In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll discuss early thoughts on a few players that were recently traded.

Tyler Bertuzzi

The 28-year-old forward found the scoresheet in his first game with the Bruins, tallying one assist through 16 and a half minutes of action. Despite his strong debut, I still think the move from Detroit to Boston will have a negative impact on Bertuzzi's fantasy value. He goes from a top-line role beside two offensively gifted players in Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, to a bottom-six role with Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic. Although he saw a decent amount of ice time in his debut, I expect his average ice time to drop as he settles into a depth role behind Boston's top two lines. Even if he continues seeing 15 to 16 minutes a night, the downgrade in linemate quality will likely hinder his production. To play devil's advocate, Bertuzzi's depth role should allow him to match up against weaker opponents, potentially making it easier for him to score. We've certainly seen strong teams with productive third lines that benefitted from flying under the radar. One that comes to mind is the trio of Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Mason Marchment that thrived down the stretch last season. The thing is, all three members of that trio had offensive talent, allowing them to exploit weaker opposition. I don't think the same can be said for Bertuzzi, Coyle and Frederic, but perhaps we should see what they can do over these next few games before setting that conclusion in stone.

Pierre Engvall

Considering he's rostered in just 1% of Yahoo Leagues, most fantasy managers probably didn't care when Engvall was shipped to New York from Toronto. However, based on his deployment during his Islanders' debut, you'd be wise to add him to your watchlist. The 26-year-old forward had been stuck in a depth role over these past four years with the Leafs, starting the vast majority of his shifts in the defensive zone and averaging around 13 minutes a night. In his first game with New York, he found himself on the top line beside Bo Horvat and Anders Lee. Although he didn't find the scoresheet, he saw a season-high 17 and a half minutes of ice time. If this continues, it's fair to expect that such a massive upgrade in deployment would have a positive impact on his production.

Dmitry Orlov

The 31-year-old blueliner has had a dream start to his career in Boston, posting nine points in his first five appearances with the Bruins. Two of those points came with the man advantage – an impressive feat considering he's seen just 22% of Boston's total power-play time. Even more remarkable are his six points at even strength, which have come while starting twice as many shifts in the defensive zone than the attacking zone (via NaturalStatTrick). In other words, his production so far has not been a result of offensively focused deployment. Usually, when a player thrives in suboptimal conditions, it's a good thing. Imagine what they'll be able to do when their situation improves! However, in this case, Orlov's situation is unlikely to improve because he's firmly behind Charlie McAvoy in line for offensive minutes. Sure, Orlov's been able to produce in these conditions for a few games, but as the sample grows, the effect of his deployment will become more noticeable. I personally expect something closer to a 45-point pace (0.55 points/game) from him the rest of the way. Since the trade deadline has already passed in most fantasy formats, you probably won't be able to sell high on Orlov at this stage of the season. If he's currently on your roster, I see no harm in riding out this hot streak and dropping him when it eventually ends.

Shayne Gostisbehere

I don't think the 29-year-old defenseman receives enough credit for re-discovering his game during the year and a half he spent with the Coyotes. He maintained a 50-point pace on an Arizona team that really struggled to score, and he's brought some of that offense with him to Carolina. In his first two games with the Hurricanes, Gostisbehere racked up four points – all of which came with the man advantage. Since he joined the team, Carolina's PP jumped from 23^rd in the league (19.4%) to 13^th (22.0%). The sample is small, but Ghost seems to be breathing new life into the Hurricanes' power play. It's amazing that he's been so productive with the man advantage because his deployment hasn't been optimal. He's skating on the second unit, away from top forwards Sebastian Aho, Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov. Being on the second unit, he's seen just 39% of Carolina's total time with the man advantage. It'll be interesting to see if the team gives him a shot with the top group based on his recent success. However, given how well Brent Burns has been playing this season, I think it's more likely that Ghost stays on the second unit, giving the team has two strong groups.

Rasmus Sandin

There was no denying that the 22-year-old blueliner had offensive talent. However, that talent was buried in Toronto, where Morgan Rielly was first in line for offensive opportunity among the team's defensemen. When Rielly went down with an injury late in 2022, Sandin stepped up and posted eight points in 13 games, showing he was capable of producing when given a chance. Now a member of the Washington Capitals, Sandin finally has that chance. With John Carlson sidelined for the foreseeable future, Sandin is the top dog in D.C. In just two appearances with Washington, Sandin already has five points. Two of those points were scored on the man advantage, where he's enjoying a prominent role on the top unit. That prominent role isn't limited to the power play as Sandin saw 25 minutes of action against the Kings on Monday night. When the Leafs were healthy, Sandin rarely skated more than 20 minutes in a game. It's clear he'll get every opportunity to realize his potential during this final quarter of the campaign. Currently rostered in just 27% of Yahoo leagues, don't let someone else grab him from the waiver wire.