In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll divide forwards from the Eastern Conference into tiers based on their fantasy hockey value. With there being so many forwards, the focus of this article is on the league's top talents. Keep in mind, there's a fair bit of subjectivity that goes into these tiers, so think of them more as a guide for your own thinking than rigid rankings that you should stick to. To see these forward tiers for the Western Conference, check out Grant’s article over here.

Tier One

Auston Matthews – Toronto Maple Leafs

Between his rookie season in 2016-2017 and present day, nobody has scored more goals than Auston Matthews. With goals being a rarer commodity than assists, an elite goal-scorer like Matthews is incredibly valuable in fantasy leagues. As you'd expect, it takes a lot of shots to score all those goals, resulting in at least two categories for Matthews to excel in. Being part of a star-studded power-play in Toronto should make it three as he's likely to rack up a good number of power-play points.

Brady Tkachuk – Ottawa Senators

Arguably the most versatile player in fantasy hockey. Not only did Tkachuk register a point per game last season, he ranked third in penalty minutes, fourth in shots, and 11th in hits. On top of all that, he also posted strong power-play production and a significant number of faceoff wins despite slotting in as a winger in Yahoo formats. He may not have the same offensive ceiling as other players on this list, but his elite contributions across such a wide variety of categories make him a top tier fantasy asset.

Matthew Tkachuk – Florida Panthers

Although he captured everyone's attention when he broke the 100-point mark during his final campaign with the Flames, it was last season – his first with Florida – that cemented Tkachuk as an elite fantasy asset. Not only did he score at an incredible rate during the regular season and playoffs, but he supplemented that scoring with new highs in shots, power-play points and penalty minutes.

David Pastrnak – Boston Bruins

Across the league last year, Pastrnak ranked eighth in power-play points, third in total points, second in goals, and first in shots on target. Although I'm slightly concerned he takes a small step back following the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, Pasta's individual talent is undeniable and he should be an elite fantasy asset again this year.

Nikita Kucherov – Tampa Bay Lightning

Having scored at or above a 100-point pace for five-straight seasons now, Kucherov is one of the league's most consistently excellent players. He may not average four shots per outing like other players in this tier, but his three-per-game average is still solid. What Kucherov lacks in shot volume he makes up for in power-play production, with only Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl totalling more points with the man advantage over the last two years.

Jack Hughes – New Jersey Devils

Just 22 years old, Hughes is coming off a season in which he broke the 40-goal mark, racking up 31 power-play points and averaging over four shots per game. Considering how young he is, I don't think it's outlandish to suggest we haven't seen his best just yet. Surrounded by an elite supporting cast in New Jersey, expect another year of top-tier production from Hughes.

Tier Two

Tage Thompson – Buffalo Sabres

After breaking out with a 71-point pace during the 21-22 campaign, Thompson took another step forward last season, registering a 99-point pace. He put a lot of pucks on net and was rewarded with a lot of goals. Averaging nearly four shots per game, he lit the lamp 47 times. Add his strong power-play production to the equation and it seems like he has the contributions to be a tier one asset. However, the way I see it, most of the tier-one players have multiple outstanding seasons under their belts, whereas Thompson only has one.

Tim Stutzle – Ottawa Senators

At the age of 21, Stutzle is coming off a campaign in which he tallied 39 goals and 90 points. He provides strong power-play production and shot totals, but also sneaky value in leagues that track hits, racking up 1.5 per game over the past two years. Eligible to play wing in Yahoo formats, Stutzle can supplement the faceoff wins from your center slots, thereby boosting your team's total FOWs. He's still young and developing his game, so it's plausible he takes another step forward this season.

Mitch Marner – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs' forward has scored at or above a hundred-point pace in each of the last three seasons. His scoring prowess extends to the man advantage as his 36-power-play points last year ranked 10th across the league. Although there's an argument he belongs in tier one, since most of his points are assists, and since assists are easier to come by than goals, I decided to put him near the top of tier two. His shot totals are also a decent bit lower than most tier-one assets.

Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins

Across his 18 seasons in the NHL so far, Crosby's worst offensive year saw him post an 87-point pace. That's an incredibly high floor. Although you can rely on him for offense, he doesn't provide a massive number of shots, hits or power-play production that most of the tier-one players provide, which is why I have him in tier two. In addition, most of his points tend to come from assists, which aren't as rare as goals in fantasy formats. That being said, if Erik Karlsson can take Pittsburgh's power-play to another level this year, Crosby could provide tier-one value.

Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals

At 38 years of age, Ovi may not be producing at the same rate he was early in his career, but he still provides strong multicategory coverage. He's coming off another point-per-game campaign, posting a 40-goal pace for the sixth-straight season. His goal-scoring and shot volume remain elite, supplemented by strong power-play production and hit totals.

Steven Stamkos  – Tampa Bay Lightning

Stamkos has frequently hovered around a 90-point pace over the last seven years, cementing himself as an elite offensive producer, especially on the power play. Over the last two years, only six players in the league have tallied more points with the man advantage. The fact he's eligible to slot in as a winger in Yahoo formats makes him  valuable in leagues that track faceoff wins, as he can supplement the FOWs from your center slots. With this being the final year of his current contract, Stamkos has extra motivation to perform well in order to earn himself a favourable new deal.

William Nylander – Toronto Maple Leafs

Last year, Nylander racked up 40 goals and 87 points, with strong shot totals and power-play production. He's played the best hockey of his career over the last two years, and I expect that trend to continue this season as he enters the final year of his current deal and attempts to earn a big payday for the future.

Mika Zibanejad – New York Rangers

You can rely on New York's top center to score at around a point-per game pace, including a solid number of shots and goals. Only five players in the league posted more power-play points than Zibanejad last year. He's been a prominent piece of the Rangers' top unit and should continue producing at a high rate with the man advantage this year.

Aleksander Barkov – Florida Panthers

Barkov's fantasy stock is lower than it should be because he's been hindered by injuries in recent years. Although he's missed significant stretches, he's frequently flirted with a 100-point pace, posting strong power-play production, shot totals, and faceoff numbers. He has the potential to be a top-tier asset if he can play a full 82-game season.

Artemi Panarin – New York Rangers

Doesn't provide a great deal of peripheral production, but it's hard to ignore the fact that he'd scored above a 100-point pace for three-straight seasons before pacing for 92 last year. Over the past two campaigns, Panarin has a total of 73 power-play points, which ranks fifth in the league during that span.

Tier Three

Brayden Point – Tampa Bay Lightning

Fresh off a 95-point campaign, Point's offensive potential is undeniable. He shares the ice with a lot of talented players in Tampa Bay, especially on the power play, where he produced at a strong rate last year. The thing that holds me back from placing him in a higher tier is that he's only eligible to play center in Yahoo Leagues, and he doesn't really get a lot of faceoff wins. If your league doesn't track faceoffs, I guess he could be a tier-two asset, but he also doesn't provide much peripheral production.

Timo Meier – New Jersey Devils

He didn't have the most productive stretch after being traded to the Devils late last year. However, that's easily excused as players often need time to adjust to new teams. His individual skill is undeniable as he scored at roughly a 40-goal pace during his final years with a lacklustre team in San Jose. He's set to play a prominent role alongside lots of elite talent in New Jersey this season.

John Tavares – Toronto Maple Leafs

No stranger to a point-per game pace, Tavares benefits from playing with a lot of elite talent in Toronto. Playing a prominent role on the Leafs' top power-play unit led him to a career-high 39 power-play points last season.

Andrei Svechnikov – Carolina Hurricanes

Has established himself as a 70-point pace player based on his early play, but given that he's just 23 years old, there's probably still some untapped potential there. He's a strong asset in multicategory leagues, posting over three shots and two hits per game. Although he's in the latter stages of recovery from a knee surgery he had in March, he isn't expected to miss much time – if any – as a result of that procedure.

Alex DeBrincat – Detroit Red Wings

Although last season saw him post an underwhelming 66 points with Ottawa, I expect him to bounce back this year with Detroit, as he seems more passionate about playing for his hometown Red Wings. DeBrincat's final years in Chicago saw him score at a 40-goal, point-per-game pace, with a good number of shots and a respectable hit total. He's one of those players with an elite goal scoring ability you just can't teach. With goals being more valuable than assists in fantasy leagues, DeBrincat is definitely someone you want on your roster. He has the potential to be a tier-two asset  but I'm tempering my expectations because it may take him some time to adjust to his new surroundings.

Jake Guentzel – Pittsburgh Penguins

Has consistently hovered around that 40-goal, point-per game pace in recent years. Although Guentzel's shot volume is solid, his power-play production is below other top-tier guys. It'll be interesting to see if Erik Karlsson helps Pittsburgh's numbers with the man advantage this year. Considering Guentzel recently participated in a full-contact practice, I wouldn't be too concerned about offseason ankle surgery affecting his play or causing him to miss significant action this season.

Dylan Larkin – Detroit Red Wings

Larkin is a point-per game player who puts up a strong number of shots and faceoff wins. He added power-play production to his resume last year, tallying 31 with the man advantage. It'll be interesting to see if DeBrincat's arrival in Detroit can help him produce even more this season.

Sebastian Aho – Carolina Hurricanes

Had posted an 80-point pace for four-straight seasons before dropping to a 70-point pace last year. That reduced output is partially explained by reduced power-play production. He was still seeing a prominent role with the man advantage, and the team was still producing while he was on the ice, but he wasn't registering a point on as many of those goals. Although this could be a result of other players like Necas running more of the power-play offense, Aho is too talented to take such a backseat role and should bounce back to some extent this year.

Nico Hischier – New Jersey Devils

The 24-year-old captain posted a career-high 80 points last year, racking up a lot of faceoff wins and posting over three shots per game. His power-play production wasn't all that impressive, but there's potential for that to improve, considering he plays on the team's star-studded top unit.

Johnny Gaudreau – Columbus Blue Jackets

Gaudreau's first year in Columbus saw him post an underwhelming 76-point pace, but we rarely saw the team's roster fully healthy. Better injury luck, combined with a few new exciting pieces on the roster – most notably rookie sensation Adam Fantilli – should help Gaudreau find more offense this year. I'm also hopeful that a healthy Zach Werenski will contribute to a more successful power play, leading to more production with the man advantage for Geaudreau. 

Tier Four

Alex Tuch – Buffalo Sabres

Tuch broke out with an 88-point pace last year as he found great chemistry beside Thompson and Skinner on Buffalo's top line. He may be deserving of a higher tier based on last year's output, but I'm wary of some regression based on an uncharacteristically high 16.5% shooting percentage. He also lacks the peripherals to be a top tier asset if he takes a step back offensively.

Dylan Cozens – Buffalo Sabres

The 22-year-old center broke out with 68 points last year. I could see him improving on that total as he'll likely enjoy a full-time role on Buffalo's top power-play unit this season. However, a lack of peripheral production, as well as underwhelming faceoff numbers given his center-only position eligibility, prevents him from qualifying for a higher tier.

Brad Marchand – Boston Bruins

I'm concerned the injuries that hindered the 35-year-old forward last year will continue to affect him this season. In addition, I think the absence of longtime linemate Patrice Bergeron will make it harder for Marchand to produce at the lofty rates he managed earlier in his career. All that said, he should still break the 70-point mark and can provide extra value in leagues that track penalty minutes. 

Jeff Skinner – Buffalo Sabres

Bo Horvat – New York Islanders

Mathew Barzal – New York Islanders

Jesper Bratt – New Jersey Devils

Nick Suzuki – Montreal Canadiens

Cole Caufield – Montreal Canadiens

Patrik Laine – Columbus Blue Jackets

Evgeni Malkin – Pittsburgh Penguins

Claude Giroux – Ottawa Senators

Tier Five

Travis Konecny, Sam Reinhart, Chris Kreider, Martin Necas, Drake Batherson, David Perron, Carter Verhaeghe, Lucas Raymond, Brandon Hagel, Brock Nelson, Pavel Zacha, Kirby Dach

Tier Six

Evgeny Kuznetsov, Josh Norris, Jake DeBrusk, Rickard Rakell, Owen Tippett, Tom Wilson, Vladimir Tarasenko, Tyler Toffoli, Vincent Trocheck, Sam Bennett, Dawson Mercer, Seth Jarvis, Bryan Rust, Anders Lee, Adam Fantilli, Tyler Bertuzzi, Sean Couturier, Alexis Lafreniere, Reilly Smith, T.J. Oshie, Boone Jenner