Hello everyone and welcome to the latest edition of Eastern Edge! I'm Eli Feldman.

After the first few rounds of a fantasy hockey draft, there are typically only two kinds of players left on the board. The first is the reliable depth option who's expected to deliver respectable (though unspectacular) results; the second is the focus of this article.

Every fantasy manager knows the thrill of taking a swing on a high-upside pick. These players are often immensely talented, but injuries, inconsistency, and/or role uncertainty leave a wide gap between their ceiling and their floor.

Whether you're hunting for league-winning upside or just trying to dodge landmines, here are five boom-or-bust candidates heading into the 2025-2026 NHL season.

(Statistics courtesy of Frozen Tools)

Mathew Barzal, C/RW, New York Islanders

Barzal is perhaps the most intriguing boom-or-bust candidate in the East. While Barzy's skating and puck handling abilities are special, he's lacked a few critical factors to cement himself as a perennial top-tier fantasy option: shooting volume, elite line mates, and games played.

Averaging just 2.4 SOG/G over his NHL career, Barzal hasn't fired the puck nearly often enough to produce elite goal totals (he's netted 20+ goals just twice in his nine-year NHL career). Adding to Barzal's lack of offence is the fact that he's spent his entire career on a defence-first team and has played a full 82-game slate just once thus far.

After parting ways with old-school General Manager Lou Lamoriello and acquiring several offensive pieces this offseason (including Maxim Shabanov and Jonathan Drouin), the door is open for Barzal to recapture his point-per-game magic from two seasons ago. However, if injuries force Barzal to miss more time this season, Barzy could easily leave fantasy managers stranded once again.

Patrik Laine, LW/RW, Montreal Canadiens

As one of the NHL's purest goal scorers, Laine is among the most intriguing boom-or-bust players leaguewide. When healthy and confident, Laine is a legitimate 40-goal threat, particularly when playing alongside elite playmakers and benefiting from considerable time on the power play.

Entering the 2025-2026 NHL season, Laine will likely have both. He projects to begin the year playing alongside rookie sensation Ivan Demidov at even strength and manning the left flank on Montreal's star-studded top power-play unit. With this deployment, Laine will have every opportunity to eclipse 30 goals for the first time since 2018-2019.

What stands in Laine's way, however, are several obvious risks. To date, Laine's career has been defined by inconsistency, off-ice problems, and significant injury issues. In addition, despite making strides last season, Montreal is still a developing team, which could mean uneven production throughout the season.

If Laine stays healthy and maintains his prime deployment, he could emerge as one of the largest draft-day steals. However, if Laine goes down yet again, he could emerge on your waiver wire.

Andrei Svechnikov, LW/RW, Carolina Hurricanes

Before his ACL injury in March 2023, Svech was one of the premier young power forwards in the league. His game fits fantasy hockey perfectly: he hits, shoots, scores, and has shown he can thrive in a top-six role on a deep Carolina roster. A return to Svech's pre-injury pace could make him a top-20 fantasy option across many formats.

However, the concern with Svechnikov is when, if ever, he'll regain full explosiveness. Despite playing 72 games with the Canes last season, Svech was limited to just 48 points (20 goals, 28 assists), a four-point reduction from the season prior, in which he played just 59 games.

While it can take time to fully recover from injuries, Carolina's stellar depth (highlighted by the arrival of talented winger Nikolaj Ehlers) makes it conceivable for Svech to lose the prime deployment that made him a former top-10 fantasy player. But with undeniable upside, it's conceivable for Svechnikov to return second-round value this season.

Alexis Lafreniere, LW, New York Rangers

After following up his impressive 57-point season in 2023-2024 (28 goals, 29 assists) with an underwhelming 45-point season last year (17 goals, 28 assists), "Lafrenière" is becoming synonymous with "boom-or-bust". The former first overall pick has shown flashes of brilliance, but the ultimate breakout season has not quite yet arrived.

Ahead of 2025-2026, opportunity is the key variable. If Laf locks down a permanent role in the Rangers' top six and earns consistent power-play time with the big guns, his ceiling is high enough to justify a mid-round fantasy investment.

But the bust case is just as easy to make. While it remains unclear which players will thrive in new Head Coach Mike Sullivan's system, the Rangers' lineup is deep enough to relegate Lafreniere to a third-line, PP2 role this year. Depending on how things go on Broadway in 20252-2026, drafting Alexis could make fantasy managers Laf or cry this upcoming season.

Matthew Tkachuk, LW/RW, Florida Panthers

Unlike the other players on this list, Matthew Tkachuk has already established himself as a premier multi-cat beast. Few players match his elite blend of scoring, playmaking, shot volume, and physical edge. When healthy, Tkachuk is a top-five overall fantasy asset and the type of cornerstone who can tilt entire leagues.

While there's no disputing Tkachuk's upside, this year carries more risk than usual. After undergoing surgery to address multiple injuries this offseason, Tkachuk isn't expected to return to the Panthers' lineup until at least January. And even when he's back, it's unclear if/when Tkachuk will regain his form this season.

Given these risks, Matthew Tkachuk is a prime boom-or-bust candidate this season. While managers with high appetites for risk may decide to stash the star and reap the benefits, depending on how things play out, Tkachuk could leave those managers starving for championship glory at season's end.

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That's all for this week! Stay tuned for the next edition of Eastern Edge on Tuesday, September 9. Have a great week everyone!