In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll look at the most disappointing player from each team in 2021. This will be the first of two parts, where we'll cover the first eight teams of the conference in alphabetical order (i.e. Boston to New Jersey). Check out last week’s edition as we discussed discrepancies between regular season performance and playoff performance.

Boston Bruins – Jake DeBrusk

In his fourth NHL season, the Bruins forward managed 14 points in 41 games, which translates to 28 points in your typical 82-game campaign. It was a significant step back for a player that scored at or around a 50-point pace in each of his first three years in the NHL. DeBrusk converted on just 5.4-percent of his shots this year after posting shooting percentages above 11-percent in each of his first three seasons. I think he bounces back next year, but the magnitude of his rebound will depend on what Boston does in the offseason. If the Bruins re-sign Taylor Hall and David Krejci, there won't be any room for DeBrusk in the top-six. It won't be easy to produce offense if he's limited to the third or fourth line – away from the team's more offensively gifted players.

Buffalo Sabres – Taylor Hall

Although he finished the regular season on a high note, posting 14 points in 16 games with the Bruins, Hall's time in Buffalo was incredibly disappointing. Heading into the 2021 campaign, we had high expectations for the 29-year-old winger as he was projected to play alongside Jack Eichel. Unfortunately, those two never really displayed the chemistry we thought they would, and Hall finished with just 19 points in 37 games as a Sabre. I'm willing to overlook Hall's time in Buffalo because none of the Sabres played particularly well this year. The team seemed to let their losses snowball into a timid mentality that plagued their on-ice performance. In addition, this season's condensed schedule provided fewer opportunities for Hall to practice and acclimate to a new team. He looked much more comfortable beside David Krejci and Craig Smith in Boston, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him re-sign with the Bruins.

Carolina Hurricanes – Teuvo Teravainen

We saw strong showings from most of Carolina's fantasy-relevant players this year, but injuries prevented Teravainen from having a significant impact in 2021. He was limited to 21 games during the regular season and was hindered by COVID-19 and a concussion. He tallied 15 points in those outings, which translates to 59 points over 82 games – a downgrade from the 76-point pace he posted in back-to-back seasons leading up to 2021. It seems unfair to call him a disappointment when you consider the circumstances, but it's hard to identify another Hurricane who showed such a discrepancy between regular season performance and fantasy draft ranking.

Columbus Blue Jackets – Patrik Laine

After scoring at or above a 30-goal pace in each of his first four seasons, Laine managed just 10 goals in 45 games with Columbus – which translates to 18 goals through 82 games. The Blue Jackets struggled to generate offense this year, averaging 2.39 goals per game. Only the Ducks (2.21 goals/game) and Red Wings (2.23 goals/game) had more trouble scoring. Laine's scoring struggles may be explained in part by John Tortorella's coaching style. Tortorella seemed hellbent on fitting a square peg in a round hole as he forced Laine to become a more complete player and punished the winger with less ice time when he struggled defensively. Fortunately, Columbus' new coach Brad Larsen seems more willing to embrace Laine's offensive strengths, saying he isn't going to make Laine something he's not. I think Laine bounces back next season but there are other factors to consider as he's currently a restricted free agent.

Detroit Red Wings – Dylan Larkin

The Red Wings captain posted 23 points in 44 games this year, which translates to 43 points in 82 games. It was Larkin's lowest output in recent years as he scored at or above a 60-point pace in three-straight seasons heading into the 2021 campaign. He missed 12 games due to injury this year and spent most of his minutes without line mate Tyler Bertuzzi – who was limited to just nine games due to a back injury. Since Larkin missed the final stretch of the season with a neck injury, we didn't really get to see him play with Jakub Vrana – who arrived at the Trade Deadline in exchange for Anthony Mantha. I'm optimistic that Larkin will bounce back next year alongside Vrana and a healthy Bertuzzi, as well as a young core that is constantly improving.

Florida Panthers – Sergei Bobrovsky

Amidst an excellent season that saw Florida finish fourth in the league standings, Bobrovsky was really the only player that underperformed. Fortunately, many of us had learned from his disappointing showing in 2019-2020 as Bob wasn't among the first 20 goalies selected in your average Yahoo fantasy league this year. Nevertheless, a 2.91 GAA and .906 save percentage are still underwhelming for a two-time Vezina who has a cap hit of $10 million. Since signing in Florida, Bobrovsky has been outplayed by Chris Driedger and even Spencer Knight. It's hard to be optimistic about Bob's fantasy value going forward but you can never really predict which goalies are going to do well in a given year, so maybe he bounces back next season.

Montreal Canadiens – Carey Price

If you've been watching Price's outstanding play in the 2021 postseason, it must be strange to see his name on a list of the conference's most disappointing players. He's put together an impressive performance so far in the playoffs, winning 10 of his 15 starts and posting a 2.09 GAA and .931 save percentage in the process. However, that wasn't the story during the regular season, where Price registered a 2.64 GAA and .901 save through 25 appearances. Those are pretty underwhelming numbers for someone who was selected in the top-50 of your average Yahoo fantasy draft. While Price has been excellent during the playoffs, I think the team in front of him also deserves a lot of credit for tightening up their defensive play. It'll be interesting to see what version of Price we get during the regular season next year. From a fantasy perspective, I think he may be overvalued next season, as a result of this heroic playoff performance. With that being said, next season is still far away. As hockey fans, we may as well sit back and appreciate what Price is doing right now.

New Jersey Devils – Nikita Gusev

I don't think expectations were too high for any of the Devils this year, so it's hard to label any one of them as a 'disappointment'. Jack Hughes was the first Devil of the board in your average Yahoo fantasy draft, but he was selected outside the top-150. As a result, it's hard to criticize the sophomore's 45-point pace this year, especially when you consider that it was a significant improvement from last year's 28-point pace. I ended up going with Nikita Gusev, who managed just five points in 20 games and was often scratched during his time with the Devils. Many of us categorized him as a sleeper after he had a solid performance to close out the 2019-2020 campaign, posting 37 points in his final 50 appearances. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to click with coach Lindy Ruff and his contract with the Devils was eventually terminated.