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 impacting your fantasy hockey squad on a week-to-week basis.

With the NHL in a holding pattern over the next 7-to-10 days as All-Star festivities descend on Toronto and many teams hitting their mandatory midseason pause, league-wide and fantasy hockey news has been relatively tame. However, you know we have you covered on anything and everything from the Eastern Conference that's impacting your fantasy squad.

The chunk of the fantasy and NHL schedule following the All-Star pause is always a tricky one for fantasy hockey GMs to navigate. Players get comfortable with time off, fantasy pieces once hot can fade, and players returning from injuries can make lineup decisions onerous. Make sure you're checking your rosters and news updates daily to ensure nothing is missed. Speaking of which, tap in to the latest from out east. 

Beleaguered Blue Jackets Lose Fantili + Laine's Off-Ice Issues

No, we're not feeling bad for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but, come on, yet another setback for Patrik Laine and at the same time an injury to their brightest young star in Adam Fantilli has the Jackets reeling once again.

Before touching on Fantilli and Laine, it has to be noted how bad this team actually is. Of course, the injuries play a part, but this franchise cannot hide the fact that it allows the second most goals-against in the NHL while also running one of the worst power-play and penalty-kill units and just being all-around subpar. In terms of Laine, clearly he was already a must-drop option after yet another injury with a busted clavicle and horrendous offensive start that saw him register only six goals and three assists in 18 games.

All respect due to Laine and we hope nothing but the best for him as he manages his mental health, but this is a player whose career could be over, so we can for sure close the case on him being fantasy relevant this season. More importantly, one of the few bright spots on this spotty Jackets roster has been third overall draft pick Adam Fantilli, who is putting together a solid rookie campaign while beginning to establish himself as a relevant fantasy hockey threat – one that is sure to see his value continue to soar as Columbus attempts to rise from the ashes.

Fantilli was cut on his left leg Sunday night against the Seattle Kraken following a hit on Jared McCann and did not return to the game. He's likely to be reevaluated by the time you're reading this, but the loss of his solid all-around fantasy production will need to be addressed should he miss any time. He might only be sitting third in rookie scoring (12 goals, 15 assist), but his two-way presence and ability to mix it up by playing a physical-first brand of hockey not only brings excellent peripheral fantasy value, it adds a veteran-level presence to his game that few 19-year-olds possess.

It should only be a game or two if anything, but until we know more, monitor this situation closely.

Devils Dodgy Season Continues

Much like the aforementioned cannon fodder above, the New Jersey Devils are a club that's dealt with a rash of injuries already this season to key pieces. Considering the fact New Jersey has played most of the season without Jack Jughes, Nico Hischier, and Dougie Hamilton in the lineup together and have still been able to score the ninth-most goals and sit only five points back of the third playoff spot in the Metro Division is straight-up impressive.

However, this has clearly not been a good season for the Devs or a number of the team's fantasy pieces – cough, Timo Meier, cough, cough. New Jersey is 3-6-1 in its last 10 and clearly something isn't right and it's not just the slew of names on IR, the team needs some goaltending help in a very, very big way. Only the Sharks, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, Canadiens, Ducks, and Senators allow more goals against than the Devils, that's just not going to be nearly good enough for a team with enough offensive punch to topple any team in the NHL.

Vitek Vanecek and Nico Daws have been the duo of late attempting to hold down the blue paint in Jersey, but clearly that's not exactly going to plan as both netminders have goals-against averages north of three and save percentages south of .900. With that said, here's the fantasy takeaway to be had here: even with Hischier calling out his club this past week and things clearly currently not going to plan for Lindy Ruff's crew, Hughes returning and the club getting healthy overall could see Vanecek become a great buy-low option over the coming week. Stay on top of all the updates on the injury front with the Devils, they could mean major value instilled in Jersey's netminders.

Hart's Hole, Ersson's Opportunity

Aside from the obvious disturbing off-ice implications that we will not speculate on, Carter Hart's leave of absence from the team is going to be strain on not just fantasy GMs, but on the Philadelphia Flyers' ability to maintain this stellar pace and more importantly, postseason positioning.

Everyone and their mothers know Philadelphia has been a goalie graveyard over the past two decades-plus, and Hart definitely has experienced his up-and-downs during his tenure as a Flyer, but he's a legit starting NHL goalie that's putting together a solid season.

Hart hits his leave of absence with a 12-9-3 record, 2.80 GAA, and .906 SV%, meaning his fantasy value on a well-coached, defensively-sound team will need to be attempted to be replaced. Enter 24-year-old relatively unknown Swedish netminder Samuel Ersson, a name that immediately becomes fantasy relevant over the coming weeks as more information on what Hart is facing emerges.

Ersson has been solid in 25 games this campaign, posting a 12-9-3 record with three shutouts, a 2.60 GAA, and .898 SV.%. He's going to get the run out, he's playing behind a really good and pesky group in the Flyers, and Ersson's only owned at 52% on Fantrax and 39% on Yahoo. If you're in need of some goalie love, give Ersson a look.