In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll run through observations from October, uncovering a few buy-low/sell-high options in the process.

Barzal's Bombardment

Prior to this season, Barzal was considered a pass-first player. Over his six years in the NHL, 72% of his points were assists, and he'd averaged just 2.3 shots per game. During the preseason, there was chatter that Barzal was flaunting an increased willingness to shoot the puck. With the first month of the regular season in the books, it's now clear that those observations from training camp were on the money. Through eight games, Barzal has 31 shots. His 3.9 shots per game currently rank top-20 in the league, on par with young star Jack Hughes. These extra shots haven't resulted in extra offense just yet, but that seems to be a product of bad luck. Barzal has typically converted on around 10% of shots, but currently sports a shooting percentage of 3.2%. At 5-on-5, the Islanders usually score on 8% of the shots they take while Barzal is on the ice. So far this season, they've only scored on 4% of those shots. I expect more of those shots to go in as the season progresses, allowing Barzal to flirt with a point-per-game pace.

Dealin' Dylan

Detroit got off to a scorching start on the power play this season. Through their first seven games, the Red Wings scored 12 goals with the man advantage, posting a success rate of 41.4%. Dylan Larkin cashed in at an alarming rate, registering a point on 10 of those 12 power-play tallies. Since then, however, Larkin and the Red Wings have failed to score a power-play goal, currently in a three-game drought. I guess the takeaway here is not to get too high on Larkin because his hot start has been fuelled by unsustainable power-play production. His overall numbers still look incredible as he has 15 points through 10 games this season. However, considering 10 of those points came with the man advantage, it's natural to question whether it's time to sell high. Larkin posted a career-high 31 power-play points in 80 appearances last year. That's 0.39 power-play points per game – less than half of his current point-per-game pace. Maybe he's capable of scoring at a higher rate this year, but I promise you he's not finishing with 82 power play points. Even 50 is a hard number to reach these days.

Now, there's something to be said about the allure of the unknown in fantasy leagues. Alex DeBrincat is the most talented player Larkin has shared the ice with in recent years, but we haven't seen what they can do together over the course of a full season. With a lack of reference, projections tend to vary more. Fantasy managers that are optimistic about the duo might think the sky's the limit. Such beliefs aren't anchored in reality, and lose sight of the fact that Larkin has been an 80-point player in recent years. Maybe DeBrincat helps him turn into a 90-point player, but that's still well below Larkin's current 123-point pace. Instead of hoping Larkin maintains this pace, why not try to swap him for a proven 100-point player that's off to a slower start – say, Mitch Marner?

Give Me Evgeny

Kuznetsov saw his fantasy stock fall last year after posting an underwhelming 56-point pace – a drastic drop from the previous year's point-per-game rate. The 31-year-old forward got off to a slow start again this year, failing to find the scoresheet in his first three outings. Since then, however, he's posted five points in five games. More importantly, new head coach Spencer Carbery is trusting Kuznetsov with more minutes than he's ever seen before. After skating 18 minutes per game last year, Kuznetsov is currently averaging 22 minutes a night. Both individual and 5-on-5 shooting percentages suggest he's been a bit unlucky to start the year and that his current process would typically yield better results. Don't be surprised to see him produce more as the season progresses and his luck hopefully improves. Kuznetsov is currently rostered in just 25% of Yahoo Leagues. I expect that number will increase dramatically in the coming months.

Bartering Bratt

I think some arguments regarding Larkin also extend to Jesper Bratt in New Jersey. After posting 22 points with the man advantage through 82 games last year (0.27 PPP/game), Bratt already has 10 through eight outings this year (1.25 PPP/game). The Devils currently lead the league with a lofty power-play success rate of 42.4%, which explains Bratt's impressive power play production so far. Although New Jersey has a lot of offensive firepower, they won't be able to maintain this success rate for the whole season. For reference, last year's Oilers had the best power play in NHL history, clicking at 32.4%. Neither the Devils nor Bratt will be able to sustain this level of power-play production all year.