This article is part of our FantasyDraft NHL series.
It's finally here! The NHL season begins Wednesday with four games, which means daily fantasy hockey is back as well. You'll want to get your daily fantasy action off on the right foot, so hopefully this list of players worth targeting Wednesday will help…
GOALIE
San Jose Sharks, SAN vs. PHI ($16,600)
It may be a new season, but last year the Sharks were 26-11-4 at home, while the Flyers were 14-22-5 on the road. Additionally, Philly finished in the bottom 10 in goals per game, and the Sharks allowed a mere 27.7 shots on net on average. That's a big reason why Martin Jones put up a 2.40 GAA.
CENTER
Leon Draisaitl, EDM vs. CGY ($12,500): Draisaitl may have played second fiddle to Connor McDavid last season, but what a second fiddle he was. He notched 29 goals and 77 points, including 27 on the power play. That earned him an average of 12.82 fantasy points per contest. The Flames have turned to Mike Smith in net, who hasn't had a save percentage greater than .916 in his last five seasons.
Bryan Little, WPG vs. TOR ($10,700): Little lost a chunk of time to injury but still managed 21 goals in 59 games. His shooting percentage (17.6) was elevated, but Little has hit the 20-goal mark in four of his last six seasons (the other two he played 48 and 57 games). He's one of those "good when healthy" players, and he's healthy at the moment. The Leafs allowed a whopping 32.6 average shots on net last year.
WING
James van Riemsdyk, TOR at WPG ($12,600): The Jets brought in Steve Mason to try and help their goaltending situation after he posted a .908 save percentage last season. Winnipeg was also 26th in penalty-kill percentage last season, and van Riemsdyk tallied 19 power-play points (out of 62 total).
Nikolaj Ehlers, WPH vs. TOR ($11,300): There was no sophomore slump for Ehlers, who tallied 25 goals on 204 shots last year, and added 39 assists to boot. The 21-year-old will face another young team in Toronto, which gave up 2.85 goals per game a season ago.
Vladimir Sobotka, STL at PIT ($7,500): Sobotka averaged 16 fantasy points per game last season, which may make your jaw drop. However, that number is incredibly skewed since he only played one game in the regular season. That being said, in the playoffs he tallied six points in 11 games, and he makes for an interesting roll of the dice at this low price. Hey, it's the first day of the season — anything can happen!
DEFENSE
Oscar Klefbom, EDM vs. CGY ($10,100): Klefbom was quietly a bit of a fantasy dynamo last season. He notched 12 goals, a nice number for a defenseman, but he did it on a whopping 201 shots on net. Klefbom also averaged 2:31 per game with the extra man, notching 16 points on the power play. Plus, on the defensive end, he blocked 146 shots. He's Edmonton's top defenseman and could be a boon to your lineup.
Mark Giordano, CGY at EDM ($9,800): Giordano also scored 12 goals last season, but with less shots than Klefbom (151). Giordano is also an even better asset on the defensive end of the ice, as he blocked 184 shots. For a player who averaged 12.2 fantasy points per game last year, Giordano's price is fair.
