Welcome back!
As I’ve done for the past few seasons, this column will highlight the upcoming schedule for head-to-head leagues and offer suggestions on season-long adds, mid-term holds and short-term streamers for fantasy hockey.
With the opening night triple-header starting on Tuesday, note the deadline for all 32 teams to submit their rosters is Monday at 5 p.m. ET.
As of this publication, rosters have not been finalized, although some teams only have a few players remaining to cut. As always in the first few weeks of the NHL season, there will be a lot of moving parts and roster adjustments, from players coming back from injury to prospects getting sent back to their junior teams to coaches figuring out the lines they like best.
In Week 1, the Rangers will be the only team to play four games, and they’re one of two teams to play a weekend back-to-back following a day off for the entire league on Friday. That means most matchups will be determined by Saturday evening, so plan accordingly.
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If you want to maximize games played, I’d suggest streaming a player from a team that plays twice from Tuesday to Thursday – the Golden Knights, Panthers, Habs, Avalanche, Flames, Penguins, Kings, Bruins, Blackhawks – and then streaming a Rangers or Capitals player over the weekend.
Because Thursday is so busy, and to avoid roster crowding and sitting active players on your bench, I suggest streaming a Kings player for two games on Tuesday and Wednesday when they play back-to-back, and then picking up a Rangers player for three games Thursday to Sunday, giving you potentially five games worth of production. It’s a sneaky way to pick up an extra game when 21 teams play only twice.
Also note seven teams — Rangers, Knights, Caps, Habs, Flames, Kings, Bruins — play back-to-back, so backup goalies will see action. This is an early chance to stream backups should you desire, and the matchups I have my eye on include Jonathan Quick (NYR) on Saturday in Pittsburgh, Joonas Korpisalo (BOS) on Thursday against the Hawks and Charlie Lindgren (WAS) over the weekend against the Isles or Rangers.
I hope the information provided in this column and in the coming weeks is helpful. Thanks for reading and your support. Good luck!
All positions and roster percentages are courtesy of Yahoo Fantasy.
Week 1 schedule breakdown
Pick players from teams at the top of the schedule matrix to maximize games and matchups. Green is good. Red is bad. Points percentages are from the 2024-25 season.
Season-long adds
Anze Kopitar, C, LA (52% rostered)
Sean Monahan, C, CBJ (51% rostered)
I can see why fantasy managers are reluctant to roster both Kopitar and Monahan – they’re getting older and Quinton Byfield and Adam Fantilli, respectively, threaten their roles as No. 1 centers. However, it’s too soon to write off the veterans, and I imagine the transition to Byfield and Fantilli will be gradual. In leagues that count faceoff wins, Kopitar and Monahan are still definitely worth rostering.
Will Smith, C/RW, SJ (45% rostered)
If you have Macklin Celebrini on your roster, I highly recommend rostering Smith, too. Smith had a slow start, but after moving to Celebrini’s right wing, his offense took off and he finished with 32 points in 42 games in the second half of the season. Celebrini and Smith are expected to play together all season and will lead the Sharks’ attack.
Will Cuylle, LW/RW, NYR (43% rostered)
Cuylle is a great streaming option in Week 1 because the Rangers play four games, but beyond that, he’s a 20-goal, 300-hit threat. That’s a rare combo in fantasy, and he’s slated to play on the second line with captain J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad, and on the second power-play unit. Watch Cuylle graduate from this list after a couple weeks.
Anton Lundell, C, FLA (23% rostered)
The Panthers are loathe to break up that Luostarinen-Lundell-Marchand line that helped them secure a second Cup, and Sam Bennett has been tasked to center Aleksander Barkov’s usual line. However, do not rule out Lundell getting moved to the top scoring line. At worst, Lundell is an all-round 2C who can offer points, shots, hits and faceoff wins.
Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, STL (20% rostered)
Give it a month or so before Snuggerud graduates from this list. He was really good with eight points in 14 regular season and playoff games combined after three standout seasons with the University of Minnesota. He’s an excellent goal scorer with potential for hits and will play on the first line and PP1 to start the season. Get in on the ground floor.
Rasmus Andersson, D, CGY (50% rostered)
That minus-38 rating from last season likely scared some people away, but think of the upside with 40 points, 150 shots and 200 blocks. Only three players registered more than 200 blocks last season – Ian Cole, Jacob Trouba and Nick Seeler – and none of them can come close to scoring 40 points. Andersson’s fantasy value could also get a slight boost if the Flames trade him, depending on the team and his new role.
Filip Hronek, D, VAN (39% rostered)
A defenseman who can score 40 points, provide another 100 blocks and 100 hits, and share the ice with Quinn Hughes is definitely worth your time. The Canucks will be leaning on their top pairing heavily all season with Hronek quarterbacking the second PP unit.
John Gibson, G, DET (37% rostered)
I don’t think the Wings acquired Gibson so they can run a tandem with Cam Talbot, though it could happen. Gibson has not been very valuable in fantasy in quite some time but there’s definitely some optimism; his .911 save percentage and 2.77 goals-against average last season were his best numbers in six seasons, and he’s likely going to get around 50 starts. The volume’s probably there; you just hope quality comes with it.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G, BUF (32% rostered)
The Sabres look great on paper but can never put it together, and Luukkonen was battling some sort of injury during camp. However, he is capable of stealing games, and on the off-chance the Sabres manage to pull it together, he’s going to get a lot of starts as their incumbent starter. If Alex Lyon or Alexandar Georgiev take over, that means something really went wrong.
Mid-term holds
Patrik Laine, LW/RW, MTL (40% rostered)
Laine’s a frustrating player, both in real life and in fantasy, because he’s so inconsistent. He is, however, usually quite excellent on the power play. The Habs face the Red Wings, who had the league’s worst penalty kill last season, and the lottery-bound Blackhawks in Week 1.
Marco Rossi, C, MIN (27% rostered)
The Wild lineup is quite fluid and, as of now, Rossi’s going to open the season as their top center potentially between Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy. That’s a dream setup for the young center, and I wouldn’t read too much into his playoff benching. Only in multi-category leagues does Joel Eriksson Ek have a definitive edge in fantasy value over Rossi.
Josh Norris, C, BUF (27% rostered)
Norris is excellent for goals, hits and faceoff wins until his inevitable injury. The Sabres seem intent on moving Tage Thompson to the right wing and installing Norris as the center on their top line. The Sabres are a good offensive team and ranked 10th in goals per game last season.
Marco Kasper, C/LW, DET (21% rostered)
Kasper had an underrated rookie season (37 points, 156 hits) though prone to hot streaks, including January when he scored 12 points in 14 games and April when he scored seven in nine. It worries me a little that he’s so weak in the dot, which means he could move back to the wing, but he’s slated to center Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane. That’s a great setup for a young player ready to break out.
Andrei Kuzmenko, LW/RW, LA (19% rostered)
All you’re going to get from Kuzmenko is points, and that’s okay for a waiver-wire pickup. He showed great chemistry with Kopitar and Adrian Kempe upon joining the Kings, and he’s slated to play with them again on the first line and PP1.
Matt Coronato, RW, CGY (19% rostered)
Coronato is the Flames’ best natural goal-scorer and should lead the team in goals if Nazem Kadri is traded. A stacked top line for the Flames includes Coronato, Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau, but so far they seem intent on breaking them up to balance the lines. Had their top line stayed intact, I’d consider Coronato more of a season-long hold for L1/PP1 exposure and 35-goal upside.
Sam Rinzel, D, CHI (86% rostered)
I wouldn’t read too much into the Blackhawks signing defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, though it does threaten Rinzel’s role as PP1 QB. I think Rinzel’s job is safe, for now, and he was excellent late last season with five assists in nine games, including three on the PP. The 'Hawks PP was actually quite good last season (24.9%, seventh), and PPP are hard to find among defensemen.
Anthony DeAngelo, D, NYI (16% rostered)
Interesting value proposition here. DeAngelo is arguably the Isles’ best puck-moving defenseman and the most ideal option to quarterback PP1, but he scored just four of his 19 points with the man-advantage last season on a dreadful power play that ranked 31st. However, I think that may change with a healthy Mathew Barzal. As with Rinzel, there’s value for being a PP1 QB, even on a mediocre team.
Jamie Drysdale, D, PHI (11% rostered)
Speaking of quarterbacking mediocre teams, Drysdale will get that coveted role in Philly. The difference here is the Flyers have Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras, two puck wizards who can really elevate their power play after finishing 30th last season. I have doubts about Drysdale’s ability to hold onto this role all season, but let’s wait and see. Good things might happen.
Jet Greaves, G, CBJ (38% rostered)
A little surprising to me that the Jackets’ goalies are so unloved even though this team is clearly on an upward trajectory. I get Elvis Merzlikins is unreliable and Greaves has almost no track record, but Greaves also has a decent chance to take over as the No. 1 following last season’s 7-2-2, 1.91 GAA, .938 SV% showing. Given how dire goaltending can be in fantasy, I think Greaves is worth stashing.
Short-term streamers
Michael Misa, C, SJ (26% rostered)
I’m curious to see if the Sharks will give Misa an audition or if they really plan on keeping him for the entire season. With Celebrini and Smith, the Sharks have shown they’re not afraid to play young centers at their natural position even though it’s the most difficult forward position to play at this level. If Misa stays, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a Calder Trophy contender. In keeper leagues, Misa’s worth tracking right now.
Ryan Leonard, RW, WSH (11% rostered)
Leonard is a high-energy player who scores a lot of goals and dishes out a lot of hits. I’d be more enamored with Leonard’s fantasy value if he was playing higher in the lineup, but I also think the Caps’ lines will keep changing until they decide if they want to play Connor McMichael at center. The dream for Leonard would be to play on the top two lines, either opposite Alex Ovechkin or with Pierre-Luc Dubois. With the requisite ice time, Leonard can be a top Calder candidate.
Trent Frederic, C/LW/RW, EDM (11% rostered)
Until Zach Hyman comes back, Frederic is slated to play on the right wing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, though only at even strength and not on the power play. I don’t think Frederic’s going to light the lamp, but it’s a great situation to be in for the short term.
Scott Wedgewood, G, COL (33% rostered)
With Mackenzie Blackwood nursing an injury and in danger of missing the season opener, don’t be surprised if the Avs roll with Wedgewood for a little while. He’s a capable backup that went 13-4-1 for them last season, and might get all three games in Week 1 because I don’t think Trent Miner is a viable option. The Avs were around .500 until November last season when they overhauled their goaltending, and I don’t think they want to be in a position with a bad goalie in net again.
Joonas Korpisalo, G, BOS (1% rostered)
If Jeremy Swayman gets the season opener in D.C. on Wednesday, expect Korpisalo to get the home opener Thursday against the Hawks. That’s a good matchup even for Korpisalo, who was excellent at home last season (6-2-3, .914 SV%, 2.32 GAA) despite mediocre overall numbers (11-10-3, .893 SV%, 2.90 GAA).