In this week's Eastern Edge we'll take a look at some ice time trends early in the 2021 campaign. Specifically, we'll highlight two players seeing more ice-time than usual, and two players seeing less ice time than usual.

Jack Hughes

As a rookie last year, Hughes averaged 16 minutes of ice time per game and scored at a 28-point pace. Through nine games this season, he's skating nearly 20 minutes a night. The increased opportunity comes with increased production as he's tallied eight points through nine appearances, which translates to 73 points over 82 games – or 49 points in 56 games. While the extra ice time certainly helps, Hughes spent the offseason developing his game and getting stronger. From all accounts, he looks like a much more dangerous player this year. So, this improved production isn't just a product of the larger role he's seeing in 2021. That's important to note because the Devils have been without top center Nico Hischier so far this season. If/when Hischier returns this season, one would expect Hughes to see a slight decrease in ice time. It's reassuring that Hughes' offensive success is not entirely dependent on his situation. Thus, his individual talent should allow him to keep scoring at a high rate even if his minutes are reduced slightly.

The 25-year-old forward is off to a strong start this season with eight points in 11 appearances. More importantly, he's averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game – a three-minute jump from last year! While this increased opportunity is certainly encouraging, it's important to note that Buchnevich is seeing a prominent role on the penalty kill for the first time in his career. He's averaged two minutes and 40 seconds of PK time, which partially explains why his overall ice time has seen such a sizeable increase. Nevertheless, Buchnevich is a talented player who skates alongside other talented players in New York's top-six. I think he'll continue to impress us with his offensive production, and I'm all the more optimistic because coach David Quinn seems to trust Buchnevich in all situations this year. Gaining the coach's trust should allow Buchnevich to maintain this favourable role and avoid relegation to the depth role he held in his first few seasons.

Teuvo Teravainen

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The Finnish forward is off to a slow start with just two points through seven appearances – a far cry from the 76-point pace he managed in each of his last two seasons. This lack of scoring is accompanied by what looks like a drop in ice time, as he's currently averaging fewer than 17 minutes of action a night. However, that average is slightly misleading because it's skewed by one game in which Teravainen was limited to just nine minutes due to an injury (January 18^th). It's also worth noting that Teravainen recently saw a stretch on the COVID-19 protocol list. Being sidelined for a significant stretch early in the season may have thrown off his rhythm and contributed to this slow start. Nevertheless, I'm optimistic about Teravainen's fantasy outlook because of his individual talent, as well as the chemistry he has with Sebastian Aho. I think Teravainen will rebound from this slow start, but it's certainly a great time to buy low if you can.

Brendan Gallagher

Through 12 games this season, Gallagher has averaged 15 minutes of ice time. That represents a significant drop from the 17 minutes he averaged last year. With fewer minutes, Gallagher has tallied fewer points. His seven points in 12 appearances represent a 48-point scoring pace – an obvious downgrade from last year's 60-point pace. Despite decreases in opportunity and production, Gallagher continues to display the qualities that set him apart from his fellow skaters – namely determination and effort. He's already racked up 46 shots and only seven players across the league have put more pucks on net.

Gallagher's decreased role is mostly explained by the depth of Montreal's roster. In past years, the trio of Phillip Danault, Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher represented the team's best line, so they were trusted with plenty of minutes. The additions of Tyler Toffolli and Josh Anderson give coach Claude Julien the luxury of rolling four talented lines that can be trusted at both ends of the ice. This tactic is all the more effective with the condensed schedule, as nobody gets overworked to the point of exhaustion. So far, Josh Anderson, Nick Suzuki and Jonathan Drouin have looked like the team's most dangerous line, outscoring opponents 9-3. The three players sit second, third and fourth in team scoring behind Canuck killer Tyler Toffoli. While Gallagher hasn't enjoyed the same level of offensive production as those guys, he and his line mates continue to dominate the possession game. So far in 2021, Tatar, Danault and Gallagher have controlled 58.6-percent of the shot-share and generated twice as many high danger chances as they've conceded. The line does so many things right even when they're not scoring. I have faith that the points will come as the season progresses.