In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll discuss players who are seeing more opportunity than they were last year, as well as players seeing less opportunity than last year. It's still early in the season, so we can't put too much stock into ice time averages because the sample size is so small. However, some of these early numbers may give us an idea of what's to come, as well as what we should keep an eye on going forward.

More Opportunity

Boone Jenner

Columbus' captain is enjoying a high volume of offensive opportunity this year. He's skating over 20 minutes a night, which represents a two-minute increase from last year's average. He's also starting more of his shifts in the offensive zone than the defensive zone this year, sporting an offensive zone start percentage of 52-percent. In contrast, he was used in a much more defensive role last season when he had an offensive zone start percentage of just 33.5-percent. At even strength, Jenner is currently playing beside Jakub Voracek and Patrik Laine – which may explain the scoring-focused deployment. The final piece of Jenner's new offensive role this year pertains to his role with the man advantage. He's seeing 67-percent of the team's total power-play time and already has three power-play goals through six appearances. Jenner was already putting up a lot of hits, blocks and face-off wins, but adding more offensive production to his repertoire would make him a multicategory beast. It's important to mention that Max Domi is currently sidelined with an injury, so it'll be interesting to see what happens with the line combinations and Jenner's deployment once Domi returns.

Evgeny Kuznetsov

Kuznetsov's 2021 campaign was derailed by two bouts of COVID-19. He managed 29 points in 41 appearances and was trusted with just 16 and a half minutes of ice time per game. He's off to a hot start this year, tallying nine points through six outings while skating nearly 20 minutes a night. Part of Kuznetsov's increased opportunity can be explained by the absence of Nicklas Backstrom, who is currently sidelined with a hip injury. Now I wouldn't necessarily recommend trading Kuznetsov in your fantasy league because I think he'll still be a valuable asset even after Backstrom gets back to the lineup. However, it's likely that Kuznetsov's ice time drops to some extent once Backstrom returns, so it wouldn't be the worst idea to sell high before that happens.

Drake Batherson

The 23-year-old winger had somewhat of a breakout campaign last year, scoring 17 goals in 56 outings. He managed the impressive goal total while seeing a modest 16 and a half minutes of ice time per game. The 2021-2022 campaign is still young, but Batherson's ice time is up a full three minutes from last season as he's now skating 19 and a half minutes a night. He put up a hat trick and an assist against the Capitals on Monday night, bringing him up to six points in six games this season.

Anthony Cirelli

Through Tampa's first six contests of the year, Cirelli is averaging 20 minutes of action per game – a significant increase from the 17:45 he saw last season. At even strength, he saw some exposure to Steven Stamkos early on in the year but has recently been skating alongside Alex Killorn and Mathieu Joseph. Cirelli's offensive ceiling is limited because he's not part of the Tampa's top power-play unit, but he could flirt with the 60-point mark thanks to a high-volume of even-strength minutes.

Less Opportunity

Anthony Mantha

The Capitals forward has been seeing 14 minutes and 45 seconds of ice time per game this season – a full three-minute downgrade from the 17:45 he averaged with Washington last year. With Nicklas Backstrom sidelined due to a hip injury, Mantha has seen a lot of action on the team's top power-play early this season. Unfortunately, that role isn't quite set in stone as it seems Conor Sheary replaced Mantha on the top unit during Washington's clash with Ottawa on Monday night. While Backstrom's absence may give Mantha more opportunity on the power-play opportunity, not having such a talented playmaker in the lineup probably limits Mantha's even-strength production. He has spent most of his even-strength minutes this season beside Lars Eller and Daniel Sprong. Although Eller is a solid two-way player, he lacks the offensive ability that Washington's top two centers – Backstrom and Kuznetsov – clearly possess. When Backstrom returns to the lineup, Mantha should benefit from playing beside one of the two offensively gifted centers.

Jack Roslovic

Last season marked Roslovic's first year with the Blue Jackets. He had an impressive showing, posting 34 points in 48 appearances while seeing nearly 17 minutes of ice time per game. The 2021-2022 campaign is still young, but Roslovic's role under head coach Brad Larsen looks significantly smaller than last year, when John Tortorella was in charge. Through six games this season, Roslovic's average time on ice sits just above 13 minutes. He may be able to put up some points since he's playing beside the talented Oliver Bjorkstrand at even strength, but his offensive ceiling remains low while seeing this limited deployment.

Nick Ritchie

Early on in the 2021-2022 campaign, Ritchie is seeing 13 and a half minutes of ice time per game – down two minutes from last year's average. He's seen plenty of exposure to Toronto's superstars but hasn't been a great fit so far. The entire roster has been struggling lately, so it's hard to be too critical of Ritchie. He's also dealing with the added challenge of acclimating to a new team. As we've seen before, sometimes it takes a few games for a new player to settle in and find their rhythm. Ritchie was most productive during the first quarter of last season, when he enjoyed a prominent power-play role with the Bruins and posted seven points with the man advantage in just 14 games. He's been relegated to a secondary PP role in Toronto, so it's hard to imagine him achieving that level of power-play production this year. With that being said, Toronto's star-studded power-play is off to a poor start, converting on just 13.6-percent of their opportunities so far. As a result, it's possible we see different combinations and strategies from the Leafs as they look to right the ship in these coming weeks.