Welcome inside the latest edition of Eastern Edge, a weekly fantasy hockey column at Dobber Hockey analyzing the top trending fantasy news impacting your fantasy hockey squad on a week-to-week basis.

The work as an astute fantasy hockey truly never stops. Depending on league format and your team's standing, there are a number of ways you could be tackling the last 10-piece of games on the NHL schedule. Whether you're looking ahead to next season, trying to salvage something out of this one, or positioning a team for a big fantasy playoff surge to the top, keeping your finger on the pulse for all the top news across the league is the difference between winning GMs and those who donate to the pot each season.

All has been relatively quiet on the eastern front, but we have a few fantasy angles worth reading into that are currently at the top of the Eastern Conference newsreel.

Bunting A Silver Lining For Dubas?

There haven't been many front-office executives in the professional hockey world that have received as much attention as Kyle Dubas over the past handful of seasons. Obviously, a lot of that has to do with his former employer's market and crazed fan base, but it's also because Dubas came into PIttsburgh off the top rope with a number of major moves that included landing big-name ticket Erik Karlsson. Things clearly haven't gone to plan for Dubas, as his team's position in the standings, and the shipping of Jake Guentzel at the deadline, would indicate.

With that said, sometimes you have to look at the silver linings. Dubas was clearly quite familiar with one of the pieces he got in return for Guentzel with the addition of Michael Bunting. Say what you will about Bunting's track record on the ice as a bit of a greaser, when he's on his game he can be a very effective peripheral forward and fantasy piece – one that is also already producing in his brief time in the black and yellow. Bunting has three goals, three assists, 17 shots, 10 hits, and a game-winner over his last seven games. For sure that's noteworthy, but the juiciest part about Bunting as a good add this week is his opportunity in the top-six and on the top power-play unit in Pittsburgh.

Bunting is getting a good look on Evgeni Malkin's left wing and is getting minutes with the best player of this generation in Sidney Crosby. Give him a serious look before his ownership rises. Bunting is currently owned at 20% on ESPN, 28% on Yahoo, and 44% on Fantrax, so there's a really good chance he's available in your league. Tap in while you can. 

Ekblad, Barkov Nearing Return For Panthers

We're at the point of the NHL season when getting lucky with key players staying healthy is almost as important as winning games. Actually, for a team like the Florida Panthers, considering where they sit in the standings, getting healthy bodies back in the lineup at the end of March is absolutely huge. Especially when you factor in all the hockey this team is going to have under its belt by the time this spring run is over and that the two names the Panthers are expected to welcome back are Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad.

Barkov has been nursing a lower-body injury that's kept him out of the lineup for the past three games and Ekblad has been on the shelf for six games with the same designation. Barkov looks ready to return to game action Tuesday night but it will take some more time for Ekblad. More weapons for Paul Maurice to work with, something he's been doing at a Jack Adams Award-level since arriving in South Florida. Will Barkov and Ekblad be able to slot right back in and be fantasy relevant once again? Given their track record and talent, it's very likely. Factor in that Maurice already has this group clicking right now on the backend and Barkov and Ekblad are returning to a confident team that is annoyingly tough to play against every single night.

Sergei Bobrovsky leads the NHL with a sparkling 2.38 goals against average, the Panthers have allowed the fewest goals against of any team in the league so far this season, and Maurice has his special teams at fourth-best on the man advantage and seventh-best on the penalty kill. Ekblad and Barkov should immediately return to form and should automatically be back in your lineup as well.

This team is very much for real. Tap into its fantasy value whenever the opportunity arises. 

Devils New Tandem Proving Worth

Few things this season have been documented as well as the Devils' struggles. From injuries to major pieces at multiple times of the campaign to inconsistent special teams play to the firing of Lindy Ruff, you name it and it's likely gone awry in Jersey over the past six months. Much is also the case for the situation in the Devils' blue paint, as the duo that took New Jersey on last season's run in Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek were downright awful for most of the year. Front-office stud Tom Fitzgerald got creative at the deadline and took a shot on addressing his crease conundrum by acquiring a bold combination of netminders in veteran Jake Allen from the Montreal Canadiens and Kaapo Kahkonen in return from the San Jose Sharks for the much-maligned Vanecek.

Will this pan out long-term for Fitzy and the Devs? That would be a bold prediction. However, right now, if you're a fantasy GM in need of some love between the pipes, don't sleep on the value that these two could provide. Aside from very winnable upcoming games against teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and Ottawa Senators, both newly-added goalies have been feeling it. Over three games for Kahkonen, the intriguing Finnish product has a .934 save percentage and a shutout while stopping 71 of 75 shots and Allen has a 3-2-0 record to go along with a .923 SV.%.

These two will both be extremely good day-to-day, game-to-game streaming options, especially if the Devils can get their once-potent offense going against some of the easier opponents they face down the stretch. Bargain bin blue-paint options, sometimes you need to get your hands dirty to get this paper. Don't be shy about looking into lesser names on struggling teams to augment your roster, that's what winning GMs do.