Welcome fantasy managers to another edition of the Eastern Edge. This week it's part one of a three-part series where we'll take a look at the Eastern Conference top 10 forwards (part one) / top 10 defensemen (part two) / top five goaltenders (part three) – Olympic Edition. So, without further delay, here are the East's top ten forwards currently participating in this year's Olympic Winter Games along with their respective outlooks for the remainder of the current campaign.

Let's get to it!

David Pastrnak – Czechia

The one they call "Pasta" tops my list of forwards from the Eastern Conference who are participating in this year's Olympics and quite frankly it wasn't even close. Pastrnak has been otherworldly for the Boston Bruins to this point in the campaign having put up 71PTS in 52GP pacing the Bruins forward towards a 112PTS season (would be a career best). Keep in mind that Pastrnak is doing this with much less talent around him than in years past where he was surrounded by the likes of Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Krejci just to name a few.

The Czech superstar has always been a play driver (30PTS in his last 17GP) but is now at the top of the food chain while receiving a healthy dose of the opponents best defensive forwards on a nightly basis. Provided that there are no lingering effects from his time at the Olympics, Pastrnak’s outlook for the remainder of the campaign is rock solid aided by his deployment on the league's third ranked power play (26.3%) as well as his overall Individual Points Percentage (IPP) of 78.9% leading to little or no regression once play resumes at the end of February. 

William Nylander – Sweden

It has been a weird season for the slick Swede who has gone through a much different year with the Toronto Maple Leafs than in years past, in particular with the departure of star winger and homegrown talent Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights. All that being said, Nylander is having an incredible campaign (minus injuries) as the soon to be 30-year-old is playing at a 107-point pace for the blue and white as the team tries to scratch and claw their way to a spot in this year's postseason.

The Leafs' leading point producer has been on quite a heater of late as well with 16PTS in his last 9GP before heading overseas to participate for Sweden at the Milano-Cortina winter games. Nylander will be a focal point to Sweden’s success over the course of the Olympic tournament and will continue to be just that once the NHL season resumes towards the end of February.

I would expect some slight regression as it relates to point production upon his return to the Leafs with a condensed schedule as well as an elevated shooting percentage (20.9% – Career Avg is 13.4%) being the main culprit for such a regression.   

Nick Suzuki – Canada

Oh Captain, My captain! (I'm a staunch supporter of the Habs, sue me)

I was thrilled at his inclusion to Team Canada’s Olympic roster not only as a Montreal Canadiens fan but also because the player quite simply deserves to be there. Let's forget for a moment that Suzuki is on pace for a 94-point campaign which would be a career high for the 26-year-old. He has increased his point per game total each year he has been in the league (0.58, 0.73, 0.74, 0.80, 0.94, 1.09, on pace 1.14).

Suzuki is gifting fantasy managers with some impressive production regardless of format as the Canadian is stuffing the stat sheet offering some great coverage across the board in banger / cat leagues. The Habs' leading point producer is heading off to the Olympics on a bit of a hot streak with 15PTS in his last 10GP and I see no reason for his current production to tail off with the collection of offensive talent at Montreal's disposal which has propelled the Canadiens to the league's seventh ranked power play that is humming along at 23.9% efficiency. My advice is to just enjoy the ride.  

Jake Guentzel – U.S.A.

The American sniper is loving life with the Tampa Bay Lightning…….who wouldn't? Guentzel has settled in quite nicely with the vaunted Lightning offense and make no mistake about it, he's no passenger. The 5'11" 176lbs forward is once again playing above the point per game pace (1.09PPG) while logging over 20 minutes a night which includes over four minutes on a power play the boasts names such as Kucherov, Point, Hagel and late-bloomer Darren Raddysh.

Suffice to say, I'm quite confident that Guentzel will pick things up right where he left off once NHL players resume league play at the end of month.  

Brad Marchand – Canada

I will be fully transparent, with injuries to both Aleksander Barkov as well as Matthew Tkachuk to begin the season I figured Brad Marchand might be in line to carry some of the offensive mail. I just did not think it would be to this rather impressive extent as the Panthers forward is currently on an 89-point pace in his 17^th season, no less.

Upon his return from Team Canada, Marchand will continue to be leaned on heavily as Florida tries to keep within striking distance of a playoff spot. That alone should help maintain a sustainable level of production, however, managers should also expect some regression due simply to the wear and tear of an NHL season (plus Olympics) in combination with the fact Marchand is turning 38 years old in May 

Brandon Hagel – Canada

The native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is an absolute gamer who simply brings it each and every night through skill, grit and determination. He's the perfect complimentary piece that knows his role and takes full advantage of his deployment alongside such offensively gifted players.

Hagel is again having a banner year as the agitating winger is currently pacing for an 89-point season while riding shotgun to Kucherov and Guentzel on the Bolts first line. Once Brayden Point is fully healthy there may be a slight regression in production simply due to the deployment and ice time allotted to Point but aside from that I would expect Hagel to enjoy a strong finish to the current campaign.    

Lucas Raymond – Sweden

The Detroit Red Wings are finally showing the promise we have been waiting for since Steve Yzerman took over as General Manager. Leading the charge for the Wings is none other than the soon-to-be 24-year-old Lucas Raymond who continues to demonstrate his sublime skills while increasing his point production year after year.

Raymond is pushing his game to another level this season as the slick winger is playing at a 1.07PPG pace while remaining defensive responsible for a Wings team that is beginning to believe in themselves as a group that can do some substantial damage come playoff time. Expect Raymond to close out the year on a solid note considering the Wings lack of top end talent at the forward position as well as the team’s ninth ranked power play balancing out any dip in his play due to potential fatigue. 

Tim Stutzle – Germany

Tim Stutzle has more than solidified himself as one of the game's elite with his level of play this year as the 24-year-old German is pacing for an 88-point campaign while leading the charge offensively for the Ottawa Senators. An encouraging sign for fantasy managers is that Stutzle's shot rate is up from last year's 2.0 SOG/G to 2.6 SOG/G which has him already topping last season's goal total of 24 (he's tickled the twine 28 times already in 2025-2026).

The only gripe that I have would be to monitor his shooting percentage as there may be a little regression on the horizonseeing as he is currently humming along at an inflated 19.2% relative to his career average of 14.1%. That being said, I'm rather confident that Stutzle does flirt with the 90-point plateau barring an injury of course.

Sidney Crosby – Canada

There is not much more to say when it comes to the most complete player of my generation, as Sidney Crosby has done it all at the highest level of the sport. Sid continues to amaze as the Cole Harbour native is playing above a point per game for the 21st straight season at age 38!

Crosby will again wear the "C" for Canada in Milan and will be counted on to bring home the gold medal as he did in 2010 (Vancouver) and 2014 (Turin) for a rabid Canadian fanbase.

When it comes to his outlook for the remainder of the NHL campaign, the only hitch in the get-a-long would be if the Penguins can secure a spot in the postseason relatively early where the organization keeps him out of a handful of games due to load management. Aside from that, it's all systems go.   

Tage Thompson – U.S.A.

All 6'6" 220lbs of the towering centre has been on display this year with the red-hot Buffalo Sabres. Thompson has been on fire since the calendar flipped to 2026 with 22PTS in 18GP, helping the Sabres enter the conversation for a playoff berth that has eluded the franchise since the 2010-2011 campaign.

The vibes in Buffalo are as high as they have been in quite some time, and I fully expect the Sabres to rely heavily on their number one centre as the team continues to push towards a spot in the postseason. In regard to his outlook for the rest of the season, I believe Thompson will hit his current 83-point pace with the potential for slightly more…..again barring any injury.

That's it for this week folks, keep an eye out for part two of our three-part series where we will discuss the top ten defensemen from the Eastern and Western Conferences who are participating in this year's Olympic Winter Games.

All stats courtesy of: Dobber's Frozen Tools  

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See you all again next Tuesday!