The midsummer NHL and fantasy hockey lull is in full effect. Not much news to speak of in terms of what's popping in the Eastern Conference right now, which makes sense considering the flurry of activity that transpired at the beginning of the month and with training camps set to open in roughly 60 days. Although, it's never too quiet or too early to start postulating what teams could be in line to bounce-back next season once the puck actually drops on the 2024-25 NHL campaign on October 4. Bounce-backs mean increased production and better numbers and that translates into fantasy successes and rising players with increased value.

With that in mind, here's our four favourite Eastern Conference squads poised to make some noise come fall.

Ottawa Senators

At this time last offseason, positivity and expectations in the Nation's Capital were sky-high, with Sens fans expecting a deep run from a squad teeming with young offensive weapons and relevant fantasy hockey studs. Undone by poor goaltending from Anton Forsberg (15-12-0, .890 save percentage, 3.21 goals-against) and Joonas Korpisalo (21-26-4, .890 SV.%, 3.27 GAA) and multiple off-ice distractions, last season was seemingly doomed from the jump for an Ottawa franchise that was also up for sale. Fast-forward to now and things in the 613 are looking up once again, mainly due to the array of off-ice issues being rectified as well as a new owner and number one goaltender Linus Ullmar landing in town. Those two factors won't disguise the fact that the Sens still need to be a vastly improved group on special teams (23rd-ranked power play, 29th-ranked penalty kill) and will need time to get used to Travis Green's systems at both ends of the ice. However, Ullmark is the first true number-one goalie Ottawa's had in years and they flaunt a dangerous offensive trio of fantasy beasts in Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, and a prime breakout-type target in Drake Batherson. With all the signs pointing to a major bounce-back in O-Town, jumping on some of their top fantasy pieces is a wise endeavor.

New York Islanders

A full season with Patrick Roy behind the bench on Long Island might be enough to get this team out of the first round on its own, but the Islanders are running back basically the exact same squad that was dusted aside in five games at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in April. Sure, that series was never actually close, but New York has some very intriguing fantasy options that will undoubtedly translate into this team being in the mix for a playoff spot once again – but we expect even more from the Isles. Ilya Sorokin will not be nearly as bad as he was to round out last season and with New York having so much term and money tied up in the talented Russian 'tender to the tune of $66 million over the next eight seasons, there is no way they turn to Semyon Varlamov as much as Roy did in the playoffs against the Canes. Anthony Duclair's under-the-radar add finally addresses the perennial underachieving scoring depth the Islanders have become known for, Noah Dobson is one of the best young blue-liners in the NHL, and with Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal up front, this team should have what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the best in the Metro Division.

New Jersey Devils

Clearly the obvious candidate for a bounce-back, the Devils come into the 2024-25 NHL campaign as a dangerous-looking club now balanced front-to-back – at least on paper. Jacob Markstrom's addition addresses the biggest issue in New Jersey's blue paint, as the 34-year-old Swede now forms a reliable duo of veterans along with Jake Allen, but front-office savant Tom Fitzgerald also beefed up his blue-line with additions of bruising rearguards in six-foot-three Brett Pesce and six-foot-four Brenden Dillion. The combination of reliable goaltenders, a D-core that already consisted of top draft picks Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes, and a forward group loaded with young talent not only makes the Devils a fantasy hockey goldmine that should be plundered with regularity, it transforms them into a legitimate Stanley Cup threat. Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and even Dougie Hamilton are all very attractive targets that any fantasy GM out there should be considering as additions to their team.

Buffalo Sabres

For a franchise that's recently been known for playing an offensive brand of hockey, there's really no wonder why the Sabres struggled to win games last campaign. Only one season removed from being a top-five scoring and power-play team in the league, Buffalo struggled mightily to capitalize on the man advantage in 2023-24 and overall, running out the fourth-worst power play while only managing the 23rd-most goals overall. This translated into down seasons and plummeting fantasy value for top guns Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, and others. However, the Sabres have far too much promising young forward talent on the rise in the likes of Jack Quinn, J.J. Peterka, and puck-handling wizard Zach Benson to be as bad as they were offensively last year. With all that said, we've haven't even touched on the Sabres' backend which touts the likes of a stellar trio of young rearguards in Owen Power, Bowen Byram, and fantasy powerhouse Rasmus Dahlin. It might be an extremely tall task, but if the Sabres can put it all together, this will be a sneaky team set to surprise a number of clubs next season.