The NHL has a break in the action, with games set to resume on Saturday the 22nd. The Four Nations Faceoff has delivered some spectacular hockey, giving fans a chance to witness best-on-best competition and highlighting the league's top players from four of the sport's most influential nations. Nonetheless, a Championship rematch between Canada and the USA—set for Thursday—makes it hard to focus on anything else, but we'll certainly try.

As the season nears trade deadlines in many leagues and the playoffs that will crown champions worldwide, today we're highlighting two Eastern Conference players who may have some red-lining embedded in their production, alongside two players whose stats hint at a bounce-back. We're using data dating back to January 1st for our evaluations.

Kent Johnson

The Blue Jackets have several players heating up—James van Riemsdyk, Adam Fantilli, and Zach Werenski—but today, the spotlight is on Kent Johnson. Since the start of the new year, Johnson has racked up seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in just 18 games. His scoring surge has been impressive, but there are some concerns about sustainability. His shooting percentage is sitting at over 23%, well beyond the typical range. Additionally, only three of his eight assists are primary, meaning a large portion of his production has been dependent on secondary assists—something that isn't always reliable long-term.

That said, Johnson has seen a significant increase in ice time, averaging over three more minutes per game than ever before. The Blue Jackets as a whole have exceeded expectations offensively, ranking among the top 10 teams in goals per game. Johnson has benefited from playing alongside elite company—he shares the most ice time with Zach Werenski on defense, and his most common linemates are fellow red-hot forwards JVR and Adam Fantilli.

With a 68-point pace in 2025, Johnson is making a strong case for a breakout, but if he hits a cold streak and you need a roster spot, he could be an easy drop. On the other hand, he has been producing at a 70-point pace all season, so while his current heater might not be fully sustainable, dismissing his production outright would be a mistake. In Yahoo! leagues, he's tri-eligible, making him even more valuable when debating a roster move. Just remember—unsustainable doesn't mean impossible.

David Pastrnak

David Pastrnak is on an absolute tear, leading the league in scoring in 2025 with 1.72 points per game—and an even crazier 2.0 points per game over his last 13 contests. After a slow first half of the season, this could be a course correction, but the question remains: can he keep this pace up?

One potential red flag is his individual points percentage (IPP), which is sitting at 94%, well above his career norm of 75-80%. IPP measures the percentage of goals a player contributes to while on the ice, and while Pastrnak is undeniably a top-tier offensive driver, a number that high is difficult to sustain. Shooting 20% isn't necessarily a problem for a player of his skill level—he's been in that range before—but it's still something to monitor.

However, there are plenty of reasons to believe in his resurgence. Twenty-six of his 31 points this year have been primary, reinforcing that he's not just benefiting from lucky secondary assists—he's creating offense himself. Elite playmakers tend to have higher-than-average IPPs simply because they drive play, and Pastrnak is no exception.

Another key factor in his turnaround? Power-play production. In his first 39 games of 2024, he managed just eight power-play points. In just 18 games in 2025, he's already up to seven. That's a drastic improvement and a big reason for his recent scoring surge.

Pastrnak looks like he's back to his normal self. Two points per game is a lofty pace to maintain, but expecting him to continue scoring at a 100- to 110-point pace for the rest of the season? That's far from unrealistic.

Bounceback?

Nick Suzuki

The Montreal Canadiens went on an impressive 13-game run after the Christmas break, posting a 10-2-1 record. For most of that stretch, they were above .500 and even held a playoff spot at times. From December 17 to January 23, they were one of the hottest teams in the league, going 13-3-1 and showing a steady upward trajectory.

But since January 23, it's been a completely different story. The Canadiens have slumped to 1-7-1, scoring just 18 goals in nine games—a dismal average of two goals per game.

Looking at Nick Suzuki from January 1 onward, his overall numbers don't immediately raise red flags—16 points in 19 games is respectable. But when you zoom in, it's clear that the team's struggles post-January 23 have taken a toll on him and many of his teammates. Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, and Patrik Laine have combined for just seven points in those nine games, mirroring the team's offensive woes. This is a team-wide issue—there's no single player to blame, nor is there a clear catalyst for the slump.

For Suzuki specifically, the Canadiens' performance over the last nine games is the biggest factor in his cold streak. More than anything, he's been running into goalies who are locked in. He's managed just one goal on 18 shots over that span—a 5.6% shooting percentage, which is far below his norm. With the entire team struggling, there simply haven't been assists to rack up either.

Once the Canadiens turn things around—or perhaps more ominously, if they don't—Suzuki should shake off this half-point-per-game slump and get back to the point-per-game player he was before the skid.

Shayne Gostisbehere

After acquiring Mikko Rantanen, the Carolina Hurricanes made a significant shift in their power-play setup—adding a left-handed shot while losing a right-handed shot. This change has had direct implications for their defensive pairings, particularly for Shayne Gostisbehere and Brent Burns. Gostisbehere shoots left, while Burns provides a right-handed option.

Before the break, Gostisbehere's power-play share had dipped below 50% in three consecutive games—a rare occurrence, as he had been under that threshold only five times all season (one of which was due to injury). A small three-game sample isn't necessarily alarming, but the bigger concern is that he's managed just two points in 13 games in 2025, and neither of those were on the power play.

If Gostisbehere isn't producing at even strength and has also lost his spot on the top power-play unit, a bounce-back seems unlikely. Rod Brind'Amour is known for frequently tweaking his lines and power-play combinations, so there's no guarantee that Burns will hold onto the top-unit role for the rest of the season. However, Rantanen's arrival has shifted the handedness balance, and Brind'Amour may prefer keeping a right-handed defenseman on the top unit to compensate for Martin Nečas' departure, rather than overloading with lefties.

Gostisbehere's ice time has been low all season, and now, without top power-play deployment, his value takes another hit. Unless he somehow regains that prime role, a bounce-back just isn't in the cards.

That's your Eastern Edge Eastern Conference update for the week. Thank you for reading, feel free to chirp me in the comments below or feel free to reach out on X – @FHFHockey. In the meantime, you can catch updates from me on the Five Hole Fantasy Hockey Podcast.