Eastern Edge

Heading into last night's match (which of course they lost), the New Jersey Devils were 6-0-1. They look like they have turned it around, but considering how poorly they performed over the first 40 games, the playoffs are only theoretically possible. The Devils obviously had some issues (a mild understatement!) adjusting to a new coach and system. Now that Lemaire is back, the turnaround shouldn't have come as a complete surprise.

Simon Gagne and Vincent Lecavalier have provided their fair share of frustration to fantasy owners. Is Lecavalier merely a 70-point player now? Is Gagne washed up? Short-sighted fantasy managers will say yes on both accounts and only shop for TB players with the last name St. Louis or Stamkos, but if you can get them cheap, you might want to take a consider Gagne and Lecavalier.

How easy is it to give up on a player anywhere from 21-26 years old? Pretty damn easy. From a fantasy standpoint, if someone doesn't produce quickly enough, they're not welcome on your roster. And once you cut a guy like that, the breakup is for real. You don't ever want him again. At least that's how most of us think.

Heading into play last night, the Devils were only three points up on the cellar dwelling New York Islanders. If that isn't bad enough, the Isles have played one less game than New Jersey.

Following my Western counterparts lead this week, we'll take a look at the Eastern Conference in the search for big busts. I will also give you my take on what the balance of the season might hold for them.

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the month of Mo, uh, November and see who the top performers were. I've included players from both conferences, if only to provide a reference to where they place overall.

Following my Western counterpart, this week we will cover Eastern Conference wingers. Two key statistics that I use to determine the potential value of a forward are Power Play Time On Ice and Time On Ice. Typically in order to produce fantasy-worthy numbers, players need to be receiving top six ice time and be at least receiving reasonable amount of time with the man advantage.