In this week’s Eastern Edge, we’ll look at each team's most disappointing fantasy player at the halfway mark. Not all teams have a clear-cut candidate for this list, so hopefully you'll forgive me for grasping at straws in certain cases. Some teams also have more than one, so we had to cut down in other areas, too.

Boston Bruins – Taylor Hall

Hall posted 14 points in 16 games after he was traded to Boston last season. That seemed to convince fantasy managers he'd rediscovered the magic from his days with the Devils. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case this year as he's tallied 27 points through 42 appearances, which translates to 53 points over 82 games. His overall numbers aren't great, but Hall has been trending upwards recently, posting 13 points through 16 appearances during the month of January. He spent a lot his even-strength minutes beside David Pastrnak last month. The two players have shown great chemistry together, which explains Hall's improved production as of late. 

Buffalo Sabres – Victor Olofsson

After a disastrous 2021 campaign, expectations weren't particularly high for any of the Sabres this season. However, Olofsson got our hopes up when he started the year with nine points in his first eight games. Unfortunately, his hot start was interrupted by a soft-tissue injury that reportedly affected his shooting. He sat out for eight games and has just 12 points in 27 outings since returning to the lineup. Given the fact that Olofsson's lethal shot is one of his strongest assets, I wouldn't be surprised if that injury is still hindering his play.

Carolina Hurricanes – Martin Necas

The young forward broke out with 41 points in 53 outings last season, which translates to 63 points over 82 games. He was highly sought-after in fantasy drafts this year; a top-100 pick in your average Yahoo league. Unfortunately, the offense hasn't come as easily this year as he has just 22 points in 38 games – a 47-point pace.

Columbus Blue Jackets – Jack Roslovic

Roslovic had an impressive showing last season in his first year with the Blue Jackets. He posted a 58-point pace while skating 17 minutes a night and enjoying a 54% share of the team's total power-play time. This year, his role has reduced significantly and his production has suffered accordingly. He's scoring at a 35-point pace, skating 12 minutes a night and seeing 30% of Columbus' time with the man advantage.

Detroit Red Wings – Filip Zadina

Detroit is one of those teams that doesn't really have a clear-cut candidate for the title of most disappointing player. The team's fantasy-relevant players were taken late in most drafts, leaving lots of room for them to outperform expectations – which they have. I'll go with Filip Zadina here because he's a minus-22 so far this season, scoring at a 24-point pace. That's a step down from last year's 32-point pace, which was a step down from the previous year's 44-point pace. He's obviously still young and has time to breakout, but it hasn't been an ideal start for the sixth overall pick of the 2018 draft.

Florida Panthers – Spencer Knight

Heading into the season, there was lots of chatter about Spencer Knight taking over the net in Florida. The young goaltender looked good in limited action last year and seemed destined for a bigger role, with Sergei Bobrovsky fresh off a second-straight season of subpar play. Although Knight has seen his fair share of starts this year, he's clearly the second option behind Bobrovsky, who's putting together a solid bounce-back season. Knight's overall numbers aren't great as he holds a 3.16 GAA and .896 save percentage through 17 appearances this year. He sports a winning record of 9-5-2, but that pales in comparison to Bobrovsky's 23-4-3 record.

Montreal Canadiens – Jeff Petry  

I know what you're thinking, "that's a weird way to spell Cole Caufield". While Montreal's highly touted rookie had a disappointing first half, I think most of us sensed expectations were getting a little too lofty for Caufield heading into the 2021-2022 campaign. As such, it's not surprising that he's fallen short of those massive expectations – although I don't think any of us predicted he'd have just one goal through 29 appearances this year. Regardless, as a Habs fan, I've been more surprised by Jeff Petry's struggles, than I have been by Caufield's. With Caufield, I've at least seen stretches of good play, but I don't think I can say the same for Petry. He's exhibited questionable decision-making all year and doesn't look anything like the elite player he was last season. After posting 42 points in 55 outings last year, he has just six in 37 this year. I don't think his struggles are a product of age-related decline, so I'm optimistic he'll be able to bounce back from this at some point. The problem is, I don't know when that'll be, and I don't know if he'll still be with the Canadiens when it happens.

New Jersey Devils – MacKenzie Blackwood

The Devils netminder was hindered by COVID-19 last season. As such, fantasy managers were willing to ignore his underwhelming numbers, finding reassurance in his stats from previous seasons as they approached this year's fantasy drafts. Blackwood seemed like a good bounce-back candidate, returning to full health behind an improved Devils roster. Unfortunately, things haven't gone to plan as he sports a 3.29 GAA and .894 save percentage through 23 games. He's been sidelined with a heel injury recently, which also bothered him early in the campaign. I wonder if that's been affecting his play all season.

New York Islanders – Semyon Varlamov

Varlamov was one of the first goalies off the board in fantasy drafts this year, a top-50 pick overall in your average Yahoo league. His numbers at the halfway mark aren't terrible as he sports a 2.61 GAA and .915 save percentage through 13 games. However, wins have been hard to come by as he sits at just three on the year. Although his stats don't seem too bad, they're much worse than the 2.04 GAA and .929 save percentage he posted last year. He's only played 13 games so far, while Ilya Sorokin has played 25 and posted better numbers. That substantial difference in games played is partially due to the fact that Varlamov has missed time with injury this year. However, it still seems like Sorokin is stealing the starting job in New York.

New York Rangers – Alexis Lafreniere  

The first overall pick of the 2020 draft did not have an ideal rookie season, posting 21 points in 56 games last year. Due to his status as a highly touted prospect, many expected him to take a step forward this season. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case so far as Lafreniere has just 12 points in 44 outings, which translates to 22 points in 82 games. He's still young and has plenty of time to develop, but I'm not overly optimistic about his fantasy outlook in single-season leagues.

Ottawa Senators – NA

Look, I know this list was supposed to include a disappointing player from each team, but I couldn't justify dishing out such a label to any one of Ottawa's fantasy-relevant players. I'd say there are five players on the Sens' roster who were on most radars during fantasy drafts: Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Thomas Chabot, Josh Norris and Tim Stuetzle. All five of those players are performing at or above expectations – nobody's had a disappointing first half. The team has also had surprisingly decent goaltending for most of the year. Matt Murray has been especially good lately, posting a 4-1-2 record, 2.51 GAA and .924 save percentage in January.

Philadelphia Flyers – Sean Couturier

Couturier was understandably one of the first Flyer forwards selected in most fantasy drafts this year. He posted a 70-point pace in four straight seasons heading into this one and seemed like a reliable option. He started strong with 11 points in his first eight appearances but went on to tally just six in his next 21. He's been sidelined with an upper-body injury for over a month now and there's a chance he'll remain out all season.

Pittsburgh Penguins – Kasperi Kapanen

Last year, in his first season with the Penguins, the speedy skater posted an impressive 62-point pace. He hasn't been as productive this year, pacing for 45 points. It's worth noting that Kapanen spent a lot of time beside Evgeni Malkin last year, but the Russian superstar was out injured for the first few months of this season. Now that Malkin's back in the lineup, it'll be interesting to see whether he's reunited with Kapanen at some point and if that sparks Kapanen's offense at all.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Nikita Kucherov  

Yes, I know, Kucherov has 17 points in 11 games, which is far from disappointing. However, a lower-body injury caused him to miss a huge chunk of the first half, so there was a significant stretch where he wasn't contributing to your fantasy roster – which is the disappointing part. Am I grasping for straws here? Sure. But Tampa's roster has been playing well this year, so it's hard to call any player a disappointment at the halfway mark.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Nick Ritchie

Heading into the season, Ritchie seemed to be in a good situation. Of Toronto's depth signings, he received the most lucrative contract and therefore had the strongest claim to a top-six role with the team's superstars. Unfortunately, he failed to capitalize on that early opportunity and has since been surpassed by the likes of Michael Bunting and Ondrej Kase. Ritchie has hovered around a 40-point pace in recent seasons but is on track for just 22 points this year.

Washington Capitals – Ilya Samsonov

Samsonov was a highly sought-after pick in fantasy drafts this year, boasting an ADP of 68 in your average Yahoo league. His numbers this season don't match that high draft position as he holds a 2.79 GAA and .903 save percentage through 22 games. He's been outplayed by Vitek Vanecek, who sports a 2.35 GAA and .916 save percentage over 23 appearances. Vanecek is seeing more starts lately and seems to be taking over the net in Washington.