In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll look at players that struggled to adjust to new surroundings in 2021. This includes players that joined new teams ahead of the regular season, as well as those that were traded during the year.

You've probably heard it again and again, but the 2021 campaign really was a year unlike any other. The regular season saw teams play 56 games over a span of four months, with many interruptions caused by COVID protocols. With such a condensed and hectic schedule, teams didn't have as many opportunities to practice and incorporate new additions to their roster. By the same token, new players didn't have as much time to adjust to their new surroundings. With this in mind, I think we should attenuate our criticism of players that struggled on new teams this year. Their struggles may be explained by a lack of opportunity to acclimate. As such, they may just need some extra time to get familiar with their new situation en route to a bounce-back performance next season. While that seems like a logical conclusion, many of these players have already seen their fantasy value take a hit as a result of recent struggles. Fortunately, that means you may be able to acquire them at a discounted rate in your fantasy leagues. With that being said, there may be other red flags which caused the player's fantasy value to plummet, such as unfavourable deployment and a downgrade in quality of linemates. If that's the case, getting extra time to acclimate next season may not be enough to spark a bounce-back performance. Without further ado, let's discuss players that will benefit from extra time to adjust to new surroundings, and others that won't.

Patrik Laine

One of the league's most prolific goal scorers managed just 10 goals in 45 games with the Blue Jackets this season. In my opinion, his struggles in Columbus weren't so much a product of the condensed schedule and limited opportunity to acclimate, but moreso a product of John Tortorella's coaching decisions. Laine didn't just have to adapt his playstyle to fit in with the Blue Jackets, he was forced to reinvent his game completely to appease the defensively-minded Tortorella. That strategy proved disastrous, so it's encouraging that new head coach Brad Larsen plans on taking a different approach which caters to Laine's strengths. From a fantasy perspective, it's important to recognize that most people have already heard about Larsen's plans to help Laine succeed. As a result, the 'coaching boost' has already been incorporated into Laine's current fantasy value, which has rebounded from the all-time low it saw after his poor performance this year. With that being said, everyone is also cognisant of the fact that Columbus doesn't possess the same level of offensive talent that Winnipeg does. Most fantasy managers recognize that Laine will have to create his own offense in Columbus and power-play production won't come as easily as it did with the Jets. While there are certainly valid arguments on both sides, I think optimism should outweigh pessimism here. In my opinion, Laine is a great high-risk/high-reward option to target after you've secured a few superstars in the early rounds of your fantasy draft. 

Evgenii Dadonov

The 32-year-old forward qualifies for this list as he paced for 30 points in his first year with the Senators after scoring at a 56, 70 and 72-point pace in his last three seasons with the Panthers. I think it's important to recognize that Dadonov was asked to play a new role in Ottawa – one that he hadn't really played before. In Florida, he was a key feature of the team's offense, but he didn't really have to be 'the guy' because he played beside superstars Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. In contrast, the Sens needed him to provide a veteran presence on a young team in the early stages of a rebuild. He may have needed some time to get used to the new role, but the condensed schedule didn't give him much of a chance to settle in, which would explain his poor offensive performance this year. With that being said, there are other factors at play which suggest that Dadonov won't magically bounce back once he's had time to adjust to his new situation. For starters, he was skating less than 15 minutes a night during the second half of the season, a significant reduction from the 18 to 19 minutes he averaged in his most product years with the Panthers. In addition, he managed just one point with the man advantage this year after tallying 17 power-play points last season. Ottawa's power play isn't expected to get significantly better next year, so I wouldn't bet on Dadonov touching the 55-point mark.

Kyle Palmieri

The 30-year-old winger was a consistent performer in New Jersey, flirting with a 55-point pace in each of his five full seasons with the Devils. Unfortunately, he struggled to produce after he was traded to New York, tallying just four points through 17 regular season games with the Islanders – which translates to 19 points over 82 games. The theory that he needed extra time to adjust to his new surroundings seems valid as he bounced back to some extent in the playoffs, scoring seven goals in 19 appearances during the postseason. Still, I feel like his fantasy value is currently marred by his lacklustre production during the regular season, as he finished the year with 21 points in 51 games. Palmieri is currently an unrestricted free agent, so we aren't quite sure where he'll end up next year. I will say that power-play production has been important for him in the past, so while I'm optimistic he can bounce back next year, I'd certainly be more encouraged if he signed with a team that had a competent power-play.