Another week of fast-paced NHL action across the Eastern Conference calls for an equally up-tempo breakdown of all the hockey news that could be affecting your fantasy squad and more importantly, your ability to put together a winning roster.

That ability will surely be put to the test over the next month of games as the NHL pushes toward its holiday break, a chunk of the schedule that can make or break fantasy hockey GMs. Don't get complacent, watch as much hockey as possible, and make sure you have your finger on the pulse of league news and nightly lineup updates – they all make a huge difference during this stretch as teams look to distinguish themselves as Cup contenders.

Blue Jackets Bench Gaudreau, Scratch Laine: Time To Bail On Both
In last week's edition of Eastern Edge, I shared my thoughts on the mess of a season currently unraveling for Johnny Gaudreau (a player making $9.75-million who's put up two goals in 19 games), so I'll just reiterate this message because it's a succinct one: The time has come to get away from both Gaudreau and Patrik Laine. Laine is a must-drop and Gaudreau is getting real close. Maybe you can get creative and somehow mask their cantankerous energy by packaging them with another piece in a trade and salvaging some fantasy value here, but it's going from bad to worse in Cannon Country.
Both of these supposed stars are shells of their former selves. Perhaps for different reasons, as Laine's case obviously comes the caveat of injuries hindering his confidence and ability to perform, leading the Jackets to reduce his minutes to under 13 minutes per night over the last two games. They've reduced his role, benched him, and made him a healthy scratch for the first time in his career – clearly this is a situation that you want absolutely no part of as a fantasy GM.

Two goals, one assist, and only 22 shots on net have Laine owners scratching their heads once again over why they drafted a player that is a ghost of the version that scored 110 goals over his first three seasons in the NHL for the Winnipeg Jets. A stretch of his career that seems like it happened a decade ago in another dimension.

This might seem like an obvious take to most, but Laine and Gaudreau, despite their best recent efforts, are still big fantasy hockey names. Some GMs might find it tough to get away from that kind of hype, but the time has come to cut the cord on both of them. For context, Laine's ownership is down to 66% on ESPN and 56% on Yahoo, while Gaudreau’s has dropped to 68% on ESPN and 58% on Yahoo – all of those percentages decreasing significantly over the past week.

Montour & Ekblad Bolster Panthers' Beastly Blue-Line

Entering this season, countless NHL experts (and fans of teams that were brushed aside by the Panthers' improbable run to last year's Stanley Cup Final) weren't giving this Florida club nearly enough love, calling the overall quality of the team into question in an increasingly tough Atlantic Division.
Was the goaltending deep enough? Would Matthew Tkachuk be fully healthy and able to be his game-changing self once again? Could the blue line hold with major shoulder surgeries to Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad? Questions abound to begin, all queries that have since been answered by a strong 12-5-1 start with Florida sitting only four points back of the Boston Bruins and their historically sensational 13-1-3 opening to this NHL campaign.

Florida is feeling it right now, meaning it's time to strike while the fantasy iron is hot. Montour and Ekblad returning obviously makes both of them very relevant options that will provide solid boosts to your blue-line core – especially Montour who is a fantasy peripheral dream coming off the best season of his career with 73 points, 107 PIMs, 93 blocks, and 92 hits.
The returns of these two rearguard stalwarts also means fantasy impact on those who will now benefit from having Ekblad and Montour back in the lineup.
Gustav Forsling will slot in alongside Ekblad on the top pairing and, for now, it looks like Niko Mikkola will be rewarded for his strong play this season by staying in the top-four slotting in with Montour. Given that excellent start and now the opportunity to play with Montour, Mikkola becomes a very intriguing option that is only owned at two percent on Yahoo and six percent on ESPN. Both shockingly low considering he's registered seven points, 29 shots, 24 hits, and 40 blocked shots in just over 20 minutes of action per game.

This squad is on the rise with one of the more balanced back ends in the conference. If you're in need of some blue-line love, Florida is the team to target.

Oilers Eyeing Canadiens Goalie Trio: Montembault On The Move?
Even if this report wasn't coming from one of the most reputable and trusted NHL pundits out there you would likely still buy into it being true.
The Oilers have been a mess in their own end this entire season (allowing the fifth-most goals against) and the Canadiens have a capable NHL-caliber trio in Jake Allen, Sam Montembault, and Cayden Primeau that make a lot of sense in terms of targets Edmonton would consider to address an immediate need in net. It should be noted the Oilers are right up against the cap, even with Jack Campbell's juicy five-million dollar deal currently off the books with him in the AHL. Still, eyeing a goalie who's been off to a strong start and only commands a million-dollar price tag in Montembault could be just what the doctor ordered for this beleaguered Oilers group.

Montembault has done good things on a bad team, establishing himself as a goalie very capable of handling the NHL game. Montembault has been getting it done playing behind a young group in rebuild mode in the Canadiens that allow a lot of shots on net while skating a blue line featuring a rotating cast of characters. His 3-3-1 record, .908 save percentage, and 2.78 goals-against average might not jump off the page, but a 4.48 goals above expected and an ability to make big saves under steady nightly barrages indicate a potentially bright future – especially should he move to a franchise with more immediate upside like the Oilers.

This is an evolving situation with Edmonton's blue paint, one we should monitor closely for fantasy implications. In this case, the Oilers have their eyes on the Canadiens, but realistically, any team owning a goalie with a pulse right now is likely getting calls from Ken Holland. No disrespect to Stuart Skinner, but he's a second-year goalie who should be the backup while honing his game in preparation for being the goalie of the future.

Do yourself a favour and flag any names being bantered about as a potential fit in Edmonton, if they turn it around, that netminder's fantasy value could skyrocket and take you over the top.