Well, it was just a short summer layoff, but thankfully the 2021-22 season kicked off this week as we are officially back into the swing of things in fantasy hockey. With a very small sample size to go off of so far, it's hard to say what players are must-haves and which players might be drop candidates. While it certainly pays off to do your due diligence early on in the season, it's equally as important not to overreact to every game the first week of the season. But with that being said, I have a few players that I think are worth mentioning for both good and bad reasons. 

Evgenii Dadonov – VGK (LW/RW)

14% Rostered on Yahoo

First up on the list is Russian winger Dadonov who could be seeing an early boost to his deployment. Unfortunately for Golden Knights fans, both Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone sustained injuries Thursday night in their tilt with the Los Angeles Kings. While Stone is only listed as day-to-day and shouldn't miss significant time, Pacioretty has a fractured foot and will be out for multiple weeks. 

These injuries are a massive blow to start off the new campaign for Vegas, but it definitely opens the door for someone like Dadonov to step up and prove his worth. I mentioned Dadonov a few weeks ago in my article reviewing some of the top forwards who found new homes in the offseason. I alluded to the fact that if Dadonov was unable to crack the top-six out of training camp, it could take an injury for him to get a chance to play valuable minutes. Well, that time has come after less than a week of hockey.

Dadonov proved with his time played in Florida that when he is paired with decent linemates, he can produce at a high level. Whether he ends up on the first line or the second line, I believe this may be an excellent opportunity for him to shine and consequentially, it could be a terrific opportunity for fantasy owners to go out and pick him up. At only 13% rostered in Yahoo leagues, Dadonov is pretty widely available. He has dual-wing eligibility which makes him even easier to slide into your lineups too, which is nice. He won't get you a ton of peripheral stats, but if he can put up shots and points, plus potentially find some power play deployment, he could be a solid add off the waiver wire. 

Brandon Tanev – SEA (LW, RW)

27% Rostered on Yahoo

The Seattle Kraken were released into the league this week, and so far they have been a ton of fun to watch. They seem to be a hard-working team that will compete night in and night out. No player better exemplifies that than Brandon Tanev. The 29-year-old winger was selected in the Expansion Draft this summer. After three games, he's already netted three goals, but that's not why you're adding Tanev to your squad. 

Tanev plays a very physical brand of hockey and always seems ready to sacrifice his body in order to make a big hit or block a shot. Last season he piled up 139 hits in just 32 games played. If your league tallies hits and/or blocks, Tanev has some real value. The points are just an added bonus, but he does certainly have a little bit of offensive upside in him. He's currently stationed on the third line with Morgan Geekie and the man who scored the first goal for Seattle in their franchise history: Ryan Donato.

Tanev may not be the flashiest player to add to your roster, but he can certainly deliver the peripherals you need to put you over the edge in your fantasy matchups. He is still just 27% rostered in all Yahoo leagues. Like Dadonov, he has dual-wing eligibility, so it makes it slightly easier to find room for him in your lineup. He doesn't see any deployment on either of the two power play units as of right now, so be aware there's not a lot of upside opportunity for him to make an impact offensively. 

Danton Heinen – PIT (C)

4% Rostered on Yahoo

The last forward I'd like to mention is 26-year-old center Danton Heinen. Entering his sixth season of NHL service, Heinen finds himself in a top-six role on the Penguins thanks to injuries to some of Pittsburgh's top forwards. Regardless of the circumstances, Heinen is making the most of his early opportunities this season as he has tallied a goal in each of his first three games this season. Pittsburgh as a team looks like they haven't missed a beat without the likes of Crosby and Malkin, so maybe Heinen can stick around in the top-six even when the big guns come back into the lineup. 

Heinen came up through the Bruins organization and became a full-time NHLer in the 2017-18 season. He was a great complimentary piece to a Bruins squad that was deep in forward depth. He showed flashes of being a solid offensive producer, but never truly broke out for the Bruins. In 2019 the Bruins opted to ship Heinen off in exchange for Nick Ritchie. Heinen spent the rest of the 2019 season and all of the next year in Anaheim, but never really found a ton of success there. 

This past offseason Heinen came to terms on a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the Penguins. As I mentioned before, he's gotten an early opportunity to play a solid number of minutes, even earning himself some time on the Pens' power play. He's found himself playing with Jeff Carter and Jake Guentzel, and while that won't last long-term, for now they certainly have looked like a capable trio. 

Although Heinen is listed as a center, he is playing on the wing and should eventually get wing eligibility.  This could just be a temporary fix if you need to find a solution to an early injury to your squad or just a streaming option on slow nights in the league. He's sitting at just 4% owned in all Yahoo leagues, so he ought to be available should go seek him. Keep an eye on when Crosby and Bryan Rust come back though, as Heinen's deployment will almost certainly be affected.

Marc-Andre Fleury– CHI (G)

99% Rostered on Yahoo

By now, we all know the story of how Vegas shipped off legendary goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to the Blackhawks in the offseason. It wasn't good press for the Golden Knights, but at the end of the day when the dust settled, Flower agreed to give it his best shot in Chicago and see how things would turn out.

Well, it's been a small sample size, but so far things have been absolutely miserable for Fleury in Chi-town. In the Blackhawks season opener on Wednesday, he gave up four goals on 36 shots and took a 4-2 loss from the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche. Three of those four goals came early and often in the first period. If we fast-forward to Saturday, Fleury was pelted for four more goals in just over ten minutes of play in the first period before getting the hook. 

Needless to say, it has been a nightmare scenario for the future Hall of Famer thus far. In my opinion, I think you ought to move on from Fleury. I know that may be a tough pill to swallow as a fantasy owner, but I don't think things are going to get better for him anytime soon. Not only is he 36 and not getting any younger, but the defense in front of him doesn't exactly inspire a ton of confidence. Sure, Seth Jones is a fantastic offensive-defenseman, but I wouldn't consider him an elite defender by any stretch of the imagination. And sadly after Jones, it doesn't get much better on that blueline.

So between the aging tender, and the lack of help from his defensive corps, I think it could be a long season for Flower. I think he will get a pretty long leash at least, so you don't need to worry about that aspect of things, but I do think it would be wise to at least be proactive and begin searching for possible alternatives. There's usually a couple decent hidden gems to be had on the waiver wire, so keep your eyes peeled!

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Well that's it for this week! Hopefully you were all able to navigate the short matchup this week with there being only six days in the first week of fantasy hockey! It's nice to finally see the fruits of your drafting labor pay off and start racking up stats. Stay vigilant and watch the waiver wire like a hawk the next few weeks. There's always top-level talent to be had if you are savvy enough to add the right players. I'll be back next Sunday, but until then enjoy the early stages of the season!