In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll look at players enjoying expanded roles early on.

Boston Bruins – Pavel Zacha

As many anticipated heading into the season, Zacha is seeing an increased role with the Bruins this year. He's averaging 18 and a half minutes per game – a full two and a half minutes more than last season. His 70% share of Boston's total power-play time is more than double the 32% share he saw last year. Although it hasn't resulted in much production just yet, when you consistently give a talented player lots of ice time with good linemates, they usually end up producing. I don't think we need to be concerned about his role changing into more of a defensive one, seeing as he's started 70% of his shifts in the offensive zone so far. I imagine some fantasy managers might have dropped Zacha following his slow start. If a player with 65-point potential is worth rostering in your league, you'd be wise to pick up Pavel.

Carolina Hurricanes – Seth Jarvis

After a promising rookie campaign, Jarvis struggled as a sophomore last year. He posted an underwhelming 39-point pace while skating 16 minutes a night and seeing a 40% share of Carolina's total power-play time. Fortunately, year three seems to be the charm. The season is still young, but Jarvis has benefitted from an increased role early on. Averaging 20 minutes per game, with a 61% share of power-play time, he already has seven points through six appearances. This extra opportunity should help him take the step forward that many were expecting last year.

Carolina Hurricanes – Michael Bunting

Bunting put himself on the map in Toronto, producing alongside the Leafs' superstars. There was some concern his numbers would suffer in Carolina, where he was unlikely to see the same exposure to such high-level talent. Sure, we're only six games into the campaign, but those concerns are starting to become less prominent. He's averaging 18 and a half minutes of action per game so far – roughly three minutes more than he averaged in Toronto. More importantly, he's seeing a prominent role on the power play for the first time in his career, enjoying a 66% share of Carolina's total time with the man advantage. This expanded role has fueled increased production as Bunting already has five points, three of which came on the power play.

Columbus Blue Jackets – Alexandre Texier

The 24-year-old forward didn't play in the NHL last season, opting to play in Switzerland so he could be with family while they grieved the loss of loved ones. The last time we saw Texier in the NHL was back in 2021-2022, when he posted a solid 46-point pace at the age of 22. The 18 minutes he's averaging early this season represents a significant jump from the 14 and a half he averaged back then. He's spent most of his minutes this year alongside two offensively gifted players in Patrik Laine and Adam Fantilli. Although Laine is injured right now, Texier is still holding onto a role in Columbus's top six. A lack of power-play time may prevent him from being relevant in all fantasy formats, but he's getting the deployment to support offensive output that would be valuable in deeper leagues.  

Florida Panthers – Evan Rodrigues

When Rodrigues signed a four-year deal with the Panthers this summer, most expected him to see a prominent role in the team's top-six – a prediction which has proven true early on. Rodrigues is currently averaging a career-high 18:30 per game, with most of those minutes spent beside superstar center Aleksander Barkov. In terms of ice time and linemate quality, this role isn't too different from the one he played in Colorado, where he averaged 18 minutes per game and saw significant exposure to superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. One big difference between Colorado and Florida is that Rodrigues is seeing a much more prominent role with the power-play now. He went from a 38% share of power-play time with the Avalanche to a 71% share with the Panthers. That opportunity hasn't yielded much yet, as Florida has converted on just two of their 20 opportunities (10%) with the man advantage, leaving Rodrigues with a single power-play point. The top unit likely needs some time to get familiar with one another as two of its five members – Rodrigues and Oliver Ekman-Larsson – are new to the team. If this group of five doesn't find its footing, I imagine things will improve once Brandon Montour comes in to replace OEL at some point in the next few months. Although Rodrigues won't be able to sustain his current 115-point pace, a new role on the power play could help him flirt with a 70-point pace for the first time in his career. He's had a strong start in fantasy formats that count shots, registering at least four in each of the five games he's played so far.

Florida Panthers – Eetu Luostarinen

The 25-year-old center isn't a household name just yet, but maybe that says more about the average household's spelling ability than it does about his play. Entering this season with roughly 200 games of NHL experience, Luostarinen had been developing his game, gradually earning more and more opportunity. With Sam Bennett injured right now, Luostarinen has been playing on Florida's second line between Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe, averaging 18 minutes of action a night. He's worth keeping an eye on in deeper multicategory leagues as he's shown potential for a solid number of hits, shots and faceoff wins. He should also see a decent number of scoring chances, likely to share the ice with high-end talent for some stretches this season.

Montreal Canadiens – Sean Monahan

Injuries limited the Canadiens' forward to just 25 games last season, but he was solid when available, tallying 17 points, for a 56-point pace. The 18:23 of ice time he's averaging this year isn't a huge step up from the 17:22 he saw last year, but because he was absent for so much of last season, I don't think the magnitude of last year's role was universally recognized. Instead, some might be holding onto a memory of Monahan from his last campaign with the Flames, when he posted a shocking 29-point pace and skated 14 minutes a night, before eventually undergoing hip surgery. Present day Monahan is being trusted with a prominent role in Montreal, especially on the power play, where he's seen 72% of the team's total time so far.