In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll finish discussing how certain players fared in their first season with a new team. This is the third of three parts. If there's a big name you don't see here, we may have covered them in part one or two.

Matthew Tkachuk

Calgary had one of the league's top lines in 2021-2022, with Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk each scoring at least a point per game. Gaudreau moved to Columbus and saw his offensive output fall, Lindholm stayed in Calgary and failed to reach the same heights without his co-stars, but it was Tkachuk who managed to find a new gear after moving to Florida.  

After posting a 104-point pace during his final season with the Flames, Tkachuk managed a 113-point pace in his first year with the Panthers. He benefitted from a greater role, skating 20 and a half minutes per game – a big jump from the 18 minutes he averaged with the Panthers. That increased role extended to the power play, where he enjoyed a 77% share of Florida's time with the man advantage – up from 61% in Calgary. That may not seem like a huge difference, but because Florida also had more opportunities with the man advantage, Tkachuk ended up averaging four and a half minutes on the power-play per game. In contrast, he saw roughly three minutes of PP action during his last year with Calgary. That extra opportunity resulted in more production as Tkachuk posted 0.46 power-play points per game – up from last year's 0.35.

Although Tkachuk had a strong regular season, I don't think he received adequate recognition for how well he played. It wasn't until the playoffs that Tkachuk really demanded public attention. He racked up 24 points through 20 postseason appearances, leading Florida in scoring. He had seven more points than second place Carter Verhaeghe, which was the largest gap between first and second place scorers among all playoff teams this year.

Thanks to a strong performance in both the regular season and playoffs, Tkachuk's fantasy value is at an all-time high. Unfortunately, that means you'll have to pay top dollar to acquire him in upcoming drafts. It's important to note that Tkachuk sustained a fractured sternum late in the playoffs. At this point, the treatment plan hasn't been made public. Although he's still expected to be ready for training camp, I'm concerned that recovering from this injury will interfere with his usual offseason routine. I wouldn't be surprised if he started slow next season and needed some extra time to catch up to the rest of the league. Based on that prediction, I'm avoiding Tkachuk in fantasy drafts due to his high price, but I'm hoping a slow start results in a discount so it's easier to acquire him through a trade early on. 

Claude Giroux

The 35-year-old forward posted 79 points this season, his first with the Senators. It's his most productive year since the 2018-2019 campaign, when he tallied 85 points. One of the most interesting things about Giroux's output this year is the fact that he was able to post strong numbers with the man advantage despite seeing a smaller role than he had in years past. He saw just 45% of Ottawa's total power-play time but still managed an impressive 24 points with the man advantage (0.29/game). The previous season, which he spent in Philadelphia and Florida, he saw a 64% share of his teams' power-play time and posted 23 power-play points (0.31/game). Now, the reason his production didn't suffer from the reduced share is because Ottawa saw a lot of power-play opportunity this season. They led the league with a whopping 306 opportunities per game. So, although Giroux saw a considerably smaller piece of the pie, since the overall pie was much bigger, the size of his piece wasn't much different than previous years.

At even-strength, Giroux spent most of his minutes on a line with young stars Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk. The three played well together this past season, so I wouldn't be surprised if they're reunited during the 2023-2024 campaign. Playing with elite talent should help Giroux produce at even strength, but it's his power-play production that will determine whether he's a top-tier or above-average fantasy asset next year. With Alex DeBrincat expected to be traded soon, a spot is likely to open up on Ottawa's top power-play unit. Unless the team divides time and talent equally between two units – which they have done in the past – there's a good chance Giroux is promoted to the top unit, resulting in a greater share of PP time than he saw this year. The number of penalties Ottawa drew this season will be hard to replicate next year, so if his share of PP time stays the same, it may be hard for him to produce at a similar level again. The way I see it, a promotion to the top unit gives Giroux the best chance to maintain strong power-play production going forward.

Dylan Strome

This past season, his first with the Capitals, Strome racked up a career-high 65 points. A closer look reveals that he was particularly productive down the stretch, posting strong numbers after extending his contract with the Capitals. In early February, Strome signed a five-year deal with Washington. From that point forward, he led the team with 29 points over 29 appearances. Prior to that extension, Strome had signed a standard three-year entry deal with the Coyotes, followed by a two-year deal with the Blackhawks, and then a one-year agreement that brought him to Washington. His most recent five-year deal provided him with a level of long-term stability that he's never really had before. Having one less thing to worry about might've allowed him to focus on his game, allowing him to fall back on strong offensive instincts that got him drafted third overall back in 2015. 

The Capitals enter the 2023-2024 campaign with a new head coach in Spencer Carbery. A new coach often results in changes to player deployment, affecting both ice time and line combinations. Now, it's worth noting that among Washington's contracts, Strome currently has the longest term. He's the only Capital signed through the 2027-2028 season. Given the long-term investment, the team is inclined to place Strome in a favorable position as they aim to maximize return on their investment. He'll face internal competition from fellow centers Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov, but given Backstrom's age/injury history and trade rumors surrounding Kuznetsov, Strome has stronger footing than one would think based on name value.

Strome spent a lot of time beside Alex Ovechkin this season. Considering both players produced at a high level, it makes sense to let them play together again next year. Of course, a new coach complicates things, and there's a good chance Carbery tests out a few combinations early on to determine what he likes best. However, the present evidence suggests that Strome will be put in a position to succeed next year. I think there's a good chance he's still available in the later rounds of fantasy drafts. Given the fact that he has 70+ point-potential, I like him as a low-risk high reward pick.