Welcome fantasy managers to another edition of the Eastern Edge. This week we are going to focus our attention on some early season surprises in the Eastern Conference. We’ll get into the good, the bad and ugly as it relates to the NHL's first month and a half of action.

The New York Islanders have to be one of the most pleasant surprises this year as many expected the team to flounder at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standing for most of the 2025-2026 NHL campaign. The loss of Brock Nelson at last year's trade deadline combined with the off season trade involving talented defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, seemed to signal an organizational shift to retooling if not a full on rebuild as the teams management focused on getting futures in return.

All that being said, there are a ton of positive vibes permeating from this storied franchise, most notably the play (and unbridled swagger) of uber talented blueliner and first overall selection Matthew Schaefer. All Schaefer has done is dominate from the time he stepped onto NHL ice as the 18 year-old is producing at a rate we have not seen since Cale Makar joined the Colorado Avalanche as a rookie for the 2019 postseason.

The 18 year-old currently leads all NHL defensemen in goal scoring while logging an impressive 22:37 TOI a night all while running the teams first power play / penalty kill units. To say it has been an incredible start for the Hamilton native would be an absolute understatement.

Another reason for the Islander faithful to get excited would be the recent play of star goaltender Ilya Sorokin. On October 22, GM Matheiu Darche fired the team’s goaltending coach Piero Greco in favour of Sergei Naumovs who had been the goaltending coach for the Islanders AHL affiliate the Bridgeport Sound Tigers since May 2024. A move that carries a fair bit of merit as you can see from Sorokin's time under the tutelage of each coach during the current campaign.

Under Greco: 2-3-0 record with a 3.90 goals against and .873 save percentage

Under Naumovs: 4-2-2 record with a 2.38 goals against and .914 save percentage

 I should also mention that Naumovs has a past with Sorokin going back to their time together at CSKA Moscow in the KHL (2018-2020) before the latter made his move to the New York Islanders for the 2020-2021 NHL season. It sure seems like Sorokin familiarity with Naumovs is already paying dividends as the aforementioned splits would suggest. If the Islanders can continue to offer their netminders the type of offensive support they have been so far this year, Sorokin may just better his career high in wins (31).

Speaking of the Islanders offense, it has been perhaps the biggest revelation so far as the team currently sits sixth league-wide scoring an average of 3.33 goals per game played with two of the team veteran forwards leading the charge. Team captain Bo Horvat is having a phenomenal start to the year having put up some impressive totals with a stat line of 12 goals, 11 assists, in 18 games played to lead the team in scoring. Meanwhile, Mathew Barzal is healthy once again and producing at a high level as the talented forward has amassed five goals, 10 assists, in 17 games played giving the club some much needed scoring balance throughout the lineup.

One last tidbit on the Islanders, keep tabs on forward Emil Heineman who was acquired as part of the Noah Dobson trade. Heineman is making the most of his opportunity with his new club and is becoming quite the streaming option (potentially more) for fantasy managers with eight goals and four assists, 40 shots, 65 hits and seven blocked shots in 18 games played. If he can maintain his current deployment, expect more of the same from the rugged winger throughout the year.

If you would have told me at the start of the current campaign that the Boston Bruins would be leading the Atlantic division mid-November I would have looked you dead in the eye and offered you land I have for sale in the Everglades. After last year's abysmal campaign (finishing 28th overall) and a parting ways from longtime star forward Brad Marchand, many figured there would be a slight shift in the teams direction to more of a retool/rebuild than a continuation to push forward.

The Bruins offensive engine David Pastrnak continues to demonstrate that he is truly one of the game’s elite regardless of his supporting cast as his 107 point pace would illustrate. However, he's not alone in his offensive exploits as linemate Morgan Geekie is having himself a career year with 12 goals, six assists and is currently on pace for 74 points while leading the team in goal scoring. In addition, the Bruins are also getting some valuable contributions from second line centre Pavel Zacha (16 points in 20 games played).

Jeremy Swayman returning to form after what was a rather dismal year in 2024-2025 has been critical in helping the Bruins ascend to the top of the Atlantic. Swayman has fashioned a solid if unspectacular 8-4-0 record accompanied by a 2.99 goals against and .902 save percentage, however, in his last five starts the Olympic hopeful owns an unblemished 5-0 record with a 2.40 goals against and .923 save percentage. The type of goaltending the organization will need as they continue to transition from the Bergeron / Chara / Marchand era.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are finding out what life is like without Mitch Marner as the team sits 15th in the Eastern Conference and is struggling mightily to find any kind of footing. Recent injuries to Toronto's star forward Auston Matthews and number one goaltender Anthony Stolarz along with losing the services of staunch defender Chris Tanev for all but eight games this year only add to the organization’s ongoing plight.

The good news is the Maple Leafs remain one of the league’s more dominant offensive outfits ranking fourth at 3.53 goals per game played. The issue at hand is the team's play defensively which is costing them greatly as Toronto finds itself on the outside looking in when it comes to a playoff spot.

The Maple Leafs currently rank 31st defensively at 3.79 goals against per game which is a full goal more against than the previous campaign. Remember, this is a team that finished eighth defensively in 2024-2025 giving up 2.79 goals against per game played. In addition to the team’s defensive shortcomings, the special teams are both floundering at or near the league’s bottom third.

PP% – 16% (25th overall)

PK% – 79.0% (19th overall)

Tensions are at an all time high in Toronto with the fan base becoming increasingly restless with the team’s performance to begin the campaign. Everyone is feeling it including head coach Craig Berube, who laid in his troops at yesterday’s practice for what amounts to a complete lack of effort and compete level. One thing is for sure, we are going to find out what this team’s mental fortitude is made of over the next few weeks. The Maple Leafs are going to need their best player to be just that and lead the charge through this adversity (I'm looking at you – Tavares / Nylander / Reilly).

It's a big ask but this is the situation the organization finds itself in amidst the revolving door as it pertains to injuries, the teams poor play as well as a lack of execution under Berube's systems. Can they work their way out of this early season swoon? Only time will tell.

That's it for this week folks, keep an eye out for the Weekend Waiver Wire over at the Goalie Post for streaming options as it relates to upcoming games this weekend.

Thanks for reading and feel free to follow me on X @mikeouellet9 or BlueSky @mikeouellet9.bsky.social

See you all again next Tuesday!