Welcome inside the latest edition of Eastern Edge, a weekly fantasy hockey column here at Dobber Hockey analyzing all of the top trending fantasy news out east that will impact your fantasy hockey squad on a week-to-week basis.

As the NHL pushes closer to the March 8th trade deadline, don't be surprised if one trade creates a chain-reaction of moves that could shakeup your fantasy lineup in a hurry. Any day now a pair – or trio – of teams will pull the trigger on the move and create a cascade of deals. It happens during this time of the campaign every single year, so make sure you're primed and at-the-ready to keep your squad in championship form.

As alluded to, this portion of the fantasy hockey schedule is beyond crucial. Failing to optimize your lineup with healthy bodies or the right players can mean the difference in a few weeks as some leagues near the fantasy playoffs. Keep your finger on the fantasy pulse and let's tap into all of the latest fantasy hockey news currently popping in the Eastern Conference.

Merzlikins On The Move

Given how spicy and highly contested the goaltending market is these days, it really comes as zero surprise a number of teams in the NHL are already circling the Columbus Blue Jackets' waters in hopes of snagging veteran netminder Elvis Merzlikins. Merzlikins has been in the news a lot lately, as the 29-year-old Latvian requested a trade only days ago following a number of healthy scratches that saw Merzlikins suited and booted in the press box while the Jackets ran out a goaltending duo of Daniil Tarasov and Spencer Martin. Clearly, his days in Cannon territory are done, meaning his fantasy stock could jump with a deal to the right franchise.

Accurately gauging Merzlikins' fluctuating fantasy value will obviously be tied to what team he gets moved to. However, with such playoff-caliber clubs such as the Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, and even New Jersey Devils all linked closely to eyeing netminders, we can't help but feel that his value immediately skyrockets with a move to a contender.

That's something Merzlikins has never been a part of in his five seasons in Columbus, five years in which he owns a 63-70-28 regular-season record to go along with a 3.22 goals-against average, .906 save percentage, and nine shutouts. He's a streaky goalie who's shown flashes of brilliance, including an historically good eight-game stretch when he entered the league winning eight games and posting five shutouts in his first eight appearances. Can he harness that magic once again on a team with legit Cup aspirations? It's a question that a lot of GMs will be monitoring closely for an answer.

Kane Down With Injury: His Fantasy Stock Plummeting?

Since his return to the NHL, Patrick Kane has been nothing short of sensational, rekindling his chemistry with former Chicago Blackhawks teammate Alex DeBrincat while registering 16 points in 18 games after signing a one-year deal with the Red Wings back in November. However, after a recent run-in with Pontus Holmberg of the Toronto Maple Leafs on two different plays Sunday evening, Kane is at least out day-to-day while he looks to recover from another lower-body injury.

Speculation aside, we know Kane dealt with a lengthy recovery period following one of the most invasive procedures a professional athlete can undergo in hip resurfacing surgery last year. A procedure that ended a number of NHL careers, including the likes of Ed Jovanovski, Ryan Kesler, and unfortunately, most recently Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals. It should be noted Backstrom still has a slim shot at playing, but it's looking less likely as the season pushes past the halfway point.

Regardless, the main takeaway here is Kane looked to take two significant knocks and did not return, so when you factor in his recent injury history and that the Red Wings have still not provided an update, this is one of those precarious fantasy hockey situations that fantasy hockey GMs owning Kane will have to maneuver with extreme caution. His nearly point-per-game production is going to be hard to replace if he indeed misses even a few games, replacements you will likely have to hit the waiver wire and get creative to find.

Detroit has a dodgy stretch of games against some really good teams over the next 10 days, matchups that include going up against the Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars – just like fantasy GMs with Kane on their roster, the Wings cannot afford for slick-mitted American to miss any action. Keep it tapped to Dobber Hockey for all the latest on Kane and who you could potentially slot into your lineup should he miss a few games or, worse, hit the IR.

Hurricanes' Blue Paint Predicament

Speaking of the Carolina Hurricanes, this is a team that deserves a lot of credit for where it sits in the Metro standings considering all of the drama in the club's blue paint. Heading into the season it was Frederik Andersen's starting job with everyone feeling beyond comfortable with longstanding NHL veteran backup Antti Raanta as his number two. Setting the Hurricanes up with one of the most stable and reliable duos in the entire league.

Only 43 games into the season and the Canes have already utilized four different goaltenders – Freddie's blood-clotting issues, Raanta's struggles, and recently concussion concerns for Carolina's "third-stringer" and goalie of the future Pyotr Kochetkov have all been serious hurdles for this team to clear.

With all that said, the Hurricanes still sit within striking distance of the top spot in the division only three points adrift of the New York Rangers and are one of the stingiest defensive clubs in the league allowing the least shots-against per game at an impressive 25.7. When you look at numbers like that and at the balanced blue-line core that runs out the likes of the criminally underrated Jaccob Slavin, veteran stud Brent Burns, and others, it's really no wonder that even with their carousel in the cage that this Hurricanes team is still a threat in the Eastern Conference.

This all means whoever is in the crease holds fantasy hockey value. Right now, that's Raanta, so make sure to tap into that value while you can since he's widely available on both ESPN and Yahoo (6%/34%) and performed well over his last four games while putting up a 2-1-1 record and .909 save percentage. Until we know more on Kochetkov, Raanta is a solid option over the coming days if you're looking for some insurance in your goalie lineup.