Why Beauchemin makes a good short term grab and other players with favourable upcoming schedules.

All fantasy owners need help in the short term AND the long term. The Looking Ahead feature identifies one player to plug into lineups in the short term, a second to invest in for the long term, a third to bench for the coming week and a fourth who will struggle to meet expectations for some time. All players discussed are selected based on their team’s upcoming schedule. Without further ado…

The Immediate Fix (Grab these guys and use them for the next several days)

Francois Beauchemin, D, Colorado (available in 43 percent of Yahoo leagues) – A recent injury to fellow Avs blueliner Erik Johnson should lead to more power play time for the veteran Beauchemin in the short term. The 35-year-old d-man has (consistently) excelled in his inaugural campaign in Colorado, and he’s currently on pace to top 40 points. He’s a slam-dunk plug-and-play option thanks to Johnson being sidelined and his squad’s enviable schedule (in the short term). Take advantage.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Nail Yakupov, LW/RW, Edmonton (Available in 63 percent of Yahoo leagues) – Remember the “Fail For Nail” mantra from a few years ago?” Yeah… Yakupov, the top pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, has hardly lived up to the immense hype that surrounded him when the Oilers selected him at No. 1. That being said, he remains an incredibly intriguing player for fantasy purposes. Yakupov just turned 22 years of age this past fall, and he registered a respectable 12 points in 22 games prior to suffering an ankle injury in late November. It’s a small sample size, but his possession numbers were a lot better than in years past and he was looking like he had made some strides in his overall game before going down with an injury. Poolies are swinging for the fences a bit by employing Yakupov, but there’s no time like now to bet on his prodigious (albeit unrealized) potential.

The Odd Men Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

Kari Lehtonen, G, Dallas (Owned in 68 percent of Yahoo leagues) – The personification of league-average goaltending, Lehtonen has fallen on hard times over the course of the past year or so (and turned into a decidedly below-average netminder). After four straight seasons where he posted a save percentage at or above .914, Lehtonen has seen that mark drop to around .905 since the start of 2014-15. To make matters worse, he is seeing a lesser percentage of his squad’s starts than at any point since his early days in the NHL (with the now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers. Never forget). Fellow Dallas goalie Antti Niemi is playing significantly better than his counterpart is right now. Consider the following stats:

• Niemi’s save percentage stands at .913. Lehtonen’s is at .907.
• Niemi has totaled three shutouts in 23 starts. Lehtonen has one in 18 starts.
• Niemi’s goals-allowed-average sits at 2.42. Lehtonen’s is at 2.85.

The numbers don’t lie, so it’s difficult to imagine Lehtonen being worthy of being inserted into fantasy lineups right now. Don’t drop him, but don’t start him, either.

The Anchor (He’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

No one makes the cut this week. New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk (owned in 66 percent of Yahoo leagues) was set to be listed here, but then he went ahead and got hurt. He’ll be out for the next month or so. No big loss for poolies, though. He’s not that good.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)

San Jose – Any and all fantasy-relevant Sharks should be worth a look in the short term. The squad plays a whopping six times between Thursday, Jan. 7 and Saturday, Jan. 16 (and four of those contests are home games). Volume, volume, volume…

Edmonton – The matchups don’t necessarily portend fantasy greatness for the Oilers, but poolies can’t argue with six games between Friday, Jan. 8 and Monday, Jan. 18. Fire up Edmonton skaters while the going is good.

Colorado – Three of this team’s four games between Friday, Jan. 8 and Thursday, Jan. 14 occur at home. Just try not to pay attention that two of those games could come against a pair of elite goaltenders in New Jersey’s Cory Schneider (.927 save percentage on the season) and Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop (.925 save percentage on the year).

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Dallas – Say what? Bench your Stars? It’s not easy to turn away from Tyler Seguin and Co., but this is a Dallas squad that has five consecutive days off after its Saturday, Jan. 9 home tilt versus Minnesota. Keep that in mind when making lineup decisions.

Ottawa – So many road games… A Sunday, Jan. 10 matchup against the formidable Washington Capitals marks the first of five consecutive contests away from home for the Senators. Many other teams have it easier than Ottawa in the coming days.

New York Islanders – From Friday, Jan. 15 through Thursday, Jan. 22, the Isles play just one time. What else is there to say?