This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
So, remaining faithful to Anaheim failed, and even head coach Bruce Boudreau jumped ship from Frederik Andersen. Don't be surprised to see Boudreau become a chopping-block victim sooner than later.
Onward and upward, here are your value leans over the next week at DraftKings.
CENTER
Anders Lee, New York Islanders ($4,900)
The Islanders have three home games over their next four, and only a tilt with St. Louis projects as a potentially tough draw. Meanwhile, Lee sits with five points and two goals over his past four games with 12 shots on net. He's stapled to John Tavares in all situations, and as the net-front presence on the No. 1 power-play unit, he has two man-advantage points already. Lee is also starting 64.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone.
After 17 individual scoring chances, Lee has just two goals, so while he has a 12.5 shooting percentage, he be closer to a 15 percent shooter. More of the same at his current cap hit presents nice value, though, even without an uptick.
WING
Brendan Gallagher, Montreal Canadiens ($5,300)
The Habs have two cushy matchups against the Sabres and Maple Leafs before a road trip through Western Canada, which shouldn't be viewed as a daunting run. Skating with Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec is an equally prime on-ice situation for Gallagher.
Gallagher has 23 shots through seven games to go along with his goal and five helpers, and his advanced stats are juicy. Although, he is
So, remaining faithful to Anaheim failed, and even head coach Bruce Boudreau jumped ship from Frederik Andersen. Don't be surprised to see Boudreau become a chopping-block victim sooner than later.
Onward and upward, here are your value leans over the next week at DraftKings.
CENTER
Anders Lee, New York Islanders ($4,900)
The Islanders have three home games over their next four, and only a tilt with St. Louis projects as a potentially tough draw. Meanwhile, Lee sits with five points and two goals over his past four games with 12 shots on net. He's stapled to John Tavares in all situations, and as the net-front presence on the No. 1 power-play unit, he has two man-advantage points already. Lee is also starting 64.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone.
After 17 individual scoring chances, Lee has just two goals, so while he has a 12.5 shooting percentage, he be closer to a 15 percent shooter. More of the same at his current cap hit presents nice value, though, even without an uptick.
WING
Brendan Gallagher, Montreal Canadiens ($5,300)
The Habs have two cushy matchups against the Sabres and Maple Leafs before a road trip through Western Canada, which shouldn't be viewed as a daunting run. Skating with Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec is an equally prime on-ice situation for Gallagher.
Gallagher has 23 shots through seven games to go along with his goal and five helpers, and his advanced stats are juicy. Although, he is starting fewer than half his shifts in the defensive zone, Gallagher still boasts a 60.2 CorsiFor percentage, and he has 22 individual scoring chances and a 59.3 ScoringChancesFor percentage.
We'll often look for cheaper option presenting value going forward, but Gallagher's rolling with a scorching hot trio and draws a handful of favorable matchups over the next week.
Nail Yakupov, Edmonton Oilers ($4,100)
Year 4 has been kind to Yakupov in the early going. He has five points -- two goals -- with 11 shots on net over has past three games, and his line with Connor McDavid and Benoit Pouliot has clicked in all situations. McDavid in particular looks to be matchup-proof.
There is nothing to fret about piggybacking off a generational talent, either, just ask Jari Kurri. Still, Yakupov isn't a slouch – a former No. 1 pick himself, he finished off last season with nine goals and 20 points over his final 28 games.
Just note that the schedule isn't a slam dunk over the next week, so Yakupov might check out as a better GPP play or source of cap relief.
DEFENSE
Mark Streit, Philadelphia Flyers ($4,300)
The veteran rearguard broke out with a three-assist showing in his latest outing against the Bruins on Wednesday. He mans the point on the power play and plays pitch-and-catch with Jakub Voracek and Claude Grioux, which is a juicy fantasy spot.
The Flyers have three home dates on tap, with matchups against the Devils and Sabres particularly enticing, especially considering their woeful early season penalty killing. They proceed to finish the week with a road date in Buffalo.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Streit's price climb quickly, though, if he settles into first class on the production train.
Tyson Barrie, Colorado Avalanche ($4,700)
Look for Barrie to be a sneaky play this week. He's returning from a suspension for the tilt against Florida, and there's potential that with the games he's missed, Barrie's already low salary could fall even farther into profit territory.
He is the No. 1 offensive blueliner on the team, and Colorado boasts a strong power play, which will see a boost with Barrie back in the fold. Don't be surprised to see him very little owned, especially with his suspension potentially fuddling his season stats on DraftKings.
Just note that Colorado plays Columbus on Saturday, which could make Nick Holden ($3,000) an excellent budget play at his cap hit. Holden is seeing an increased role and has produced with Barrie out.
GOALIE
Joni Ortio, Calgary Flames ($6,000)
Calgary has six games over eight days to finish the month, so with Karri Ramo demoted to the American Hockey League, Ortio is going to see at least two starts this week. Unfortunately, it isn't a great run in the schedule – four road games and daunting opponents.
Still, Ortio sports a discount-sticker salary, and he is knocking on the door with nothing left to prove in the AHL. In the long term, don't be shocked to see Ortio grab the No. 1 job, and the groundwork for the upheaval could begin this week.
You cannot start him as anything more than a high-risk, high-reward dice roll, though.
