In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll look at a few players who fell short of expectations during the regular season. We'll also evaluate their potential to bounce back for the 2022-2023 campaign. Last week we discussed second-half MVPs and what that could mean for next season as well.

Brendan Gallagher

After scoring at a 30-goal pace for four-straight seasons, Gallagher had a disappointing showing in 2021-2022. He tallied just seven goals through 56 appearances, which translates to 10 goals over 82 games. He'd established himself as a reliable 50-point player in recent years but paced for an underwhelming 35 points this season. There are many plausible explanations for Gallagher's recent decline, but I'm inclined to believe some explanations more than others. For starters, there's the idea that Gallagher was most effective beside Tomas Tatar and Philip Danault. Those three players had great chemistry together and formed one of the league's best lines over the past few years. Unfortunately, since Tatar and Danault left the team last summer, Gallagher hasn't shown the same level of chemistry with any of his current teammates in Montreal. Regardless, I don't think it's accurate to say that Gallagher's drop-off is largely a product of his linemates' departure. He was an effective and productive player well before he joined forces with Danault and Tatar. Early in his career, Gallagher was the sparkplug that coaches deployed beside struggling players, in order to get them going. Now Gallagher was obviously much younger back then – which brings us to another possible explanation for his recent drop-off: age.

Having just turned 30, Gallagher still isn't at an age where you'd expect dramatic age-related decline to set in. However, the taxing style he plays may have taken a toll on his body after all these years. He's taken a lot of punishment in order to get to the front of the net and create high-danger scoring chances throughout his career. I think there's merit to the idea that Gallagher's physical health hindered him this season. However, I see this as a blip rather than an indicator of what the rest of his career will look like. During his end of season interviews, Gallagher revealed he had been dealing with numerous injuries over the past couple of seasons, but because of condensed schedules and Montreal's long run to the Cup Final last year, he never really got an opportunity to fully recover. Over these next few months, Gallagher will finally have a full offseason to rest and prepare his body for next year. His work ethic is among the best in the league, so I'm confident he'll do everything to put himself in a position to succeed next year. It also helps that Gallagher has a coach in Martin St. Louis who has gone through similar trials and tribulations. As an undersized forward, St. Louis managed to adapt and remain effective until the age of 40. That's great experience that Gallagher can draw from.

Dougie Hamilton

Hamilton's tenure in New Jersey got off to a strong start as he posted 20 points in his first 30 games as a Devil. Seven of those points came with the man advantage as he enjoyed a prominent role with the man advantage early on. He entered the season with a reputation for being a high-volume shooter and maintained it by averaging 3.6 shots per game during those first 30 outings.  Unfortunately, a broken jaw derailed his hot start and kept him sidelined for almost two months. Hamilton was much less productive after returning from jaw surgery, posting 10 points his final 32 appearances of the campaign, and averaging 2.78 shots per game. He recorded just one power-play point during that stretch as Damon Severson replaced him on the top unit. Once the regular season ended, we learned that Hamilton broke a toe shortly before breaking his jaw, and was hindered by that broken toe down the stretch. The offseason should give him an opportunity to fully recover and return to form next year. Considering his massive contract – which pays him $9 million for each of the next six years – the Devils need him to produce. I expect a healthy Hamilton to be more productive next year, reclaiming his spot on New Jersey's top power-play unit next year and having a bounce-back 2022-2023.

Alex Nedeljkovic

The American netminder was nominated for the Calder trophy last season after he posted a 15-5-3 record, 1.90 GAA and .932 save percentage. Those are incredibly impressive numbers, but he managed them behind a competent defensive structure in Carolina. After he was traded to the Red Wings last summer, expectations varied for Nedeljkovic heading into the 2021-2022 campaign. His strong numbers in Carolina provided a source of optimism, but most were cognizant that his success came in a small sample and that he would be playing behind a much weaker team this year. He got off to a surprisingly strong start in Detroit, registering a 2.58 GAA and .923 save percentage through 15 games over the first two months of the campaign. Unfortunately, his play fell off drastically as the season progressed. He posted a 3.56 GAA and .893 save percentage over his next 44 appearances.

Goaltenders usually take longer to develop than skaters. Seeing as Nedeljkovic is 26 years old with just 88 games under his belt, it would be unfair to write him off based on one poor season. However, it's important to keep in mind that the team in front of him – although young and improving – is likely to struggle again next year. There is potential for accelerated defensive improvement if the Red Wings can secure Barry Trotz – who was recently fired from the Islanders – as their head coach next season. However, Nedeljkovic still hasn't shown that he can carry the load of a starting goaltender over a full season. I'd be willing to take a chance on him if he falls to the late rounds of next year's fantasy drafts, or if he's sitting on the waiver wire to start the season, but I wouldn't target him any earlier than that – regardless of who's coaching the Red Wings next year.