Welcome fantasy managers to another edition of the Eastern Edge. This week we are going to take a closer look at three topics: 1) The Detroit Red Wings’ ascension to the division lead in the Atlantic, 2) The rejuvenated Buffalo Sabres under new GM Jarmo Kekalainen, and 3) The sleeping giant that is the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Let’s get to it!

Detroit

The Detroit Red Wings are playing some of the best hockey they have played in years. Coach McLellan has got his troops humming along to the tune of a 8-2 record in their last ten games played vaulting them to the division lead in the Atlantic as we near the holiday break.

A major reason for Detroit’s recent success has been the play of John Gibson who struggled out of the gate. However, the former Anaheim Duck has been on fire of late fashioning a 6-0-0 record in his last six games played with a 1.66 goals-against and .940 save percentage including two shutouts, with five of those games being quality starts.

The encouraging part for the Red Wings faithful is that he’s not the only one enjoying success this year with several individuals making their mark to this point in the 2025-2026 NHL campaign. All around talent and multi-cat beast Moritz Seider has put together his best season to date with incredible coverage across the board. In addition, youngster Axel Sandin-Pellikka has been a pleasant surprise to the clubs defense corps making the team out of camp and producing rather well for the upstart Red Wings while anchoring the team’s second power play unit in the process.

Amongst the forward group, there is plenty of firepower on display with two of the team’s wingers leading the charge. Alex DeBrincat has been phenomenal for Detroit to this point remaining above point per game status (40 PTS in 38 GP). Meanwhile, super Swede Lucas Raymond is also running at a point-per-game level as the 23-year-old is on pace for his most dominant campaign to date (93-point pace). The heart and soul of the Detroit Red Wings, team captain Dylan Larkin has also been at the forefront of the club’s offensive attack.

All that being said, the most credit would lay at the feet of coach Todd McLellan, who has allowed this team to flex its offensive muscle while trying to remain defensively responsible in the process. It may have taken longer for the Yzerplan to come into focus than the Red Wings faithful would have liked. However, both the fanbase as well as team brass are beginning to see the fruits of their labour when it comes to the club’s potential ceiling and its prospect pipeline.

Time for a check in on how some of the top Detroit Red Wings prospects are doing! 👀

Who’s the story of the year so far in the Hockeytown pipeline? ⤵️ #LGRW pic.twitter.com/X50cNLqfUU

— Winged Wheel Podcast (@WingedWheelPod) December 22, 2025

Buffalo

The Buffalo Sabres have been making a little noise over the past couple weeks as the playoff starved franchise is currently riding a seven-game winning streak on the strength of their offensive attack which has outscored their opponents by a 23-14 margin. The Sabres are playing some of the best hockey we have seen from them this campaign as the team is 7-3-0 in their last ten games played propelling them out of the Eastern Conference basement.

Goaltender Alex Lyon has been a major factor in the Sabres turnaround as the now 33-year old has fashioned a 6-0 record in his last six starts (four of them being quality starts) with a solid 2.25 goals against and .922 save percentage during that span. That being said, continue to monitor the Sabres goaltending situation as new GM Jarmo Kekalainen has gone on record in saying that the rostering of three netminders will come to an end, prompting many to believe Lyon could potentially be on the move in the not-too-distant future.

Speaking of the aforementioned Kekalainen, the former general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets seems to be breathing new life into the Sabres organization with several players supporting the change. Kekalainen has already made two key additions to his management team by plucking former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin from the Los Angeles Kings front office before reconnecting with Josh Flynn whom he worked with in Columbus.

That breath of fresh air seems to have done some good as it pertains to the Sabers best players as well. Team captain Rasmus Dahlin has been on quite a heater of late (11 PTS in his last 9 GP) scoring a highlight reel goal going coast-to-coast over the weekend against the New York Islanders. Towering centre Tage Thompson is having another productive year as the club’s biggest (literally) offensive weapon (32 PTS in 36 GP, 10 PTS in his last 7 GP) while simultaneously eyeing a spot on the U.S. Olympic hockey team. Meanwhile, hometown product Alex Tuch continues his strong run of play (0.85 PPG) as he pushes towards point-per-game territory.    

Tampa Bay

The Tampa Bay Lightning are demonstrating how championship teams can navigate several obstacles throughout a long and arduous NHL campaign. The Lightning have dealt with numerous injuries to their top players this year with Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point and Erik Cernak all missing time due to various ailments.

Through it all, Tampa Bay has shown much resolve with a rather impressive 20-13-3 record despite the aforementioned injuries. The team’s defensive play has been on point this year as well with the Lightning ranking sixth overall defensively at 2.61 GA/GP, impressive when you consider the number of call-ups the team has had on the blueline this season.

One of the Lightning most pleasant surprises has to be the play of Darren Raddysh, who has filled in admirably for the oft-injured Hedman, even supplanting him on the team’s top power play unit. The 29-year-old is having the best season of his career (27 PTS, 0.90 PPG – 74-point pace) essentially replacing Hedman’s production and more. The usual suspects, Nikita Kucherov (1.36 PPG), Jake Guentzel (1.06 PPG) and Brandon Hagel (0.97 PPG) continue to display their excellence while playing at or near a point-per-game pace.

The team’s backbone continues to be its greatest strength with Andrei Vasilevskiy playing at an all-star level as the future Hall of Famer has fashioned a 13-7-2 record accompanied by a superb 2.27 goals against and .915 save percentage in addition to a 72.7% quality start rate and 13.47 GSAx. Quite simply the “Big Cat” has been his dominant self all year and will continue to be leaned on heavily.

Once the Lightning work their way through the worst of their injuries, they are going to be a massive problem not only for the Atlantic Division but the Eastern Conference as a whole. The Tampa Bay Lightning are indeed a sleeping giant.

That’s it for this week folks. Keep an eye out for my Weekend Waiver Wire column every Friday morning over at the Goalie Post for streaming options as it relates to upcoming games this weekend.

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

See you all again next Tuesday!