With the rush of fantasy hockey draft season quickly coming to a close, the regular-season marathon is now suddenly upon us. It's crucial to draft a strong team, but too many managers fall in love with their lineups and sit back after draft day. In reality, winning hockey pools takes much more than stellar drafting; it comes down to how one manages their team(s) throughout the season. While trades are fun, effective team management depends on waiver wire utilization, which means monitoring the weekly schedule to find opportunities to squeeze in extra games. 

Like training for a marathon, a little each day adds up. So without further delay, here's a non-exhaustive list of teams and players in the Eastern Conference worth considering for the opening week of the 2025-26 NHL regular season.

(Statistics courtesy of Frozen Tools and MoneyPuck.com)

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs open their regular season on Wednesday at home against the Montreal Canadiens. The home opener is one of just four games on the schedule that night, making it easy to slot in any Toronto skaters. The team also has four home games next week – all against non-playoff teams (Detroi, Nashville, New York Rangers, Seattle) – including back-to-back contests to open the week.

Matias Maccelli: The loss of Mitch Marner from Toronto was perhaps the biggest storyline of the 2025 NHL offseason, second only to Connor McDavid's precarious contract status. Marner's departure left a major hole on Toronto's top line, and Maccelli looks poised to get the first crack at filling it. Despite a tough year in Utah (18 points in 55 games), the winger impressed during training camp, recording four points (zero goals, four assists) in four preseason games. Only 14% rostered on Yahoo as of Monday, if Maccelli finds chemistry with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies in the early going, he'll become much more than a temporary add this season.

Bobby McMann: Much has been made about who will take Marner's old spot on the Leafs' top line, but McMann is quietly in a great position himself, slated to play alongside John Tavares and William Nylander once again this year. The trio was remarkably effective last season, ranking 20^th among forward lines in expected goals percentage (xGF%), immediately ahead of Ottawa's Tkachuk-Norris-Batherson combo and, you guessed it, Toronto's Knies-Matthews-Marner line. McMann tallied 20 goals last year while adding 136 hits, giving him some underrated banger league appeal. At just 3% rostered in Yahoo leagues, Bobby McMann is one of the best early-season low-risk, high-upside pickups around.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins opened their season last night at Madison Square Garden before heading on a California road trip next week (San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles) – a stretch that could give their young players a chance to make a splash early on (literally).

Ville Koivunen: After tearing up the AHL last season with 56 points (21 goals, 35 assists) in 63 games, Koivunen made a positive first impression at the NHL level last spring, posting seven points (zero goals, seven assists) in eight games to close out the campaign. The Penguins' second-round pick in 2021 (51^st overall), Koivunen enters the year as one of Pittsburgh's most intriguing young talents. With the organization deep in a rebuild, the coaching staff appears eager to give the Pens' future every opportunity to succeed now. Koivunen will start the season on the Penguins' top line with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell, a dream assignment for fantasy relevance. If Koivunen sticks on the Pens' top line, he could quickly carve out a permanent spot on thousands of fantasy rosters.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals begin their season today (Wednesday) at home against Boston and have three home games next week, all on Light Days (Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Vancouver), giving them an early-season scheduling advantage. They are also part of the only game this Sunday, against the Rangers.

Ryan Leonard: The Caps' first-round selection in 2023 (8^th overall) joined Washington late last season, picking up an assist in nine regular-season games and adding another apple in eight playoff appearances. While his offensive production has yet to pop in a limited sample size, Leonard's long-term upside is undeniable. He's currently lining up on the Caps' third line to the right of Anthony Beauvillier and Hendrix Lapierre and seeing time on the second power-play unit. It's not ideal deployment for now, but fantasy managers know the window to add a potential breakout star closes faster than an Ovie clapper from his office. If and when Leonard finds his rhythm, he won't be available for long.

Florida Panthers

The shorthanded Panthers started the season with a favourable schedule: opening at home yesterday (Tuesday) against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks before hosting the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. Next week, the Cats play four times, with three of those matchups against non-playoff teams (Philadelphia, Detroit, Buffalo). 

Evan Rodrigues: Rodrigues finished the preseason with a statement performance, netting a hat trick in a 7-0 rout of the Panthers' intrastate rival Tampa Bay Lightning. E-Rod carried that momentum over from a stellar playoff run, where he notched 15 points (2 goals, 13 assists) in 21 games en route to a second straight Stanley Cup. Rodrigues brings a mix of scoring touch and physical play (128 hits last season) that makes him valuable in multiple formats. He begins the season centering Florida's third line between Mackie Samoskevich and Jesper Boqvist and offers versatility with triple eligibility (C/LW/RW) on Yahoo. At just 3% rostered, Rodrigues is a smart early add to see if he can sustain his playoff and preseason magic. Last night’s assist was a good start.

Honourable Mentions: Mason Lohrei, Mackie Samoskevich, Zach Bolduc, Alex Newhook

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That's all for this week! Follow me on X @SmoothE27 for more fantasy hockey content and analysis, and feel free to DM me with any questions about your team. 

Stay tuned for the next edition of Eastern Edge on Tuesday, October 14. Have a great week everyone!