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 upcoming schedule. Stats in this article updated through January 31st

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Sam Reinhart, C, Buffalo Sabres (Available in 76 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – The reason Reinhart slots into the Immediate Fix section and not the Building Block is how inconsistent the lines have been in Buffalo this season; over his last ten games however, Reinhart has seen a lot of minutes both on the first power play unit and the first line at even strength alongside Jack Eichel and a rotating cast. Those extra special-teams minutes have been a boon to his production as a whole, as Reinhart in his last 10 has picked up 4G-9A-13Pts, with six of those points coming on the PP. He’s also averaging two shots on goal per game during this stretch.

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

Yanni Gourde, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning (Available in 56 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Beyond Tampa’s great short-term upcoming schedule, there are plenty of reasons to consider adding Gourde: he just picked up his 20^th goal and 20^th assist of the season, putting him at 40 points mostly from a third-line role. To do that on a team like the Lightning is impressive enough, but with the injury to Ondrej Palat, Gourde has recently been moved up to the top-6 and has been paying off in a big way; he’s been a point-per-game in his last ten games, he plays some PK (good for BLKs), and now sees time on PP2 where he’s amassed 7PPP. He’s a great add for teams hit by the injury bug, keeper leagues looking towards next year, and players banking on Gourde continuing to see time with the big boys.

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

Patrick Marleau, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs (Owned in 53 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – That a player with 17G-9A on the year is somehow 53% owned must be a function of playing for the capital of the Hockey Universe, because there’s not much else to explain Marleau’s ownership. The man affectionately known as “Dad” has only four power play points on the year, only two goals and no assists in his last ten, and has seen less than 16 minutes of ice time in five of his last seven games. He’s good for shots on goal, and not much else.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Ryan Kesler, C, Anaheim Ducks (Owned in 52 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – This may be stepping on Steve Laidlaw’s toes a bit as he covered this succinctly in the Feb 8^th Ramblings, but Ryan Kesler’s value at the moment is past the point of droppable. He’s lost his PP spot to Adam Henrique, has only picked up three points (all goals) in his last ten games, and doesn’t do enough in peripherals to make him worth a spot. While he does amass a great number of hits/PIM/blocks typically, his void of scoring hurts too much to hang on to. The obvious exception and one argument against dropping him would be keeper leagues, with the expectation that he’ll come back to form into next year; if peripherals are all that’s needed, there are better players available on the wire.

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

Tampa Bay – After a dismal trip out to the Western Conference – dismal by the Lightning’s standards, as they still played .500 hockey and scored 14 goals – the Lightning will have a strong couple of weeks in February; they’ll play Buffalo, Detroit and New Jersey as some highlights.

Nashville – With the return of Filip Forsberg off suspension, the Preds are back to a full lineup which has been a rarity for them this season. In the two games preceding Forsberg’s suspension, the Preds scored five in each, and have only put up less than 30 shots three times in their last 10 games. Against Montreal, Detroit twice (home and away) and another game against Ottawa, they have a favourable schedule.

Carolina – Of the six games the Hurricanes have during this stretch, five come at home, and all but one come against some porous defensive teams: Vancouver, the MacKinnon-less Avalanche, New Jersey twice, and the Islanders. The ‘Canes have been cold of late, but these games should help out on that front.

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

Dallas – The Stars are a repeat from last week, as they start this period off on the second half of a road-home back-to-back, leaving Chicago in a snowstorm to play Pittsburgh which is never easy. Dallas only has five games between the 9^th and 21^st, and beyond Pittsburgh and Vancouver, they have tough defensive opponents in the Blues, Sharks and Ducks with the latter two coming on the road.

St. Louis – St. Louis is a lot like Dallas, in that they have only five games and this period starts on the back half of the dreaded home-road b2b, heading to Winnipeg who have been dynamite of late. Their opponents don’t get much easier than the Jets, with games against the best of the best in Pittsburgh, Nashville, Dallas, and San Jose.

Arizona – Beyond being the worst team in the league and barely having fantasy relevance, the Coyotes have a schedule upcoming that could best be classified as “junk”. The easiest game they’ll have is at home vs. Montreal, but their other games include vs. Philadelphia, a home-road b2b vs. Chicago and San Jose, and they finish off at home against the suddenly resurgent Oilers.