In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll look at a few players who bounced back from disappointing performances last year to have strong showings this year. These are guys that we generally think of good-to-elite but had to rebound and have in a strong way.

Jeff Skinner

Skinner's fantasy value hit rock-bottom after last year's career-worst 22-point pace. It was his second-straight underwhelming season after netting a career-best 40-goals in 2018-2019. Many of us recognized that Skinner's underwhelming production over these past two seasons was a product of unfavourable deployment under coach Ralph Krueger. Despite Skinner proving himself as a goal scorer at multiple points in his career, Krueger mostly used him in a depth role, pairing Skinner with line mates who lacked offensive skill. Fortunately for Skinner, Krueger was replaced with Don Granato late last season, and the benefits of that coaching change have been clear this year. Skinner has bounced back in a big way this season, racking up 33 goals and 29 assists for 62 points in 78 games. He's seeing 17 minutes of action per game this season – a significant increase from last year's 14:30. In addition, he's enjoying a 59% share of the team's power-play time after seeing just 29% last season. Skinner has benefitted from the increased role, posting 11 power-play points this season after tallying just one through 53 games last year.

While the coaching change is a big reason behind Skinner's resurgence, he's also benefitted from playing on a Sabres team that looks much stronger than last year. The team's improved play is due to several factors, including Tage Thompson's breakout, Rasmus Dahlin's bounce-back, and improved leadership/locker room morale following the arrival of Alex Tuch – who has shown great passion and desire to play in Buffalo. With projected star Owen Power recently making his NHL debut, and with other young players on the rise, Buffalo's future looks quite promising. With the team around him improving, I'm reassured that Skinner will be able to carry this season's success into the 2022-2023 campaign.  

Frederik Andersen

The 2020-2021 campaign represented a low point in Andersen's career. He was limited by injuries and posted a 13-8-3 record, with a career-worst 2.96 GAA and .895 save percentage. Fresh off the worst season of his career, Andersen is now having the best season of his career, sporting a 35-14-3 record, alongside a 2.17 GAA and .922 save percentage. While some might suggest the change of scenery sparked Andersen's bounce back, I think his health has been a more important factor. One might expect that Andersen's job in Carolina is easier than it was in Toronto because the Hurricanes have a better reputation for defense than the Leafs do. However, Toronto's defense has actually been better than Carolina's this year if you're looking at expected goals against (via NaturalStatTrick). Perhaps the quieter market in Carolina has given Andersen a better chance to focus on his game without being thrown off by external noise and disproportionate scrutiny that sometimes affects players in Toronto. Regardless, after being hindered by a knee injury last year, Andersen managed to stay healthy and play to the best of his abilities this year. Unfortunately, he recently suffered a lower-body injury and there's no concrete timetable for his return. Let's hope he's able to recover quickly and that this injury isn't a hindrance moving forward.

Dylan Larkin

After tallying just 23 points through 44 games last year, Larkin has bounced back in a big way this season, posting 69 points through 71 outings. If we're looking for reasons behind Larkin's vastly improved production, I think the infusion of young talent in Detroit should be atop the list, with Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond having incredible rookie seasons for the Red Wings. The roster has also been improved by a healthy Tyler Bertuzzi. Larkin's long-time line mate was sidelined with injury for most of last season, but he's back and thriving beside Larkin this year. It's obviously easier to produce when you're playing with good players. Last season, Larkin was essentially tasked with carrying all the offense himself, and that proved to be too big a task. Bertuzzi, Raymond and Seider have taken some of that pressure off him this year. In particular, Seider's elite ability to transition defense into offense is something the Red Wings haven't really had from their blueliners in recent years. Even if Seider and Raymond fall victim to the dreaded sophomore slump next year, Larkin should still enjoy offensive success alongside Bertuzzi and Jakub Vrana – who has looked good since returning from shoulder surgery.

Patrik Laine

After posting a career-worst 43-point pace last year, Laine has bounced back with a point-per-game rate this season. I'd say his rebound is partially explained by new coaching philosophies in Columbus, with Brad Larsen giving Laine a bit more freedom than John Tortorella did last year. Laine is back to averaging his usual three shots per game this year, after averaging just 1.8 last season. He has a lethal shot, and the more he uses it, the more he's going to score. 

Since he needs a new contract for next season, Laine obviously had every reason to put his best foot forward this year. One might say that his improved play can be explained by financial incentive. Another factor worth considering is that goal-scorers tend to be streaky and often ride hot streaks based on confidence. The puck going in more often this year would have boosted Laine's confidence, providing sustained fuel for strong play. Regardless of why his production improved this year, I think Laine has shown us that we shouldn't be writing him off any time soon. He's just 24 years old, so there's still room for him to develop and get even better.