In this week's Eastern Edge, I'll highlight fantasy takeaways from a couple of teams that were eliminated during the first round of this year's playoffs. Let me know your thoughts in the comments or shoot me a message on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza!

Montreal Canadiens

 These playoffs seemed to accelerate Nick Suzuki's evolution into a superstar. During the regular season, it became clear that Suzuki was going to be a special player – but it still looked like he needed time to develop into that special player. He posted an impressive 47-point pace while averaging 16 minutes of ice time during the regular season. However, the 21-year-old rookie quickly took his game to a new level during the playoffs, where he was trusted to play in every important situation. Power play? Suzuki's on the ice. Penalty kill? Suzuki's on the ice. Down by one with time running out? Suzuki's on the ice! He tallied seven points through 10 games while skating over 19 minutes a night, but that doesn't quite capture the numerous strong plays he made throughout the postseason. He's an extremely well-rounded player who possesses great offensive creativity and hockey IQ – qualities which should help him navigate the sophomore slump which seems to affect so many second-year skaters.

Like Suzuki, Jesperi Kotkaniemi showed tremendous improvement during these playoffs. Kotkaniemi's skating looked much better than it did during the regular season, and he displayed a newfound willingness to drive the net and engage physically. He too is going to be a very special player for Montreal, but I think his development will be more gradual than Suzuki's, so I wouldn't necessarily target him next season in one-year fantasy leagues. However, if you're playing a dynasty format, maybe you want to invest early and reap the benefits when his fantasy stock inevitably rises.

Jonathan Drouin has received a lot of criticism during his time in Montreal because he hasn't consistently performed to his potential. We've seen flashes of brilliance – so we know what he's capable of – but he's yet to maintain that elite form over the course of a full season. He didn't have the best start to the playoffs, but he finished with seven points over 10 games – tied with Suzuki for the team lead. He showed great chemistry with Suzuki in the later stages of that series against Philadelphia. If the two play together next year, I think Drouin could finally have a consistently productive season. His fantasy value doesn't seem extremely high at the moment, so he could be a great steal in the later rounds of your league's draft.

From a team perspective, Montreal looked much more defensively sound during this year's playoffs than they did during the regular season. Sure, Carey Price was excellent, but I'd say his teammates played pretty well in front of him. The top defensive pair of Shea Weber and Ben Chiarot brought a high level of physicality, while the second pairing of Jeff Petry and Brett Kulak showed great skating and puck-moving abilities. Kulak's performance during the playoffs was especially impressive – if he can maintain that same level of play next season, Montreal's defensive corps might actually be able to benefit Price rather than hinder him.

Columbus Blue Jackets

 After an injury-riddled regular season saw him post 26 points in 44 games, Cam Atkinson bounced back in a big way during the playoffs – tallying eight points in eight appearances. I still believe he's a strong fantasy asset when healthy, especially if your league counts shots on goal. I think most people will unfairly judge Atkinson based on his poor performance during the regular season. It's easy to write him off if you blindly accept a number of popular misguided beliefs – "Columbus is a low-scoring team, so Atkinson won't get a lot of points", "Atkinson is injury prone and can't score since Artemi Panarin left Columbus". While some may see those misinformed views as reasons not to draft Atkinson, I see them as additional discounts on a strong fantasy asset, making him all the more valuable.

Pierre-Luc Dubois led the Blue Jackets in scoring during the playoffs, posting 10 points through 10 games. He's on track for that famous fourth-year breakout, having shown impressive improvement throughout his young NHL career. Dubois' evolution into a top-tier talent should help his teammates tally a few more points – ultimately boosting the fantasy value of guys like Seth Jones, Zach Werenski and the aforementioned Atkinson.

An impressive stretch in the regular season saw Oliver Bjorkstrand tally 30 points in his last 30 games. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to maintain that level of production in the playoffs, where he managed just three points through 10 games. Granted, all three of those points were goals, so it's hard to criticize him too much. Since he didn't attract a lot of attention during the postseason, I think he remains one of the league's best-kept secrets. Most people are going to be surprised when he inevitably breaks out in the next year or two. However, as an avid reader or DobberHockey, I'm sure you're familiar with our endorsement of Bjorkstrand. I think you'll be able to steal him in fantasy drafts for the upcoming season, but I don't think that same opportunity will be available in the future.

From a team perspective, I think Columbus flexed great defensive strength through their performance during this year's playoffs. That certainly bodes well for the team's goaltending duo of Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins. Korpisalo certainly earned the right to begin next season as Columbus' starting goaltender. Through nine postseason games, he posted a .941 save percentage and 1.90 GAA. With that being said, Merzlikins has the ability to take over if Korpisalo falters, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Ultimately, I think the team's strong defensive system will allow both goaltenders to post strong numbers going forward.