Looking at the most favourable schedules in fantasy hockey for Week Four.

Few things frustrate fantasy owners than spending a high-ish draft pick on a proven player, only to watch them stumble through the season’s first weeks. The following five players have been wildly unproductive so far during the 2015-16 campaign. Is it just a bit of bad luck? Are there other circumstances at play? Let’s take a look at what can be expected from these guys in the short and long term.

Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay (Yahoo Original Rank: 58) – A breakout star during the 2014-15 campaign, Kucherov rose to fantasy and real-life prominence thanks to the combination of talented teammates (he, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat made for a dominant second line for the Lightning), his ability to drive puck possession and a lights-out shooting percentage of .152. He registered a plus-38 on the season, good for a tie for first on the year with Montreal sniper Max Pacioretty. His PDO was a whopping (and unsustainable) 1.040. There was good reason to expect the 22-year-old Russian to come back to earth a bit in 2015-16, but Kucherov has been woefully unproductive through seven games this season. What gives?

First and foremost, his ice time is up from a year ago, and he’s shooting the puck at nearly the same rate as he did during his fantastic sophomore campaign. That being said, no one else is putting the puck in the net when Kucherov is playing. That will change, and probably soon. The strong supporting cast is still there, and it seems a bit unreasonable to suggest he’d be in line for a demotion of great significance anytime soon.

Is Kucherov the fantasy superstar who totaled 65 points in 82 games during his age-21 season a year ago? Is he the unexceptional rookie who registered a mere nine goals and nine assists in 52 games as a rookie? Probably not and definitely not. He needs all the luck he received a year ago to put up elite numbers again, but expect Kucherov to turn his season around in short order.

Matt Duchene, C/LW, Colorado (Yahoo Original Rank: 74) – It was just a little more than a year ago that the longtime Avalanche forward was one of the game’s most productive playmakers. Now? He’s an underwhelming fantasy option playing for a struggling team that lacks any sort of cohesive identity. Some relevant statistics do not help his cause. Consider the following table:

Things are… uhh… trending in the wrong direction. It seems safe to say Duchene is a good player, given the fact that he has 319 points in 425 career games in the NHL. He’s just not in a good situation to produce fantasy-relevant stats right now. After all, fellow Colorado centerman Carl Soderberg is matching Duchene in terms of power-play ice time per game at this point in the young season. He’s not being deployed like he was in past years, so expect the underwhelming production to continue from the No. 3 overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.  

Mike Green, D, Detroit (Yahoo Original Rank: 102) – Let’s just pause for a quick moment to recall the fact that Green once posted back-to-back 70-point seasons for the Washington Capitals…

That being said, he hasn’t registered anything close to that in a campaign since 2009-10. Injuries, both nagging and significant, have kept Green out of the lineup for considerable amounts of time ever since. He’s exceeded 70 appearances just twice since 2010. He’s also not being deployed as a shot-firing, minutes-eating offensive weapon anymore.

No one expects the Capital-turned-Red Wing to return to fantasy dominance in his inaugural year in the Motor City, but Green has been less-than-useful so far this season (just a single assist through six games) after notching 45 points last season for Washington. It’s only been a few games but there’s cause for concern for one main reason. Green has totaled a mere five shots on goal in six games (0.83 per contest) for Detroit thus far. He took 159 in 72 games (2.2 per contest) a season ago for the Caps.

This once-elite defenseman is nothing more than a middling fantasy option at his position at this point in his career. Injuries are almost inevitable, and he’s not being utilized as an offensive-friendly blueliner. Green’s fantasy value is in a freefall. Look out below.

Marian Gaborik, RW, Los Angeles (Yahoo Original Rank: 139) – “Mr. Glass” is a past-his-prime sniper with a long track record of getting injured for extended stretches of time. His 27 goals last year were bolstered by his highest shooting percentage (.155) since his injury-riddled and final campaign for the Minnesota Wild (one in which he scored 23 points in 17 games with a shooting percentage of .191). Expecting consistent production from an aging sniper (well) on the wrong side of 30 years of age is never not a fool’s errand.

So what can poolies expect from Gaborik moving forward? He is just useful enough to be relevant enough in fantasy, largely because the Kings are giving him more power play ice time (more than four minutes per game) than any other winger on the team. Twenty goals and just about as many assists seem about right, but that’s only possible if Gaborik plays approximately 70 games. No guarantees there.

Nick Leddy, D, New York Islanders (Yahoo Original Rank: 149) – Leddy played quite well last season, his first in the Big Apple. His 10 goals were a career high, and his 37 points marked the most he’s registered since 2011-12. This year, however, 24-year-old blueliner has been anything but productive. Leddy has failed to register a single point, and he’s taken just four shots on goal in six games played.

Perhaps the most significant issue Leddy is facing right now is a lack of opportunity to produce on the man advantage. The Islanders rank just 25th in the league in 5-on-4 ice time thus far this season, and their gifted defenseman is seeing only a little more than a minute of power-play time per contest. The former should normalize with time. So should the latter, but Leddy’s value hinges on his ability to garner advantageous scoring opportunities. Keep an eye on his usage, and be prepared to adjust expectations regarding his performance.

By taking some time to analyze the upcoming NHL schedule, poolies can gain a significant and measurable edge over their opponents. Now let’s identify some teams that will help or hurt fantasy owners in the coming days.

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

Calgary – It seems like the Flames are taking to the ice every single evening in the short term. Starting Friday, Oct. 23, Calgary plays six times through the end of the month. While only two of those contests are at home, no other team in the league offers nearly as many opportunities for fantasy production in the coming days.

Carolina – The Hurricanes are entrenched in the middle of a six-game road trip, but the squad is seeing a ton of action in the coming days. Carolina plays four times in seven days between Friday, Oct. 23 and Thursday, Oct. 29. The matchups are less than ideal (at Los Angeles, at San Jose, at Detroit and at the New York Islanders), but fantasy owners can’t complain about the volume of opportunities for fantasy-relevant ‘Canes.

Philadelphia -.Beginning with a home tilt against the New York Rangers on Friday, Oct. 23, the Flyers will play three out of their next four games at home. Two of those matchups are against a Buffalo squad playing without starting goaltender Robin Lehner, while the other is against the offensively-challenged New Jersey Devils. It should be smooth sailing for Philly this week.

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

Nashville – The Predators play a mere three times between Saturday Oct. 24 and the end of the month, and two of those games come on the road. Look elsewhere for fantasy help until November rolls around.

Arizona – Looking ahead through the rest of the month of October, the Coyotes will play three road games (two of which are being played in Canada). The matchups aren’t daunting, it’s just that Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Co. will be a long way from home during the next several days.

Los Angeles – The struggling Kings play twice between Tuesday, Oct. 27 and the end of the month. Simply stated, many others squads see more action during that timeframe.