In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll complete our review of the 'Core Four' for every team in the East. Check out previous parts below!

Part One (Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Columbus)

Part Two (Detroit, Florida, Montreal, New Jersey)

Part Three (NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia)

While we've been working through the Eastern Conference, Grant Campbell has been working through the West. Make sure to check out his coverage here. As Grant established, 'The Core Four' are players who should be the foundation for their team to build on over the next three to five years.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby (Forward) (36 years old) – Pittsburgh's captain has 18 NHL seasons under his belt. Remarkably, he's managed to score more than a point per game in each of those 18 years. The 36-year-old forward has shown no signs of slowing down, coming off an impressive 2022-2023 campaign in which he tallied 93 points. Arguably the greatest player of his generation, there's a loyalty that exists between him and the organization. He'll likely be a part of Pittsburgh's core until he retires.

Evgeni Malkin (F) (37) – He'll probably never get the recognition he deserves because he played behind one of the greatest players of all time, but Malkin's achievements are up there with some of the best. Looking at all-time rankings, he ranks 18^th in points per game and 14^th in total playoff points. Having accomplished so much together throughout their illustrious careers, I wouldn't be surprised if Sid and Geno also ended up retiring together.

Kris Letang (Defenseman) (36) – If we're comparing hockey teams to vehicles, this generation of the Penguins has been a Polaris Slingshot – two wheels in the front and one in the back. For years, Letang has been the star defenseman complementing Sid and Geno. Since he broke out with 50 points in 2010-11, Letang has been one of the league's top offensive blueliners, ranking fifth in points among blueliners over the past 13 years. With five years left on his contract, the 36-year-old defenseman is one of just five Penguins signed until the end of the 2027-2028 campaign. Although age and injury troubles may prevent him from playing out the duration of that deal, I imagine he has enough in the tank to give it a good go beside Malkin and Crosby for the next few seasons.

Erik Karlsson (D) (33) – Before the Penguins traded for Karlsson, I would've given this spot to Jake Guentzel. Based purely on talent, Guentzel deserves a spot on this list. However, because he's a free agent at the end of this season, and because the Penguins don't have an abundance of cap space, there's a decent chance Guentzel will have to sign with another team in order to get the money he deserves. Fresh off a career-best 101-point campaign, 33-year-old Erik Karlsson is now a part of the core in Pittsburgh, brought in to support Crosby, Malkin and Letang as they go on one last ride. In trading for Karlsson, General Manager Kyle Dubas showed the hockey world he believes in the team's aging, but legendary core.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa's captain Steven Stamkos is very much a part of the team's core. However, since I'm only allowed to pick four players, I had to leave him off this list. My decision came down to the fact that he has just one year left on his deal, and at 33, he's the oldest of the group.

Nikita Kucherov (F) (30) – Kucherov has been one of the league's best players since he broke out as a sophomore during the 2014-2015 campaign. From that season on – a period of eight years – he's scored 1.20 points per game. Connor McDavid is the only player who's scored at a higher rate during that span. During the same eight-year period, Kucherov leads the league with 159 playoff points. No one else comes close, as even second-place Victor Hedman only has 101. Kucherov has been an integral piece of Tampa's recent success and should play a similar role going forward as he's on contract for four more years.

Brayden Point (F) (27)– One of the most impressive things about Point is his body of work in the playoffs. He's played a full regular season's worth of playoff games, with 82 postseason appearances under his belt at the crisp age of 27. More impressive is the fact that he's maintained a point-per-game scoring rate during that span. On contract for seven more years, Point should continue to put up points with the Lightning for the foreseeable future.

Andrei Vasilevskiy (Goaltender) (29) – It's been seven years since Vasilevskiy took over as the starter in Tampa. Across those seven seasons, his worst single season save percentage is an above average .915. He's displayed a high level of consistency that's so hard to find in net these days. On contract for the next five years, Vasilevskiy should remain the team's top netminder for the forseeable future.

Mikhail Sergachev (D) (25)– Victor Hedman's name is synonymous with the rest of the players on this list, so it seems irresponsible to leave him off it. However, after lots of deliberation, I concluded that Sergachev is a more integral piece of the core going forward. Having signed an eight-year extension with the Lightning, Sergachev's future with Tampa is much more concrete than Hedman's, as the latter has just two years left on his current deal. We saw a changing of the guard begin last season, with Sergachev outscoring Hedman 64 to 49. Sergachev saw more power-play opportunity than Hedman down the stretch and into the playoffs. If these trends are emerging now, I imagine they'll only become more prevalent over the next three to five years as Sergachev embraces his prime and Hedman battles age-related decline.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews (F) (25)– Since he entered the league in 2016-2017, nobody has scored more goals than Matthews. Given his unique ability to find the back of the net, you can bet the Leafs will do everything they can to re-sign him before his contract expires at the end of this season. So, even though he only has one year left on his current deal, I think it's fair to say he's part of Toronto's core going forward. Reports indicate he wants to stay in Toronto, so it's probably not a question of if he's going to re-sign, it's how much he's going to re-sign for.

Mitch Marner (F) (26)– Often the scapegoat when Toronto struggles, Marner rarely gets enough credit for his elite offensive contributions. Over the past five years, he's amassed 424 points in 348 games, which places him fifth in league scoring during that span. Given how he's been treated by the tough market in Toronto, it's plausible he seeks a change of scenery when his current deal expires in two years. Although he doesn't have the lengthy contract term you typically want to see from a 'core player', term doesn't really define Toronto's core right now. The Leafs currently have just four players on contract past the 24-25 campaign (when Marner's deal expires): David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok, Ryan Reaves and Morgan Rielly. With the exception of Rielly, those guys have done enough to be considered part of the team's core.

John Tavares (F) (32)– Currently captain of the team, Tavares is an important piece of Toronto's roster. The Leafs have a lot of contracts expiring at the end of this season, so the fact that Tavares has two years left on his deal gives him a more concrete future with the team than many other Leafs. With that being said, considering he'll be 34 when his contract expires, I wouldn't be surprised if the Leafs part ways with him in the coming years. Seven years senior to Matthews and Marner, he doesn't quite fit the timeline of Toronto's younger superstars, who are more integral members of the team's core. Regardless, he's been part of the core since signing with the team in 2018-2019, and I don't think anyone else in the organization has done enough to dethrone him. Perhaps his replacement will be acquired in the coming years.

Morgan Rielly (D) (29)– Typically, conversation about the Leafs' core four also includes William Nylander. However, with only one year left on his current deal, Nylander's future with the team remains questionable. He's set to become a free agent at the same time as Matthews, and the organization is likely to prioritize contract negotiations of the latter, which could leave Nylander to find a new home. Now, given his elite talent, Toronto will probably at least try to keep him on the roster, but out of the team's star players, I'd say Nylander's future with the team is least concrete. I chose Morgan Rielly for this spot because he's been Toronto's top defenseman for years and is locked in for another seven seasons. It'll be interesting to see if John Klingberg – a more one-dimensional scoring defenseman – steals offensive opportunity from Rielly this year.

Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin (F) (37) – It's hard to imagine that a player can be the centerpiece of their team at the age of 37, but Alex Ovechkin has no regard for our imaginations. His 18^th and most recent season in the league saw him rack up 42 goals and 75 points over 73 games. He's been a multicategory beast in fantasy leagues throughout his career, providing an elite number of shots, hits and power-play production. Ovi's on contract for the next three years, which should give him enough time to find the 73 goals he needs to beat Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal-scoring record.

Tom Wilson (F) (29) – On Friday, Wilson signed a seven-year extension with the Capitals, keeping him in town for the next eight seasons. It's a lengthy commitment to make to a power forward fresh off knee surgery who's entering the back half of his career – but it shows the organization thinks of Wilson as a core piece. Although he's never scored at a 60-point pace, he's also never seen a prominent role with the man advantage. If that ends up changing, he could find a new level of offense to supplement the hits and penalty minutes we've been able to rely on him for in the past.

Dylan Strome (F) (26) – Strome hasn't reached the lofty potential that came with being the third overall pick of the 2015 draft. However, he's only played 354 games, so it's not outlandish to suggest his development may take slightly longer than other players from that draft, who were given more opportunity out of the gate. The 26-year-old center is coming off a career-best 66-point season and I think his best years are still ahead of him. Before Wilson signed his extension, Strome's five years represented the most term any Capital had remaining in their contract.

John Carlson (D) (33) – Carlson broke out with 55 points during the 2014-2015 campaign. From that year to the present – a period of nine years – he ranks fifth in scoring among all blueliners. It's possible he passes the torch to 23-year-old Rasmus Sandin in the next few years, but considering Carlson has three years left on his deal, I expect he'll continue to be Washington's top offensive blueliner for the next little while.