This column comes out every Thursday, and for those unfamiliar, it revolves around bargain prices for DraftKings players.

Below will be a few players that have a minimal cost that can be used for salary relief on DraftKings. They are not skaters to use as focal points of a lineup, but rather shots-in-the-dark to try and get a few easy points.

Connor Brickley (C-FLA) – $2500

Brickley managed his first NHL goal on Tuesday, playing a little over 11 minutes of ice time, and even had one goal called back that was admittedly a blown call. He is expected to be back in the lineup for the Panthers on Thursday as they host the Buffalo Sabres.

One of the big reasons for using Brickley as a bargain centre today is that there just isn’t much to use at the position. There aren’t many useful bargain centres on DraftKings tonight, and Brickley looks to be the best bargain.

Hosting the Sabres means, in all likelihood, some pretty easy five-on-five matchups. While the top half of the Sabres roster is improved, the bottom half still isn’t very strong. If I needed salary relief at centre tonight, I would be using Brickley.

Daniel Sprong (PIT-W) – $2700

Kind of like Brickley, there just isn’t much for bargain wingers tonight on DraftKings. With that said, it looks like Sprong is starting to make his way up the roster. The second round pick from 2015 looked to be a longshot to make the roster, and then started on the fourth line, and is now on the third line with Nick Bonino.

The Penguins are home tonight to the Ottawa Senators, and the Sens are coming off a monster win last night in Columbus. I certainly don’t see that type of game happening again, and with Sprong getting matchups against the bottom-six of the Senators, there is a chance for easy value here tonight.

Nathan Beaulieu (MTL-D) – $2500

On the downside, Nathan Beaulieu is actually averaging less ice time per game (15:10) than he was last year (15:42). The fact that Montreal is winning hides this, but he’s someone that deserves a lot more ice time than he’s getting.

On the upside, despite getting less ice time than last year, Beaulieu is up to a shot and a half per game on average. That would represent a big increase from last year, and a career-high overall. Just watching Montreal’s games to date, Beaulieu appears to be more engaged offensively than he was in the past.

The Habs are home to the Rangers tonight, and that’s a tough matchup for any team. If the Habs win this game, it will be because their depth players can match up against those of New York. I expect a little bit more ice time from Beaulieu tonight, and if he can manage even a couple shots on goal, that’s a nice floor for a min-priced player. 

Expensive Options

In using some bargain-priced players, it means there should be a lot of salary for the expensive options. Among the higher-priced players, here are a few that I’m looking at in particular tonight.

Sidney Crosby (PIT-C) – $7900

The joke going around was the Crosby finally got his first shot on goal in Pittsburgh’s last game after being held off the stat sheet in the previous two games.

Even though Pittsburgh is winless through three games this year, and they have just three goals in those games, the team is getting its chances. They have averaged nearly 33 shots a game, and on aggregate, have grossly outshot their opponent.

I am kind of on-board with the analysis that Crosby needs to just find his old game. He looks as though he’s trying to force-feed Phil Kessel in the slot, and that’s a big reason for his dry spell scoring-wise to start the year.

Well, after going his first two games without a shot, Crosby had four in his last game. He’s an astute hockey player, so I would think that he understands what he was doing in the first couple of games wasn’t working.

With most DFS players having been burned by Crosby so far this year, now would be the time to use him. At this point, most DFS players would be off him, and his matchup tonight is a good one. I think he finally gets on the scoresheet, and his price will only go up from here.

Vladimir Tarasenko (STL-W) – $7200

This will be a popular pick as the Blues are going into Edmonton tonight. The Oilers looked like a defensive sieve in their previous game against Dallas, allowing over 50 shots on goal.

There are times when I won’t use an elite option on the road, if only because I worry about in-game matchups. Looking at the Oilers, though, I don’t see a forward line or defensive pairing that should be a problem for Tarasenko and company. That is good news.

Pretty quietly, Tarasenko has at least a point in his first three games, and hasn’t managed under three shots on goal in any of them. I don’t see why Edmonton would be the exception at this point. Playing alongside Paul Stastny and averaging nearly 19 minutes a game, I would wager Tarasenko’s price only goes up from here on out. Considering his matchup, tonight would be a good night to use him.

John Carlson (WSH-W $6200)

The Blackhawks went into Philly last night and were shutout. I would assume that they don’t go back-to-back games with Corey Crawford in net, and facing Scott Darling is a good thing for the Capitals.

Washington’s last game was missed by Alex Ovechkin, who, apparently, over-slept the team’s morning skate. With Ovechkin returning to the lineup, it’s safe to say the power play is vastly improved.

It’s only two games, but Carlson has managed two assists and seven shots on goal. He was never a big shooter, so if he can keep up the stout totals (now 3.5 shots a game, but anywhere close to 3.0), he’ll be a fantasy asset with a nice floor.

There aren’t a lot of great high-priced defensive options tonight – Kris Letang is the other I kind of like – but Carlson looks to be a sound bet. With a backup goalie in net and the ice time he’s averaging, it appears as though he has a nice floor to work with.