cody Hodgson, C/RW

Unlike Boston, the pickings are slim in Buffalo. Hodgson is a talented young playmaker that can pop the twine as well. He is a horse in the faceoff circle and has been the most consistent and productive player over the past two years.

Carolina Hurricanes-Eric Staal, C

The elder Staal is the best and safest fantasy option for the Canes. He had a down year by his own high standards last year, but will likely rebound at his usual point per game pace.

Columbus Blue Jackets-Sergei Bobrovsky, G

I was going to put Ryan Johansen here but his contract negotiations seem to be at an impasse. Johansen is the best skater in Columbus, but the best available player is the 2013 Vezina winner Bobrovsky.

Detroit Red Wings-Pavel Datsyuk, C/LW

Though he opted out of surgery on his tricky knee, Datsyuk should be ready to go for the 2014-15 season. He isn’t as offensively productive anymore, but still puts up strong numbers with regularity. He’ll likely be teamed with a healthy Henrik Zetterberg which could see a spike in production, if his knee holds up.

Florida Panthers-Roberto Luongo, G

There isn’t much to choose from in Florida other than their veteran goaltender Luongo. He’s out of the media spotlight and will be playing with nothing to lose in Miami, which is a good thing for fantasy owners. A dark horse in Florida would be Aleksander Barkov

Montreal Canadiens-P.K. Subban, D

The electrifying defenseman will be among the top defensemen chosen and is worth a look in the top ten overall. He’s at another level offensively and has refined his game in the defensive zone. Subban might be the most well rounded defenseman in the league and is an easy first round pick.

New Jersey Devils-Cory Schneider, G

The Devils were cruel to Schneider who had to split time with the corpse of Martin Brodeur last year. Schneider took over the starting gig half way through the year and posted outstanding numbers in every category except wins. His Devils won’t get that many more for him this year, but Schneider is a top-tier goaltender.

New York Islanders-John Tavares, C

Though he is coming off a knee injury last year, Tavares should re-assume his position among the elite players in the league. The Islanders are a team on the rise thanks in large part to their all-world captain. Take Tavares in the top five if available.

New York Rangers-Henrik Lundqvist, G

The “King” is another one of those goaltenders that transcend fantasy drafts and demand your attention in the top ten picks of any draft, in any format. He isn’t called the “King” because of his Swedish ancestry, it’s because he may be the best goaltender in the league.

Ottawa Senators-Erik Karlsson, D

The debate on Karlsson or Subban in the east has no down side. Karlsson may be more gifted on the offensive side while Subban might be stronger in the physical, defensive zone. Fully recovered from an Achilles injury, Karlsson rejoined the ranks of the top scorers in the league, as a defenseman.

Philadelphia Flyers-Claude Giroux, C/RW

Giroux is a no-brainer in Philly as the straw that stirs the drink for the Flyers. When he started slow last year, it affected the entire franchise and may have cost Peter Laviolette his job. His new boss Craig Berube is hoping that Giroux starts this season the way he finished last year and so do fantasy owners.

Pittsburgh Penguins-Sidney Crosby, C

Crosby is the best, most consistent option in Pittsburgh and possibly the NHL. A throwback to the days of putting up numbers every night, Crosby is one of only a handful of “sure things” in the NHL fantasy world. There will always be questions about the durability, but he has been concussion free for the past three years. Fantasy owners, knock on wood.

Tampa Bay Lightning-Steven Stamkos, C

A broken leg derailed a promising start to Stamkos’ 2013-14 year, though he was able to return before the end of the season. It’s hard to speculate if Stamkos was at anywhere near 100% during his comeback, but there is no doubt he will be ready to tear it up this season. The NHL’s filthiest sniper is a lock to go anywhere in the top three of every draft.

Toronto Maple Leafs-Phil Kessel, RW

Kessel seems to be a physical anomaly. He is built like a potato but has surprisingly good wheels, ridiculously soft hands and an eye for the net. The Toronto talisman found the mark 37 times last season, tying a career mark. With the Leafs determined to get back to the playoffs, their top gun will have to be on point.

Washington Capitals-Alex Ovechkin, LW

I think that everyone is waiting for Ovechkin to fall off of the productivity cliff each year. His stat line last year was a perfect example of what the Ovechkin detractors claim. He’s a one-dimensional player bent on padding stats at every corner. That’s good news for fantasy hockey owners that can count on the Capital’s captain to take a ton of shots, make a bunch of hits and score a pile of goals.