Preparing for players' downfalls and pegging fantasy pieces formerly relevant that are now set to fade is part of any astute GMs pre-fantasy draft research and in-season monitoring. Easier said than done, but getting away from players poised for regression could be just as beneficial as snapping up a fantasy target on the rise, which is why we're serving up four names out of the Eastern Conference that should be approached with extreme caution. Sure, they’ve all had great careers to varying extents, but the fantasy value of these names below is waning – be wary of where you draft them.

Brent Burns

Much like the name immediately below, there is nothing that can be said in any fantasy hockey column that will take away from the amazing, Hall-of-Fame-worthy career that Burns has put together. However, considering all the wear-and-tear on Burns' body and a potential regression-like season from a Carolina Hurricanes' club lacking in offensive punch, this upcoming year is finally feeling like the right time to fade Burns in fantasy hockey drafts and strategically deploy him as a last D-man option or even a bench spot at best. His 43 points, 185 shots, and 87 blocked shots from last season clearly still hold fantasy value, but with Burns turning 40 as the NHL's third-oldest active players behind Ryan Suter and Marc-Andre Fleury, drafting him comes with too much risk – especially when you factor in his overall decline in minutes over the past two campaigns. We would be much more comfortable with using Burns as a week-to-week waiver-wire target who could be utilized when the Hurricanes' schedule is at its most favourable going up against the bottom-feeders of the Eastern Conference.

Evgeni Malkin

Back-to-back years of a full 82-game slate is definitely a good sign for a player in Malkin who's only played in a complete campaign four times in his NHL career. However, if you're buying into the angle, we are here with the Penguins being a bubble team at the very best, be careful of drafting players like Malkin and even Kris Letang as the upcoming year could be a rough ride for a group in the Penguins that's one of the oldest in the NHL today on average. Taking a closer look into Pittsburgh's numbers last season reveals a team that was pretty lucky to be knocking on the door for a playoff spot as the Pens were woeful on the man advantage, only clicking at 15.3%. That number was the third-worst power play in the entire NHL then sprinkle in the fact the Penguins struggled to score overall, only notching 253 total goals to sit in a tie for 16th in the NHL, and it might be a seriously tall task for Malkin to replicate his relatively strong showing of 67 points. General manager Kyle Dubas was one of the quietest front-office executives in the league this offseason, meaning the Pens will be running it back with basically the same group that struggled to gain ground in the Metro Division standings only a season ago, only hurting the fantasy value of guys like Malkin, Letang, and others.

Cam Talbot

Considering the relatively strong bounce-back campaign Talbot put together for the L.A. Kings last season, this one might be a bit of a tougher sell in terms of staying away from a guy who put up pretty strong numbers to the tune of a 27-20-6 record, 2.50 goals-against average, .913 save percentage, and three shutouts. With that said, and much like the angles we're buying into for the Hurricanes and their potentially one-sided approach and Penguins with their top-heavy lineup, the Detroit Red Wings are a team to have serious concerns over – most notably at the defensive end of the rink where the Wings currently employ four NHL goaltenders. No, that's not a typo, Detroit is heading into training camp with Jack Campbell, Ville Husso, and Alex Lyon as options behind Talbot. The deal Talbot signed in the offseason only carries a two-year term at $2.5 million per, but the writing is on the wall for the 37-year-old veteran to get a strong shot at securing the starting role – but it's far from a lock and with all of those other names lurking, Talbot's deployment combined with his age and potential backup status make him a very difficult fantasy asset to assess.