In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll discuss a few players who have seen their production improve in 2023.

Adam Boqvist

The 2022-2023 campaign did not start well for Boqvist. He went pointless in his first four appearances and broke his foot in that fourth game, causing him to miss the next two months of action. He returned in late December but struggled defensively, which led to him being a healthy scratch for two games in early January. Though he's experienced defensive lapses, his offensive game has been strong recently. Boqvist boasts nine points through 12 contests in the calendar year. With Columbus' top defenseman Zach Werenski sidelined all season because of a shoulder injury, Boqvist is enjoying an expanded role on the power play. Since January 1^st, he's seen 62% of Columbus' total time with the man advantage. Although this is his fourth season in the NHL, injuries have limited him to just 147 appearances so far. Considering he's just 22 years old, I think it's fair to say that the eighth overall pick from 2018 may not have reached his full potential just yet. He's currently day-to-day with an upper-body injury, but if he can stay healthy down the stretch, he can provide some sneaky value for your fantasy team.

Moritz Seider

Fantasy managers who drafted Seider this season were inconsolable early on, watching helplessly as Seider struggled and Filip Hronek thrived. Fortunately, the tide's starting to turn. After posting just 12 points in 35 outings (0.34 points/game) during the 2022 portion of this season, Seider has 12 points through 13 games (0.92 points/game) in 2023. He tallied just four power-play points during those first 35 games, but already has five PPPs during these last 13. His share of PP time hasn't changed drastically between the first and second stretch. Rather, it seems he'd just been unlucky early on. During that first stretch, he had an on-ice shooting percentage of 8.74% on the power play, while other members of Detroit's top unit were up around 12-13% (via NaturalStatTrick). During this more recent stretch, he has an on-ice shooting percentage of 15.63%, which is in line with what his teammates have done over the same span. The 21-year-old defenseman is breaking out of his sophomore slump at the perfect time, showing great form as we approach the fantasy playoffs.

Carter Verhaeghe

Since the beginning of January, only three players in the league have scored more goals than Carter Verhaeghe (10) – who has 17 points through 16 games in 2023. Verhaeghe has benefitted from playing beside the league's hottest player Matthew Tkachuk, who leads the NHL in scoring during the calendar year, racking up 28 points through 16 outings. Although this recent run has been impressive, Verhaeghe had also been producing at a strong rate early on, tallying 30 points in 36 games during the 2022 portion of this season.

His overall production has improved since last season, thanks in part to a greater role with the team. After averaging 16 minutes of action in 2021-2022, he's seeing 17 and a half minutes per game this season. In addition, he's seeing 36% of Florida's total time with the man advantage – up from last season's 22% share. This has resulted in his power-play production improving from 0.04 points per game to 0.17 points per game. Verhaeghe is an underrated talent who's capable of putting up big numbers when given the opportunity. Although I believe in the player, I'm slightly concerned that Anthony Duclair's return may eat into some of Verhaeghe's opportunity down the stretch.  

Victor Olofsson

Victor Olofsson is a prime example of the adage that goal scorers tend to be streaky. He opened the season with nine goals in his first 11 games, but then went on to score just four times in his next 23 outings. He's been back to his scoring ways since the new calendar year began, posting 10 goals in 16 appearances. Although the production is nice, it's especially encouraging to see that he's earned himself some more ice time. After averaging 14 minutes per game during the 2022 portion of the season, he's up around 16 minutes a night over the past month. Since goals are more rare than assists, Olofsson provides underrated value in fantasy formats. It's worth noting that Buffalo has a favourable schedule the week of March 13^th to the 19^th – which should be a playoff week in most formats. The Sabres are the only team that play on all four 'light days' (days when fewer games are scheduled across the league) that week.

Brandon Montour

The 28-year-old blueliner has 14 points in 16 games since the beginning of January. He had been especially productive earlier in the season while Florida's top defenseman Aaron Ekblad was injured, tallying 14 points in 10 games. However, this recent run reinforces that he

can produce with or without Ekblad in the lineup. It helps that Florida is one of very few teams that run two defenders on their top power-play unit, allowing both Montour and Ekblad to produce at a high level.