This week is Bubble Keeper Week at Dobber Hockey – with the site's writers discussing players on the bubble in keeper leagues. These players aren't obvious superstars, so you may be on the fence about holding onto them, depending on your format. In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll review some of these 'bubble keepers' and assess whether we should be pessimistic or optimistic about their fantasy outlook. Without further delay, let's figure out if the bubble bath is half full or half empty (no it's not also Forced Pun Week).

Half Full

Pavel Zacha – With Patrice Bergeron announcing his retirement on Tuesday, the stage is set for Zacha to take step into a bigger role this season. Last year, he posted 57 points while skating 16 minutes a night and seeing just 32% of Boston's total power-play time. Zacha was especially productive in the second half as 32 of those points came in his final 40 appearances. He benefited from playing beside elite goal scorer David Pastrnak frequently last season. An expanded role, with a sustained diet of Pasta, could help Zacha break the 60-point mark this year.

Travis Konecny – After breaking out with a 76-point pace during the 2019-2020 campaign, Konecny posted an underwhelming 55-point pace in each of his next two seasons. He rebounded with a point-per-game pace last year, but the impact of that bounce-back performance was lessened by an injury that caused him to miss significant time late in the season. Although it's unclear if Konecny will stick around as Philadelphia rebuilds, it is clear that Konecny made a good impression on notoriously opinionated head coach John Tortorella. Torts trusted Konecny with 20 minutes of action per game last year, giving him a 61% share of the team's total power-play time. That kind of deployment could be replicated this year as Konecny remains the most offensively gifted winger on the Flyers' roster. If you're concerned that he'll get traded to a team that gives him less deployment, rest assured that his new team would also provide higher quality linemates – offsetting some of that role reduction. As a result of being on a bad team, and having his bounceback season overshadowed by injuries, I think Konecny's perceived fantasy value is below his actual fantasy value. 

Dylan Strome – The 26-year-old center is coming off a career-best season that saw him rack up 65 points. A closer look at his numbers reveals an interesting story. During the first half, he enjoyed a 71% share of Washington's power-play time and posted an impressive 14 power-play points in his first 42 games. In the third quarter, Nicklas Backstrom returned from injury and the Capitals tinkered with their power-play lines. Strome saw just 39% of the team's PP time during this stretch and didn't tally a point with the man advantage through 19 games. Fortunately, his situation improved during quarter four, where he tallied seven PPPs in 20 games, seeing 58% of the team's total time with the man advantage. It's encouraging to see that he reclaimed his spot on the top unit. A sustained role there this year could help him crack the 70-point mark.

Half Empty

Bryan Rust – Last season was a disappointing one for Rust as he tallied just 46 points in 81 games. In the three years leading up to that, he'd scored at an 83, 62, and 79-point pace. When comparing Rust's deployment last year compared to those more productive years, one thing that stands out is his role on the power play. From 2019-20 to 2021-22, he saw lots of time on Pittsburgh's star-studded top unit. Enjoying a 63% share of the team's total time with the man advantage, he posted 49 power-play points in 171 games (0.29 PPP/game) during that span. Last season, Rickard Rakell stole his spot with the top group. Left with a measly 38% share of power-play time, Rust posted 11 PPPs in 81 appearances (0.14 PPP/game). Although it's possible Rust returns to regular power-play duties this year, the lack of certainty there would make me hesitant to keep him in fantasy leagues. He'll likely get a high volume of even-strength deployment to remain relevant in most formats, but his offensive ceiling is limited without a prominent power-play role.

Brandon Montour – Last season was the most productive of Montour's seven seasons so far. He provided incredible offense from Florida's blueline, tallying 73 points over 80 outings. The career-high production was fuelled by career-high opportunity, with Montour averaging 24 minutes of action per game, and enjoying a 74% share of Florida's total time with the man advantage. So why then, would I tell you to think twice before keeping him in your fantasy league? Well, my main concern is that Montour is currently recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and his status for the start of the season is up in the air. As a result, another defenseman, like Gustav Forsling or Oliver Ekman-Larsson, will likely start the year on Florida's top power-play unit (Aaron Ekblad is also recovering from shoulder surgery). If they do well in the role, perhaps they take power-play opportunity away from Montour this year. It's not that I think Montour's a one-hit wonder, I just think there are safer options out there.

Blake Wheeler – Although Wheeler's real-world value to the Rangers will likely surpass his $800,000 AAV, I don't think he'll get the deployment to be worth keeping in most fantasy formats. Last season, the 36-year-old forward scored at a 63-point pace. While that would be respectable for most, it was a down year for Wheeler who'd been a 75-point player in recent seasons. One of the reasons for his decreased output was a reduced role on Winnipeg's power-play. He'd been seeing over 60% of the Jets' total power-play time in recent years, but that fell below 50% last season. It's likely that number falls further in New York, where the top unit gets the lion's share of action, and where Wheeler will have even more competition for power-play opportunity.