Which forward lines are the ones to pay attention to in the Eastern Conference?

Only a few games have been played in the new NHL season but there is already plenty of information to take in. While none of the early-season happenings should be taken too seriously and result in costly shortsighted moves there are still some interesting developments worth tracking, especially line combinations. Linemates can have a big impact on a player’s production while his placement in the lineup will also impact ice time. If the stars align a fringe fantasy player can become a key contributor. The inverse is also true as the end result could trigger a mediocre year from a proven commodity.

With that said today we will look at seven line combinations from the Eastern Conference that should be on your radar in the coming weeks.

Boston

Loui Eriksson – Patrice Bergeron – Brett Connolly

A spot opened on Bergeron’s line after Brad Marchand suffered a concussion. The other scoring line which features Matt Beleskey, David Krejci and David Pastrnak has done some good things and should remain together while the Bruins try to get their season on track. Yesterday it was Connolly who was the benefactor of the injury. However, he did not register any points and could fall victim of another shuffling of the team’s lines. The other logical candidate for a spot on this line is Jimmy Hayes. Keep an eye on these two as the winner could be in for some good things while Marchand is out. Of course, concussions can be tricky and it is possible Marchand’s injury could be long-term. Both will likely be on your waiver wire as both Hayes and Connolly are not getting much attention in fantasy leagues. As of today Hayes is owned in seven percent of Yahoo leagues while Connolly is only owned in one percent of leagues.

Carolina

Eric Staal – Victor Rask – Elias Lindholm

The early appointment of Rask on the Hurricanes’ top lines makes him a decent fantasy sleeper. His 33 points as an NHL rookie last year made him slide under the radar but it is worth noting he was much better down the stretch last year tallying 24 points in his final 41 contests. A spot on the top line could enable him to push 50 points this year. The danger is the presence of the Staal brothers who are both natural centers. This could push Rask down to the third line at times depending on the line changes throughout the year.

If Rask sticks on the top line the big loser is Jordan Staal who managed a decent points-per-game last year (24 points in 46 games) but did so playing primarily on the top line. Being stuck on the second unit on a thin Hurricanes roster could spell trouble from an offensive standpoint. However, he will still be valuable in leagues that count faceoffs won.

Detroit

Justin Abdelkader – Henrik Zetterberg – Dylan Larkin

If you are going to let a high-end prospect stick with your main roster, you might as well put him in a position to succeed. The Red Wings did that with Larkin by placing him on a line with Zetterberg, the team’s top healthy forward. Larkin responded very well with three points in his first two games. If he can continue producing he will force the team to keep him for the remainder of the season, even after Pavel Datsyuk returns.

This also shows Abdelkader is being trusted in a top-six role even after the return of Johan Franzen. Abdelkader was a solid multi-category player last year but was helped along by the opportunity created by the Mule’s concussion woes. Meanwhile, if Larkin is able to retain his spot it will hurt guys like Franzen, Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist who will have to battle for wing spots on the second line. This is all subject to change but adding extra bodies to the mix could result in players being hurt individually from a fantasy standpoint.

New York Islanders

Anders Lee – John Tavares – Ryan Strome

Thus far the two winners of the coveted wing spots next to Tavares are Lee and Strome. Looking back to last year it is evident that Kyle Okposo was a fairly permanent right wing on this line while the left side was a total revolving door. Neither Lee nor Strone played a lot with Tavares last year. If things continue it will allow the two young forward to take the next step in their development and become better fantasy contributors. Strome especially has star potential and could be a major player in fantasy leagues as early as this year.

Being away from Tavares for any significant amount of time severely hurts Okposo. It also does not help that he is in the final year of his contract and his future in New York is uncertain. This is a situation to watch in keeper leagues as Okposo’s impressive points-per-game totals could decrease in a new city.

New York Rangers

Chris Kreider – Derek Stepan – Kevin Hayes

After an impressive rookie campaign there was some mystery around Hayes’ role with the Rangers moving forward. He has potential as a center but in New York that would relegate him to third-line duty. As a winger, he has more opportunity to move up the depth chart after the team dealt Carl Hagelin this summer. Hayes has responded well with three points in his first three games.

A permanent move to the wing for Hayes would hurt young forwards like J.T. Miller and Emerson Etem who would have benefited greatly from playing next to Stepan. Miller is still valuable in multi-category leagues as a bottom-six player as he can produce with more limited ice time and adds a healthy dose of hits and shots. However, Etem could quickly become a write-off for yet another year.

As it stands, the Rangers are doing just fine without Hayes in the middle. Rookie center Oscar Lindberg has made quite an impression with four goals in three games to start the season.

Pittsburgh

Sergei Plotnikov – Evgeny Malkin – Patric Hornqvist

As expected, Plotnikov opened the year on a line with Malkin, his fellow countryman. The Penguins as a team have not had a good start and Plotnikov has yet to register a point. As a result, David Perron has been moved up to the line with Malkin while Plotnikov finds himself on the third unit. Depending on how the team responds, this could put an end to Plotnikov’s bid to become a second-line power forward this year, limiting his fantasy value to deeper multi-category leagues.

For Perron this is a great opportunity to grab a hold of the spot on Malkin’s line. The Penguins have limited options in the current bottom-six to promote after injuries to Eric Fehr and Pascal Dupuis. This should give Perron a few games to put some points on the board. Despite numerous disappointments along the way he has shown a good offensive upside in past years and could be in for a good fantasy season if he can stay on this unit.

Tampa Bay

Jonathan Drouin – Steven Stamkos – Ryan Callahan

Drouin had an up-and-down rookie year due to a sheltered role in addition to a lot of healthy scratches during the Lightning’s run to the Stanley Cup final. So far in his second year Drouin has seen an increase in ice time and power play utilization while lining up next to star center Steven Samkos. The 20-year-old has been productive out of the gate with three points through three games and could easily hit the 50-point mark if he stays in this role all year. Being a former third-overall pick certainly gives him golden boy status which will help if he shows he is ready.

The promotion obviously hurts Alex Killorn who lined up on Stamkos’ left side frequently last year. Once a coveted fantasy prospect, his upside would be very limited on the third line. However, the Lightning are deep and being on a line with Valtteri Filppula is not the worst of outcomes so Killorn’s totals in the 40-point range might be repeatable.

Closing thoughts

It cannot be stressed enough that it is a bad idea to overreact to the hot and cold streaks at the start of the year. The point here is to look at how the lines are shaping and examine possible outcomes. While the season’s story has yet to be written we can see some opportunities being created. It would not be a bad idea to add some of the benefactors to your bench or perhaps to fill in while one of your stars works through a rough stretch of outings. The key is to keep the risk minimal by not dropping important players.

*

Follow me on Twitter @DH_EricDaoust.