This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The regular season wraps up in three weeks, and while some teams are out of the playoffs, there are plenty of players looking to cash their ticket for a 2016-17 contract or prove they belong in the league at all.
Here are this week's value recommendations.
C: Zemgus Girgensons, Buffalo Sabres, $2,500
After scoring 15 goals with 15 assists in his age-20 campaign last year, Girgensons has just 14 points through 60 games this season. The result is a site-low salary at DraftKings.
Injuries have flared up twice, but being cast down the depth chart has also hindered Girgensons' production. Neither are issues now, though. Girgensons is skating with Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart, and the second-line trio projects to avoid the opposition's top checkers.
Buffalo has neutral-to-favorable matchups against Ottawa, Toronto, Carolina and Winnipeg this week, and as long as Girgensons remains in the top-six mix, his contest-minimum salary is attractive. You can't find this opportunity at such a low salary anywhere else.
W: Kyle Okposo, New York Islanders, $6,100
While his salary has climbed $500 over the past month, Okposo is just now playing with long-time running mate John Tavares. The duo has combined for 2.84 goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five since the beginning of 2013, and Tavares has been Okposo's most frequent linemate.
During that three-year span, apart from Tavares, Okposo has a 2.36 mark goals-for mark at five-on-five, and for whatever reason, Okposo has spent more time with Frans Nielsen this season. Okposo and Nielsen have combined for an underwhelming 1.91 mark at five-on-five. Sticking with Tavares will be a significant fantasy boon for Okposo.
The Islanders have a number of favorable matchups upcoming, too. The next two dates with the Stars and Flyers aren't anything to fret, and then contests against Ottawa and Columbus sandwich a home-and-home series against Carolina and a road game with the Lightning.
D: Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs, $4,500
Since the trade deadline, Rielly has averaged 26:13 minutes with 2:10 power-play time per game and posted 17 shots and 16 blocked shot. His two goals and two assists aren't jump-off-the-page numbers, but head coach Mike Babcock is leaning heavily on the youngster, which yields favorably for Rielly's against-the-grain upside.
Rielly is posting career-best numbers across all DraftKings categories, and Rielly has been much better at home this season with 18 points through 34 games, including seven goals. Toronto has four straight home games upcoming, too.
The next two contests against Buffalo and Calgary are particularly enticing. The Sabres have allowed 2.75 goals per game in March, and the Flames have the second-worst mark (3.27) in the league since the All-Star break. Additionally, goaltending injuries present potential issues for both clubs.
It isn't easy to trust Smith. He had a .901 save percentage and a 3.06 GAA through 22 games to start the season, then missed three months with a lower-body injury. His struggles also aren't new, as his GAA climbed in three consecutive seasons leading into 2015-16.
Smith has won both his starts and saved 71 of 72 shots since returning from the injury, though, and Arizona has now won four of its past six games. However, they Coyotes face a tough upcoming schedule with unfavorable matchups against Tampa Bay, San Jose, Dallas and Philadelphia, with dates against the Oilers and Flames the only potential soft spots. Five of those six contests are home games for Arizona, though.
View the netminder as a source of savings first and foremost, and returning value at a sub-$7,000 salary isn't overly difficult. The savings enables you to spend up elsewhere, after all.
G: Brian Elliott, St. Louis Blues
This is a bonus recommendation. When Elliott's salary is released following his activation from injured reserve, there could be huge value here depending on his pricing.
The veteran returned a 12-3-2 run with a .943 save percentage before being injured Feb. 22, and Jake Allen has allowed 13 goals through his past three starts. Elliott could suit up as early as Saturday, so make sure to keep him on your radar.
