Welcome fantasy managers to another edition of the Eastern Edge. My name is Mike Ouellet, and I am thrilled to be joining the incredible team here at Dobber Hockey as we delve into all that is the Eastern Conference each and every Tuesday. This week we'll take a look at how there seems to be a shift in power as it relates to the top teams in the East.

Montreal Canadiens (10-3-2 record / 1st in the Atlantic)

It has been an incredible start to the year for the storied franchise as they continue to build towards a perennial Stanley Cup contender. It's an exciting time for the teams fanbase and fantasy managers alike as the team is playing a phenomenal brand of hockey with several of the club's top players enjoying some early season success.

The Montreal Canadiens sit third in league standings while owning the fourth-best offense league-wide at 3.80 goals per game. The power play that languished in the bottom-third of the league the past two seasons is currently ranked fifth operating at a 27.9% success rate. The team’s penalty kill, which finished the 2024-2025 campaign inside the top 10, is still a work in progress after the loss of Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia in free agency.

All that being said, it's the individual player performances that have fantasy managers excited as this young core is really hitting their collective strides. Team captain Nick Suzuki continues to cement himself as one of the league's top two-way centres as he sits just outside the top 10 in league scoring while his wingman Cole Caufield is firmly in the conversation when it comes to the game's elite snipers.

The big man Juraj Slafkovsky, now in his fourth year, is beginning to use his size along with his immense skill to create both space for himself as well as his line mates. Slafkovský is just now scratching the surface in regard to the type of impact he can have in any given matchup. We haven't even discussed the reigning Calder winner Lane Hutson, whose sublime skating and shiftiness is giving opposing teams fits while being a main component to the Canadiens ever-improving power play.

Speaking of said power play, things really took off once coach Marty St-Louis added the uber-talented Ivan Demidov to the mix. Since Demidov's inclusion on the man advantage (Oct. 25th), the Habs have the league’s best power play converting at a lethal 43.8% efficiency. The 19-year-old Russian has the Bell Centre faithful on the edge of their seats each time he touches the puck as they wait to see what the supreme talent will cook up next. Stay tuned.

I could not discuss the Canadiens and their early season success without mentioning defenseman Noah Dobson and backup goaltender Jakub Dobes. The former has been a boon to the Montreal defense corps as Dobson has fit in seamlessly while producing at a 60-point pace in quarterbacking the club’s second power play unit. Meanwhile, Dobes has been lights out to begin the campaign having not lost in regulation over the course of his first seven games while at the same time allowing incumbent Samuel Montembeault to work through his early season struggles.

It's a great time to be a Montreal Canadiens fan, sit back and enjoy the ride!

Detroit Red Wings (9-7 record / 4th in the Atlantic)

The Detroit Red Wings, our second Original Six team, is slowly but surely working its way out of what was a longer rebuild than expected. That being said, this club is loaded with talent as GM Steve Yzerman aims to return the Red Wings back to glory. It all starts with captain Dylan Larkin as the Michigan native bleeds the red and white while remaining a consistent and elite level producer offensively. The great news for fantasy managers is that Larkin's current production has hit a career high of 1.19 points per game under coach Todd McLellan who seems to be unlocking some untapped potential.

Alex Debrincat may have hit a little cold spell over the past few games but that takes nothing away from his start to the campaign trailing only Dylan Larkin for the team lead in scoring. Debrincat's shooting percentage this year is a bit jarring at first (6.5% with a career average of 14.0%), however, that will correct itself over the course of the season regardless of his willingness to shoot the puck with reckless abandon.

Swedish right winger Lucas Raymond, now in his fifth full year, continues to build on an impressive resume. Raymond is a major reason for the team’s early success so far, having played slightly below point per game pace (0.93) all while losing a minute of ice time per night.

Rookie forward Emmitt Finnie came out of nowhere to make the opening night roster and has enjoyed the majority of his time in the big leagues on Detroit's first line alongside Larkin and Raymond. Finnie's scoring has dried up over the past couple weeks, but he may continue to hold a fair bit of value if the current first line deployment holds.  

The Wings saw enough out of rookie defensemen Axel Sandin-Pellikka in the preseason that the young 20-year-old earned himself a spot on the main roster. All Sandin-Pellikka has done since is to gain the trust of the coaching staff to the point that the first-year defenseman is averaging just under 19 minutes a night while manning the club’s second power play unit. As a bonus, the native of Gallivare, Sweden offers some value as it pertains to blocked shots (18 BLK in 16GP) in deeper formats.

Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson may not have the offensive output that fantasy managers crave but when it comes to stuffing peripherals such as shots on goal, hits, and blocked shots, their value increases exponentially. This duo's value lies more in the smaller details of the game for fantasy managers rather than pure offense.

In goal, the Red Wings have a stacked pipeline starting with Sebastian Cossa who is currently plying his trade with the team’s AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. Cossa owns an unblemished record of 4-0 accompanied by a miniscule 1.75 goals against and .939 save percentage along with one shutout. Michigan State Spartan Trey Augustine is Detroit's other top prospect who is currently dominating the NCAA level to the tune of a 6-1 record with an incredible 1.41 goals against and .944 save percentage. Quite simply, the Detroit Red Wings are set in goal for years to come.

Philadelphia Flyers (8-5-2 record / 4th in the Metro)

The Philadelphia Flyers are playing some of the best hockey we have seen in years. Coach Rick Tocchet has been a big influence on this team from a defensive point of view as the Flyers currently sits sixth overall in goals against per game (2.60) while also owning the league’s fifth best penalty kill at 88.2% efficiency.

The biggest beneficiary of the Flyers commitment to defense is goaltender Dan Vladar who has played himself into the number one role going 6-3 with a solid 2.18 goals against and .917 save percentage. If Vladar can keep up this level of play he'll be more than just a streaming option moving forward……if he isn't already.

Trevor Zegras is another player that seems to have benefitted from a change in scenery as the 24-year-old is off to the best start of his young career at just over a point per game and currently on an 87-point pace. To say Zegras has been rejuvenated in Philadelphia would be a severe understatement, more importantly, he has fully embraced being a Flyer along with the standard that the Philly faithful come to expect.

Arguably the heart and soul of the Flyers, Travis Konecny continues to be a solid contributor for fantasy managers regardless of format. Konecny is once again flirting with point-per-game status while offering great coverage in blocks, hits, and shots on goal. The only concern would be that he is down roughly a minute and a half per night in ice time. That being said, coach Tocchet may still be tinkering a bit longer as he attempts to get the most out of his roster.

Matvei Michkov is having a rough start to his sophomore campaign as the slick Russian is producing well below expectations at a 44-point pace. However, Michkov has turned up the offense of late with six points in his last eight games played and goals in his last two. There will certainly be some growing pains again this year as he adapts to Tocchet systems but there is just too much skill not to shine through. (Although team captain Sean Couturier‘s scathing remarks regarding Michkov's overall effort does not bode well at all)

Lastly, I would like to thank both Dobber and by extension Michael Amato (Managing Editor of the Goalie Post) for the opportunity in taking on the Eastern Edge column. Their encouragement, guidance and ongoing advice has been immeasurable.

Take a moment today to reflect on those who fought for our freedom. Lest We Forget.

Thanks for reading and feel free to follow me on X @mikeouellet9 or BlueSky @mikeouellet9.bsky.social.

See you all again next Tuesday.