In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll discuss a player to watch early on for each team in the conference. Some players are on this list because monitoring early deployment will help us gauge season-long outlook. Other players are on this list because injuries should result in increased opportunity to start the season.

Boston Bruins – Hampus Lindholm

With Charlie McAvoy expected to miss the first two months of the campaign, Lindholm will start the season as Boston's top blueliner. He should see a high volume of minutes, resulting in plenty of blocks and hits. Although Lindholm hasn't put up huge offensive numbers in the past, he's expected to fill in for McAvoy on the team's top power-play unit, which could help him produce at a high rate early on.

Buffalo Sabres – Jack Quinn

The eighth overall pick of the 2020 draft ranked third in points per game (1.36) across the AHL last season, tallying 61 points in 45 outings. He had a strong showing in the preseason and looks primed to enjoy a top-six role with some power-play time this year. Quinn has the talent to be a valuable fantasy hockey asset, but only time will tell if he's ready to make an impact this season.

Carolina Hurricanes – Ondrej Kase

Over the course of his career, the 26-year-old forward has had many promising and productive stretches derailed by concussions. Kase begins a new season with a new team and looks like he'll be a part of Carolina's top power-play unit. He's expected to start the year on the fourth line but has potential to move up the lineup – although I'm not sure if he'll be able to displace the team's young talent and work his way into the top-six. Injuries remain a concern with Kase, but favourable deployment could help him produce this season. 

Columbus Blue Jackets – Boone Jenner

Columbus' captain is coming off a career season that saw him score at a 61-point pace while skating over 20 minutes a night and seeing 68% of the team's power-play time. He's set to hold a role of similar magnitude this year, slotting in between star wingers Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine. There's some concern that Jenner hasn't fully recovered from a back injury which caused him to miss the final quarter of last season. However, he was able to play in a preseason game and should be in the lineup for opening night. It'll be important to monitor Jenner's usage and demeanor early on as we try to gauge whether last year's back injury will affect him this year. If Jenner isn't firing on all cylinders this season, guys like Jack Roslovic, Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson could get looks in the top-line center slot. 

Detroit Red Wings – Jakub Vrana

Despite averaging a modest 15 minutes of ice time per game, Vrana has quietly scored at a 60-point pace in each of the last three seasons. Playing on one of the more established second lines that Detroit has had in recent years, there's room for Vrana to see more even-strength minutes this season. He has the talent to be a highly productive player, but he hasn't been given ideal opportunities to realize his potential. He's expected to start this season on the second power-play unit, which limits his offensive ceiling this year. However, if the top unit falters, or someone gets injured, Vrana should step into a more prominent role with the man advantage.  

Florida Panthers – Rudolfs Balcers

With Mason Marchment signing in Dallas and Anthony Duclair on the shelf with an injured Achilles tendon, Florida's forward depth chart remains fluid to start the season. While Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart will occupy two of the four top-six wing slots, the other two spots aren't quite set in stone. Balcers is a 25-year-old forward who has enjoyed offensive success at the junior level and in the AHL but hasn't found the same success through 150 games in the NHL. He's had a strong preseason performance with the Panthers and seems to be in line for the best opportunity of his career. 

Montreal Canadiens – Brendan Gallagher  

Gallagher's production over the past couple of seasons has been limited due to injuries but he's finally feeling 100% as the 2022-2023 campaign gets underway. He's a strong multicategory asset when healthy, supplementing a ton of shots with a fair number of goals and hits. He should start the season on Montreal's top power-play unit with young stars Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. I expect Gallagher will see different linemates over the course of the year but monitoring his deployment over these first few weeks should give us a better idea of his outlook for the season.

New Jersey Devils – Alexander Holtz

After scoring roughly a point per game in the AHL last season, the seventh overall pick of the 2020 draft has a shot at a top-six role with New Jersey this year. Holtz should see some time beside young star Jack Hughes early on. If Holtz makes the most of that opportunity and holds onto it long term, he should have a really strong rookie campaign and will be one to watch in the Calder race.

New York Islanders – Anthony Beauvillier  

After being drafted in the first round of the 2015 draft, Beauviller has shown flashes of offensive potential, but has failed to take the next step forward that many of us have been expecting. With six seasons and 400 games under his belt, it's tempting to conclude that he's nothing more than a 50-point player. However, considering he's 25 years old, he may have a little more room to grow – especially with a new coach this season. Beauvillier has been a subject of trade rumours recently, so he should see a lot of usage early on this year, as the Islanders either attempt to pump his tires before a trade or evaluate whether he should be part of the future in New York.

New York Rangers – Kaapo Kakko

Since being drafted second overall in 2019, Kakko has scored around a 30-point pace in each of his three NHL seasons. He's primed to take a step forward this year after a strong preseason performance, looking confident and comfortable on the top line beside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, but also while playing on 'the Kid Line' with Alexis Lafreniere and Filip Chytil. It'll be important to monitor Kakko's deployment early on this season. If he can hold onto that top-line role, a breakout seems likely.

Ottawa Senators – Tim Stützle

The young forward ended last season on a high note, tallying 31 points in his final 27 appearances. Expectations are high this year as he's expected to play with two great players in Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat. Evaluating that line's chemistry early on should help us project the level of offense we can expect from each player this season. Another thing to monitor is power-play deployment as the Senators have six forwards that are qualified to play on the top unit, but just four forward slots to fill. A spot on the first unit (assuming Ottawa doesn't run two balanced groups) would go a long way in helping Stützle take another step forward this year.

Philadelphia Flyers – Scott Laughton

Although Laughton isn't a huge fantasy hockey name outside of leagues that count hits, he's been practicing on the top line with Kevin Hayes and Travis Konecny recently. Laughton hasn't seen much power-play time through 441 games in the NHL but has been taking reps on the second unit during training camp. He seems like the type of player that new coach John Tortorella would trust with a lot of ice time. A high volume of prime opportunity could help Laughton produce more offense this year.

Pittsburgh Penguins – Rickard Rakell

Rakell tallied 13 points in 19 games (56-point pace) with Pittsburgh after he was dealt at the deadline last year. He's expected to start the 2022-2023 campaign beside superstars Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel. If Rakell fares well in that role early on, he could hold onto that spot all season and a 60-point pace is a possibility.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Brayden Point

Point's offensive ceiling this season will be influenced by his line mates. If coach Jon Cooper stacks the top line and plays Point with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, then each player should thrive offensively this year. However, if he spreads those three through the top-six, whichever player is separated from the other two might have a slightly tougher time producing. Keep an eye on where Point slots in and how he looks after recovering from a torn quadricep in the summer.

Toronto Maple Leafs – John Tavares  

Toronto's captain could miss the start of the season as he finishes up his recovery from an oblique strain. The oblique muscles are an important part of the shooting motion, so keep a close eye on Tavares' shot in his first few appearances of the year.

Washington Capitals – Dylan Strome

Strome closed off the 2021-2022 campaign in style, posting 27 points in his final 34 appearances with Chicago (a 65-point pace). He's expected to start the year on Washington's top power-play unit with exposure to some of the league's best power-play producers in Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. At even-strength, Strome will slot in on the second line beside Anthony Mantha. Strome and Mantha are two talented players that could take each other to offensive heights if they can develop chemistry together.