Editor's note: Due to postponements related to the never-ending COVID pandemic, please note that the scheduling data provided in this article may not be 100% up to date at the time you read it. Please refer to the Frozen Tools Schedule Planner for the most recent scheduling information for your customized period.  

Also, stats include games played up to Wednesday January 5.

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

Craig Smith, RW, Boston Bruins (Available in 97% of ESPN leagues, 85% Fantrax, 90% Yahoo) – Everyone's favorite top line has a new member for the time being as Craig Smith has drawn onto Boston's top line's switching spots with David Pastrnak, and that's a sneaky good spot for him from a fantasy and DFS prospective.

Boston's top line with Smith now on it looks like this, Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron– Craig Smith. Not a bad line at all and we do have a sample of this trio with together of 43 minutes and a 72% Corsi for percentage with two goals. Smith is on Boston's second power-play unit which does hurt his correlation a tad, but I don't mind so much with Boston giving some time to their second power-play unit. Over the last three games the first unit has totaled just over six minutes with the second unit getting around three, so not a bad split there. The one thing that has always been true about Smith is that he is not afraid to shoot and that's a nice bonus for a player in a good spot with Patrice Bergeron as his center. Smith has 172 shots on goal this season putting him at sixth for all Boston skaters. I think as long as Smith continues to draw time on Boston's top line, he is a great addition to any fantasy club looking for offense.

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

Noah Dobson, D, New York Islanders (Available in 75% of ESPN leagues, 18% Fantrax, 74% Yahoo) – Let's be honest, there haven't been too many positive story lines coming out of Islandersland this season, but one of the positives has been the development of the 21-year-old defensemen. Oh, and the new rink, I'll throw that in as a nice positive as well.

Dobson has been terrific as of late with 10 points in his last 10 games, any fantasy lineup would be thrilled to get that kind of offense from a defenseman. The offense isn't a fluke either, Dobson has great offensive peripherals averaging 6.3 shots on goal per 60 minutes and has a shooting percentage of 8.9. Another bonus is that his ice time has also gone up around 2:40 over his past seven games played putting him at an average time on ice of around 22:50. This is a player I like a lot both even strength and on the man advantage as he quarterbacks New York's top power play. For this season alone I think he is well worth putting a claim in and for those in dynasty leagues where he is available, I think he makes an outstanding addition.

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

Patrick Kane, RW, Chicago Blackhawks (Owned in 99% of ESPN leagues, 98% of Fantrax, 99% Yahoo) – A little off the board for the Odd Man Out but if you've watched any Chicago this season (I would advise not to), you begin to see why Kaner might have a tough time reaching his career averages.  

So yes, it's Patrick Kane, this is never a player that I would begrudge rostering, but I worry about his offensive production this season. One troublesome spot is his linemates, which are seldom ever consistent and usually spend more time in the defensive zone than I would like to see from an offensive player like Kane. The numbers show it as well, Kane's 82-game goal average is 32 and so far in 29 games played this season he has just seven with no goals coming in the past 10 games. His even strength shots per 60 minutes is at an even two which marks the second lowest of his career. His high danger passing has been elite to fellow winger Alex DeBrincat on the power play but that's a powerplay grouping that ranks 23^rd in points over the past month. Bottom line, again it's Patrick Kane. He could go on a tear here and not go two games without a point the rest of the way, but I think it's worth considering that his offensive numbers may be lower this season than in ones prior.

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

Tyler Seguin, C/RW, Dallas Stars (Owned in 83% of ESPN leagues, 77% of Fantrax, 87% Yahoo) – I've been watching Seguin's production, or lack thereof, for a little while now and I think it's time he becomes our Anchor. Name recognition may have gotten him drafted in a fair number of leagues and maybe name recognition can help you move him in a trade?

So far this season Seguin has 12 points in 29 games played putting him on a 34-point pace. A big problem here is that you never really know just where Seguin will be slotted on Dallas's lines. He sometimes is paired with Alexander Radulov – Jamie Benn, sometimes with Luke Glendening – Joel Kiviranta, or at times a combination of the four mixed in with Jacob Peterson. It's also random on just which Dallas line he'll be skating on, with most of November Seguin taking time on the first or second line, to December where he saw largely third line minutes. If anyone was looking for a nice bounce back from Seguin, I think what we're seeing is just what we're going to get this season. Along with this, and I don't have a fancy number or stat to back this up, it just seems like every time Seguin is in a great spot where his line should produce, they seldom ever do. Not saying this because Dallas one or two has burned me in a DFS lineup here and there this season. Nope. Definitely not.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)
This period runs from January 7^th to January 19^th

Boston – The B's have a nice full four game schedule this upcoming week and that's a great positive in today's NHL. There's also a possibility of Tuukka Rask returning soon, which is a great addition to a club that already has the lowest total goals against this past month.

Colorado – Has anyone else watched the Cale Makar overtime goal vs Chicago at least seven times? The Avs are a Love Em going forward with a home game vs Seattle and a home and home vs Arizona on their schedule, a perfect opportunity to move up in the Central Division.

Tampa Bay – The Bolts have been rolling as of late tied first in points over the past month and getting healthy as well. They'll have back-to-back road games to start next week vs an injury and COVID stricken New Jersey club and Buffalo.

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

Edmonton – The issue with so many of these clubs is they grade out well, but then postponements happen. Edmonton is one of those clubs with just one game on the schedule next week.

Minnesota – Another club with just a lone game on the schedule next week, this might be a nice relief for a Wild club that has dropped their last five games, but for fantasy and DFS they're a Leave Em.

Vegas – Yep, you guessed it, one game for Vegas. Across all lines and in net Vegas is one of the higher-rostered clubs so it's worth noting in the short term that there won't be many occasions upcoming to roster anyone from Vegas.