Hello everyone and welcome to this special 2025 Bubble Keeper Week ("BKW") edition of Eastern Edge! I'm Eli Feldman.

As many avid Dobber Hockey readers already know, today marks the second day of BKW. For those who aren't aware, BKW is dedicated to profiling players who are "on the bubble" with respect to their status as fantasy league keepers.

Like everything else in life, the NHL is cyclical. Oceans rise, empires fall – rinse and repeat. Over the past decade, teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers cemented themselves as beasts in the East, but are now trending down. Conversely, former bottom feeders such as the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Columbus Blue Jackets boast rosy outlooks for seasons to come.

Although league sizes and settings vary and there's no concrete formula for determining a player's worthiness as a keeper, staying ahead of the curve in fantasy hockey is essential. While it can feel tempting to keep the same crop of players each season (particularly if they helped bring you championship glory in seasons past), you can't get ahead by standing still.

With all this in mind, let's look at five Eastern Conference players who may be worth keeping for this upcoming season. Stats are taken from Frozen Tools.

Drake Batherson, Ottawa Senators

Drake Batherson delivered a dependable 68‑point season in 2024/25, tallying 26 goals and 42 assists over 82 games while averaging over 18 minutes per night on Ottawa's second line and top powerplay unit.

Under contract for through the 2026/2027 season, Batherson is a proven point producer entrenched in a prominent role in the Sens' lineup. Although he's unlikely to reach superstar territory, Batherson is a reliable keeper candidate for the upcoming campaign. 

Following a protracted rebuild, the Senators are finally trending upward and Batherson figures to play a key role in his team's success this season. When it comes to Batherson and his Ottawa teammates, one thing is certain: they started from the bottom, now they're here.

Juraj Slafkovsky, Montreal Canadiens

After an underwhelming rookie campaign, Juraj Slafkovsky found his groove at the NHL level over the past two seasons, following up a 50-point sophomore campaign with 51 points (18 goals, 33 assists) in 79 games last year. As a potential keeper, Slaf is somewhat of a risky bet: he's proven himself as an everyday NHLer, but what's his ceiling for this upcoming season?

Despite the arrival of Ivan Demidov in Montreal, Slafkovsky projects to begin the campaign on the Habs' top line alongside captain Nick Suzuki and sniper Cole Caufield. Given his prime deployment and unique blend of size, skill, and upside, Slaf seems like a promising keeper candidate this season, especially if you can afford to gamble on his volatility.

Marco Kasper, Detroit Red Wings

Marco Kasper showed promise in the final quarter of last season, recording 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in a rapidly expanded role to close out his first full NHL campaign.

As a team, the Red Wings are inching toward a return to annual Playoff relevance, blending veteran leadership with young talent. Although Kasper isn't a household name in redraft leagues just yet, he's only 21 years old and projects to play an increasingly prominent role for the Wings both this season and into the future.

With his team on the rise and plenty of untapped potential, Marco Kasper could be a player worth holding onto this year.

Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders

Although Barzal is a proven star whenever he's in the lineup, the flashy forward was limited to just 30 games last season due to multiple injuries.

Entering the upcoming season, Barzal seems ready to rock, albeit, with a Band-Aid Boy Trainee designation. While there are numerous fresh faces on the Island since Barzal last played, his viability as a keeper boils down to your faith in his durability: in the midst of his prime, Barzal could easily set a new career high in points this season (i.e., 86+); but if he's forced to miss time once again, Barzal could just as easily spend another year wasting away on your IR.

Bowen Byram, Buffalo Sabres

Much like Barzal, Byram is a former first-round pick who has lost considerable chunks of his career thus far to injury. However, Byram seems to have overcome the injury bug for now, having posted 38 points (7 goals, 31 assists) in a full 82-game slate with the Sabres' last season after playing 73 games for the Sabres and Avalanche two seasons ago.  

Selected fourth overall by the Avs in 2019, Byram is a gifted offensive contributor with a high hockey IQ who has plenty of room to grow. Although Rasmus Dahlin is firmly entrenched as the quarterback of the Sabres' top power-play unit, Bo showed he was more than capable of filling in when Dahlin was forced to miss a bit of time last season.

With Buffalo gradually ascending and Bo Byram getting more comfortable in the NHL, Byram is an intriguing keeper candidate for the upcoming season.

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That's all for this week! Stay tuned for the next edition of Eastern Edge on Tuesday, August 19. Have a great BKW everyone!