Marleau and the Sharks have a great upcoming schedule.

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 this guy and use him for the next several days)

Radim Vrbata, RW, Arizona (Available in 90 percent of Yahoo leagues) – Don’t call it a comeback, Radim Vrbata’s been here for years. Aside from last season’s underwhelming 27-point campaign with Vancouver, Vrbata has been a productive fantasy forward for the better part of the last decade. This season, one in which he returned to the Coyotes after two years with the Canucks, Vrbata has registered a respectable 15 points in 21 games played and put last year’s poor on-ice performance squarely behind him. He’s shooting percentage has rebounded after last season’s paltry .065 mark, he’s a fixture on Arizona’s power play right now, he’s seeing 17-plus minutes of playing time for the first time since his previous stint with the Coyotes. There’s a lot to like here for a short-term add, despite the fact that Vrbata is a player who just turned 35 years of age and made his NHL debut during this fantasy analyst’s senior year of high school (the 2001-02 campaign). Don’t discount Vrbata’s solid start because his value cratered a year ago. He’s a legit speculative add in any and all leagues — especially when Arizona’s schedule breaks right.

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

Patrick Marleau, C/LW, San Jose (Available in 54 percent of Yahoo leagues) – Since we’re on the topic of accomplished NHL players who are ancient… here’s Patrick Marleau! The 37-year-old forward was a 30-goal scorer as recently as three years ago, but he’s shown some significant signs of slowing down since then. His point total, shots on goal total and total ice time per game has dropped every season since 2013-14.  So why is he someone to target? Because he’s still a pretty good player and he’s heating up as of late, having tallied three points in his last five contests. Also, this is a player who:

• Hasn’t missed a single game since the 2008-09 campaign.
• Is playing on the same line as Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski.
• Is a key member of a deep forward corps that is capable of doing some serious damage on the power play.
• Is Patrick Marleau.

Don’t write him off after his sluggish start. Marleau is still capable of helping fantasy owners in leagues of all types and sizes. Give him a (long) look.

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

Bobby Ryan, RW, Ottawa (Owned in 53 percent of Yahoo leagues) –  For four straight seasons — from 2008-09 through 2011-12, Ryan totaled at least 31 goals per year. Then in his age-25 season — which marked his final campaign with Anaheim — he suddenly became a 20-goal scorer. That season also marked the first of four straight years in which the Duck-turned-Senator posted a shooting percentage under his career mark. This season, things have gotten worse for Ryan. He’s currently on pace for about 30 points and is seeing less ice per game than any year since his rookie season of 2007-08. He’s (probably) going to be more useful in the coming weeks and months, but it would be nice to see him see more opportunities to produce before he can really and truly be counted on as a fixture in fantasy lineups. Owners should actively avoid using Ryan for now, as his squad’s schedule is underwhelming in the short term. Also, he’s dealing with a lingering hand injury. There’s just not a ton to like here right now.

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

Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay (Owned in 57 percent of Yahoo leagues) – Vasilevskiy’s inclusion in this portion of the article is not an indictment of his abilities as an NHL-caliber netminder, nor is it an indictment of what’s he’s accomplished between the pipes this year. It’s just that he’s not going to play enough to be all that useful in the vast majority of fantasy leagues this year. He’s made nine appearances between the pipes in 2016-17, or exactly as many as the following NHL netminders:

• Michael Hutchinson (who isn’t very good)
• Jonathan Bernier (who isn’t, wasn’t and likely never will be a No. 1 goaltender)
• James Reimer (see Bernier, Jonathan)
• Michal Neuvirth (who is the personification of a backup goaltender)
• Matt Murray (who was injured for several weeks to start the year and made his season debut between the pipes on Nov. 2)

So… yeah… Vasilevskiy’s eye-popping .940 save percentage, his pedigree and the fact that he plays for a pretty talented Tampa Bay squad make him someone to hold onto, but unless he or fellow Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop gets traded (or Bishop gets injured), Vasilevskiy will be a frustrating guy to own moving forward.  Just keep that in mind.

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

Edmonton – Between Sunday, Dec. 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 13, Connor McDavid and Co. play a whopping six games. Forget where they are being played and forget the matchups. That’s just a ton of hockey in a short amount of time.

Arizona – No, there aren’t all that many fantasy-relevant Coyotes. But those who are should produce for poolies in what’s shaping up to be a busy month of December. Between Saturday Dec. 3 and Friday, Dec 23, the squad will take to the ice at least once every other day.

San Jose – Just look at how often this (very good) Sharks squad will play this month.

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

Toronto – The Leafs’ schedule is pretty light to open December. Toronto plays on Saturday, Dec 3 (at Vancouver), then has three nights off. Then the Leafs host Minnesota and follow it up with two more nights off. That’s just not going to cut it for most fantasy owners.

Ottawa – Four of this squad’s next five games are on the road. Would this be a good time to mention the teams hosting the Sens during this time period are Pittsburgh, San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim? Yeah, that’s four teams with a wealth of veteran talent and experience. Few teams have it worse than Ottawa in the short term.

Tampa Bay – Between Saturday Dec. 3 and Wednesday, Dec. 14, the Lightning play just four times. No bueno.