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 updated through Wednesday, December 5

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

Kevin Hayes, C, New York Rangers (Available in 86 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Now that the Rangers schedule has improved slightly – it’s still light (see below) but the end of the month is loaded – Hayes should have some value. With Vladislav Namestnikov expected back, the Rangers should reform their “second” line of Hayes between Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil, who have been dynamite together: in 81 minutes together, they’re putting up a Goals For rate of 3.67/60, firing 30+ shots/60, and generating a ton (16/60) of high-danger chances. Hayes has gone cold if you only look at game logs – three assists in his last five games – but that was with constantly changing line combinations and a cut in ice time. When he plays with Chytil and Kreider, Hayes typically sees 20+ minutes of ice time, and should have a ton of value the rest of this month.

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

Nick Schmaltz, C, Arizona Coyotes (Available in 80 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Since getting traded to Arizona, Schmaltz has played in four games for the Coyotes, and he’s put up 2G-3A while playing just under 17 minutes a night. More importantly, Schmaltz has increased his iCF from 9/60 to 13/60 – which was always the big issue with Schmaltz, that he wouldn’t shoot. He’s managed to get 11 shots on goal since the move playing alongside Clayton Keller and Alex Galchenyuk, but it’s the increase in power-play time that will really make him stand apart. Add him now before everyone else catches up.

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

Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Philadelphia Flyers (Owned in 90 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – It’s okay to be worried about the fourth-year stud, as he’s having an incredibly disappointing start to the season: 3G-8A in 25 games so far, while seeing about half a minute of ice time less than last year and well on his way to win Mike Commodore’s Masters Championship with a -15. In points-only leagues he’s worth stashing on the bench until he gets right, but in leagues that track plus/minus, he could be dangled with something else in a 2-for-1 upgrade situation. He should get on track eventually, but if someone makes an offer or you can improve other areas, jump on it.

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

Kasperi Kapanen, W, Toronto Maple Leafs (Owned in 50 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – There’s no question that Kasperi Kapanen has had a great start to the year, with 10G-9A in 28 games, but so much of his production has come with Auston Matthews – nine of his 19 points so far have either been assists on Matthews goals or goals assisted by Matthews. With the return of William Nylander, Kapanen will find himself for most of the rest of season on the third or fourth lines, and Kapanen isn’t in line to get any power play time. He’s a strong player and would be an asset to hang onto in keeper leagues, but Kapanen should be shopped to the Leafs fans in your league for something of value.

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

Winnipeg – The Jets have an incredible schedule upcoming: seven games between the 7^th and 19^th, with all but two coming at home where they’re averaging 3.84 goals per game (0.7 more than on the road.) Jets players and fantasy owners should both be salivating at the sight of Winnipeg’s opponents in December, with games against the Blues, Flyers, Blackhawks (twice,) Oilers and Kings looking extremely inviting. They have one tough game against the Lightning.

Edmonton – Just a few games into the Hitchcock regime, the Oilers look like they’re playing Hitchcock hockey – after the first game under Hitch (4-3 win,) Edmonton has scored two or less in five of seven games, and only managed three in the other two games. That being said, they have seven games in this stretch with four at home – the Wild, Flames, Flyers and Blues – with the remainder coming against Vancouver, Winnipeg and Colorado.

Arizona – Most of their games in this period come on the road – only two of the six coming at home – but the Coyotes still have a strong schedule upcoming. They’ll get to face the Sabres, Rangers, Hurricanes and Islanders as well as games against San Jose and Boston, with only one back-to-back on the docket.

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

Vancouver – The Canucks have struggled to score – they sit 17^th in Goals For but have scored three or less in 73% of their games so far – and have a fairly tough schedule even with six games: they’ll be on the road against the Blues, Blue Jackets and Predators, and home against Philadelphia, Edmonton and Tampa Bay.

New Jersey – With only five games between the 7^th and 19^th, the Devils have a very light schedule, but even worse is that they have a game against Vegas at home on the 14^th, followed immediately by a game in Nashville on the 15^th. Beyond that, the Devils play the Ducks and Sharks in California, and finish this period back at home against Toronto – no easy competition here.

NY Rangers – The Rags also suffer from a light schedule during this stretch, but on the plus side they’ve got games against the Ducks and Panthers to look forward to. Their three other games aren’t appealing though, as the Original Six team will have to face Tampa Bay, Arizona and Vegas.