This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Lineup changes are seemingly becoming more and more frequent in the NHL. The league is a results-driven business, and coaches can't wait around for players to figure it out.
With the above in mind, here are some players that have been moved around the lineup of late, and thus present a good value. All skaters will be valued under $4,000, and there will be a relatively cheap goalie at the end.
Center
Kevin Hayes ($3,200)
Over the weekend when Derek Stepan was out of the lineup, it was Hayes who stepped into the' Rangers top-six forwards. Even when Stepan returned on Sunday, Hayes still had over 15 minutes of ice time, largely due to playing the second power-play unit.
Hayes was a signee in the offseason, and has been everything from a top-six center to a healthy scratch. In that Sunday game, though, he was put on a line with J.T. Miller and Carl Hagelin. That trio was one of the two forward lines to be used primarily with offensive zone starts, which bodes well for his plus/minus.
The Rangers are on the road for three games this week, but they are in Toronto, Colorado, and Arizona, and as far as road trips go, those are three good matchups. With that line getting offensive zone starts against lesser teams, and Hayes getting power-play time, he's a good target for cap relief in cash games.
Left Wing
Teuvo Teravainen ($3,000)
Teravainen has been a player that garnered a lot of fanfare when he came into the NHL. Realistically, for fantasy purposes, it's important to remember that he's still playing behind a lot of talented players, and he's still in his rookie season.
Through the first 11 games that Teravainen has played with Chicago, he managed at least 12 minutes of ice time in just four of them. Conversely, he has played at least 12 minutes in his last three games. He's not getting a lot of ice time, but like Hayes, he's being used heavily in the offensive zone. For fantasy purposes, he's pretty much being put in the best possible place to succeed given his team.
Kris Versteeg is expected to re-join the team this week, so whether it bumps Teravainen to the fourth line remains to be seen. Chicago's next three games (Vancouver, New Jersey, Pittsburgh) are all at home, and all against teams that do not have strong bottom-six forwards. Teravainen makes a better tournament play, but each of those games are good matchups for him as long as he stays on the third line.
Right Wing
Mark Stone ($3,600)
The NHL is cruel. Ottawa's Mike Hoffman is second in the NHL in goals scored per 60 minutes at five-on-five but was bumped out of the top-six forward mix. Along with Curtis Lazar, Mark Stone was promoted to play alongside Kyle Turris on a newly-formed second line.
Stone was a late round pick in his draft year but has performed admirably in the American Hockey League since progressing from Junior. From 2012 to 2014, Stone tallied 79 points in 91 games, and that included 30 goals.
In somewhat limited time this year with Turris, the duo has been able to control 54-percent of the shot attempts at five-on-five. That's not an otherworldly number, but considering Ottawa is under 50 percent as a team, it becomes a bit more impressive.
Ottawa has two extremely prime matchups this week for offense: they host Buffalo on Tuesday, and then the Oilers are in town Saturday. Stone is not only now playing consistently above 17 minutes per game, but he's also getting power-play time. At his price, in his situation, Stone is a solid play against either team in cash games.
Defenseman
Lubomir Visnovsky ($3,400)
The defensive rotation for the Islanders has been seemingly in flux all season. At different times, it's been one-man units on the power play, other times it's been two. At times it's been Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk. Lately, though, it's been Visnovsky and Travis Hamonic.
Whatever the reasoning for changing up the defensive pairings, it brings value back to Visnovsky where he didn't have much before. It's funny they did so, because at least in terms of shots generated, Visnovsky is the worst of the regular Islanders power-play defensemen on the power play.
Two of the three teams the Islanders face this week – Colorado and Columbus – have penalty-kill ratings outside the top-10 in the NHL. More than that, the teams are bad at five-on-five. That means Visnovsky has little downside with his plus/minus rating, which makes him a fine tournament play against either the Avalanche or Blue Jackets.
Goaltender
John Gibson ($7,600)
Regular starting Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen is considered day-to-day for now. In the meantime, John Gibson – their goaltender of the future – has been recalled in his stead.
The Ducks couldn't rely on Ilya Bryzgalov for any extended period, so it's no surprise Gibson has been recalled. Any game that Gibson starts this week is a solid play for cash games considering they'll be against Florida, Carolina and Washington. He may be higher owned in tournaments though, so be careful in that regard.
*Some stats courtesy of Hockey Reference, Hockey Analysis, and Hockey Stats.
