In this week's Eastern Edge, I'll share an early thought for each team in the Eastern Conference.

Boston Bruins – I'm Easily Swayed, Man

I know it's only been one game, but I'm already convinced that Jeremy Swayman will end up being Boston's most valuable fantasy netminder when the season is over. He looked excellent on Saturday night, stopping 27 of the shots he faced en route to a 3-1 victory over Dallas. Now, it's obviously way too early to evaluate the Bruins' goaltending situation because Ullmark hasn't played a game yet, but I just want it on record that Swayman is my horse in this race.

Buffalo Sabres – Skin in the Game

Through two games this season, Jeff Skinner has registered two points and seven shots. He's seen a huge increase in opportunity compared to last season, skating 18 minutes a night and enjoying a 69-percent share of the team's total power-play time. Yes, I know the Sabres have only played two games so far and you can't put too much stock into such a small sample. However, given the lack of talent on Buffalo's roster, Skinner won't have much competition from his teammates for ice time and should continue seeing a lot of minutes. His confidence seems to be restored under a new coach, so perhaps a 50-point-pace with high shot totals is in the cards?

Carolina Hurricanes – DeAngeLow Ice Time

Tony DeAngelo has seen a huge role with the man advantage through Carolina's first two games of the season, enjoying an 84-percent share of the team's total power-play time. He's made the most of it so far, securing two power-play points already. I do think it's concerning that he's averaging just 16 minutes of ice-time early on. DeAngelo's defensive shortcomings have been well-documented in the past so it seems like the Hurricanes are using him in a limited role where offense is the primary focus. That idea is reinforced by the fact that he's started 75-percent of his shifts in the offensive zone so far. While being deployed in such a manner may help him put up points, seeing significantly less ice time than the average defenseman may limit his even-strength production.

Columbus Blue Jackets – Boon for Boone

Boone Jenner has featured on the team's top power-play unit during these first two games of the season. Adding power-play production to his resume would make Jenner incredibly valuable in multicategory leagues, considering he already puts up a significant number of hits, blocks, shots, and faceoff wins. It's also encouraging to see that Jenner was skating on the team's top line between Jakub Voracek and Patrik Laine during Monday's practice.

Detroit Red Wings – Less for Moritz

Twenty-year-old Moritz Seider has had an incredible start to his NHL career, posting three points in his first two games with the Red Wings. While I have no doubt he's going to be a special player in this league, I think we need to be cautiously optimistic about his fantasy value this year. Through his first two appearances, he saw a 64-percent share of the team's total time with the man advantage. However, in Detroit's most recent practice, Seider was skating on the second power-play unit while Nick Leddy was on the top unit with Detroit's best forwards. Seider will be an incredibly valuable asset in the long term, but in the short term, I'm concerned that guys like Nick Leddy and Filip Hronek may limit his fantasy value.

Florida Panthers – Bob's Bouncing Back

The 33-year-old netminder was solid in each of his first two starts this season. Although he surrendered four tallies to a Penguins team that didn't have superstars Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, he still turned aside 43 shots for a respectable .915 save percentage. He followed that up with an excellent performance against the Isles, stopping 29 of the 30 shots he faced. He recently mentioned deleting his social media accounts after the end of last season. We know that goalies are a different breed and so much of the game can be mental, with confidence often observable from a goalie's posture in net. Perhaps blocking out the distractions will help him stay dialed in this year.

Montreal Canadiens – Pathetic Power Play

Despite having 11 opportunities with the man advantage, the Habs don't have a single power-play goal through three games. Now, there are cases when a team is doing everything right on the power play and you know it's only a matter of time before they start getting results. This isn't one of those cases. Despite having a fair amount of offensive talent, Montreal's power play has looked bad early on, struggling with zone entries and failing to create anything dangerous on the rare occasion they get set up. Given their early struggles, there's bound to be some line shuffling and strategy changes as the team looks to right the ship. While I'm not sure which combination will end up clicking, I think this team has all the pieces to make this work. Mike Hoffman and Cole Caufield have lethal shots, Nick Suzuki and Jonathan Drouin are strong puck movers with high offensive IQ, and Brendan Gallagher is a solid net-front presence. It's up to the coaches to see which other members of the roster can complement these guys in order to create a successful power play. If you have an opportunity to buy low on Montreal's best players, I think you should do it. Although it may take some time, I say they eventually figure things out with the man advantage

New Jersey Devils – Jack's Huge Breakout

It was only one game, and it was against a Chicago team that's off to a rough start this year, but man did Jack Hughes look good on Friday. He scored two goals, the second of which was an absolutely beautiful overtime winner. You'll be hard-pressed to get a hold of Hughes in your fantasy league after his impressive performance in the team's season opener, but his line mate Yegor Sharangovich is a solid under-the-radar option that could provide some sneaky value this year.

New York Islanders – Drowning in Sorokin

It hasn't been an ideal start to the season for Ilya Sorokin. The 26-year-old netminder has allowed 10 goals through two starts, dropping both decisions. Now, I have enough faith in New York's defense and Sorokin's individual ability to know that he'll bounce back from this. However, if your fellow fantasy managers are panicking as a result of this rough start, you'd benefit from the opportunity to buy low.

New York Rangers – Can't Miss Chris

Chris Kreider's 2021-2022 campaign is off to a strong start as he has three goals in his first four games. More importantly, he's averaging 20 minutes of ice time per game – a significant increase from the ~17 minutes he's seen in recent seasons. Early on, it seems like new head coach Gerard Gallant has a lot of trust in Kreider, so the 30-year-old power forward may benefit from an increased role this year.

Ottawa Senators – On the Way Up

The Senators have had a strong start to the season, winning two of their first three games despite missing a key forward in Brady Tkachuk. This team has shown that they're competitive and shouldn't be underestimated this year. In previous seasons, you may have been comfortable picking up a goalie for a spot start if he was scheduled to play the Senators. I don't think that's the case anymore. In fact, given the team's strong play so far, perhaps we've reached a point where you can feel confident picking up one of Ottawa's netminders for a spot start?

Philadelphia Flyers – Showing Hart

The young netminder's season got off to a rough start as he surrendered a few weak goals in regulation during Philly's season opener against Vancouver. He showed great mental fortitude as the game progressed to overtime, exuding confidence while making a number of high-quality saves. He carried that momentum into game two against the Kraken, in which he stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced. Now, the Kraken aren't extremely threatening offensively, so I'd like Hart to have a few strong showings against good teams before I conclude what this season has in store for him. However, it's certainly encouraging that he bounced back from that poor start against the Canucks.

Pittsburgh Penguins – Trust in Tristan

Despite missing superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Pittsburgh Penguins have looked really good this season. They dominated the defending champions in Tampa Bay, pushed a strong Florida team to overtime, and easily defeated the struggling Blackhawks. Year after year, we've seen the Penguins band together and battle adversity brought upon by injuries – and this season is no different. If the Penguins are this good without their stars, I'm optimistic for what's in store when Crosby and Malkin get back in the lineup. Similarly, if Tristan Jarry can post solid numbers and win both of his starts behind a shorthanded team, I think he'll be even more valuable once Sid and Geno return.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Power-Play Palat

With Nikita Kucherov expected to miss the next few weeks with an injury, it looks like Corey Perry will start out in Kucherov's even-strength spot beside Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat. I expect we'll see a few others get a shot in that role over the next few weeks, so I wouldn't necessarily rush to grab Perry from the waiver wire. On the other hand, Ondrej Palat should be a valuable asset over the next few weeks as he'll be filling in for Kucherov on Tampa's top power-play unit. A prominent role with the man advantage led Palat to 20 power-play points last year, fueling an impressive 69-point-pace.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Home Run for Bunting

The 26-year-old forward is off to a hot start in Toronto, posting three points in his first four games with the Leafs. He gave us a taste of this offensive flair last year in Arizona, where he scored 10 goals in 21 appearances. Now, Bunting will always have some fantasy value as long as he's seeing minutes beside Toronto's superstars – which he currently is. However, he's averaging just 14 minutes of action per game and is limited to a secondary role with the man advantage. I don't expect either of those things to change significantly over the course of the season, so a lack of opportunity may limit his offensive ceiling.

Washington Capitals – Russian Connection

We should know by now that age-related decline doesn't exist for Alex Ovechkin, who has three goals and two assists after two games this year. Evgeny Kuznetsov was already primed to bounce back this year after a rough 2021 campaign, but skating beside an elite goal scorer like Ovi will certainly help his cause.