As training camps get underway, it's important to keep an eye on what line combinations are developing throughout the league. The success Michael Bunting enjoyed playing with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner last year made him very valuable as an add off the waiver wire, so watch for other players that might be able to take advantage of a similar beneficial spot this year.

One spot that's going to have major value is the centre role on the top line for the Columbus Blue Jackets that will feature Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine on the wings. It was revealed that Boone Jenner will get the first crack at things, but Jack Roslovic, who had a strong finish to 2021-22, and Cole Sillinger, who was solid as a rookie, will also get a look. Jenner's ability on faceoffs figure to give him the inside track at securing the job and considering his ability to post hits, he'll be a valuable commodity this year in multi-cat leagues.

Another battle that should be intriguing is Andrew Mangiapane and Tyler Toffoli trying to land the right wing spot with Jonathan Huberdeau and Elias Lindholm. Whoever gets it will have a solid shot at a 30-35 goal season and possibly more if things really take off. Mangiapane especially could hit 40 if he plays with that group for the bulk of the year.

The top six for the Boston Bruins should also give someone a good opportunity at least for the first couple of months while Brad Marchand is sidelined. It sounds like one group will feature Taylor Hall, David Krejci and David Pastrnak, while the other will deploy Pavel Zacha, Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk. Zacha is a name that won't be on many people's radar during drafts and may have some decent short-term value to begin the campaign.

Finally, there's Connor Brown in Washington, who may benefit from Tom Wilson's absence to the tune of a spot with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Brown's goal totals took a bit of step back last season, but he should have little trouble being a 20-25 goal scorer if he plays on that line for a significant portion of the campaign. Target Brown on your waiver wire in the early part of the year if he gets off to a hot start.

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OUT NOW!

The last update for the Fantasy Guide was Saturday. But this "slow period" is about to end! With camps opening this week, last, update frequency will ramp up to multiple times PER DAY. So don't ask when was the last update, because the answer will always be "a few hours ago". Pick up the Fantasy Guide here and immediately download both the PDF and the spreadsheet. The Guide will continue to get updates on injuries, signings, camp cuts and more – projections, line combos and notes all get updated throughout.

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Have you checked out the new Goalie Post yet? Set up your email update notifications now (you'll have to do it again, with the new platform).

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Over on the defensive side of things, Alexander Romanov is starting camp paired with Noah Dobson, which is great for his value. Romanov ranked in the top 20 in both hits and blocks a season ago, but his point production is lacking. He had just 13 in 2021-22, so hopefully Romanov can take advantage of this opportunity to get himself up in the 25-30 point range. That would make him very valuable in multi-cat leagues.

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The St. Louis Blues announced Marco Scandella will miss six months with a hip injury, paving the way for Scott Perunovich to have a much clearer path to landing on the roster and secure playing time. Perunovich has a ton of talent and produced 22 points in 17 AHL games last season, but offered minimal returns when he joined the Blues. Even though Scandella's injury helps his value, I'm not sure Perunovich makes it any higher than the third pair and power play time will be hard to come by with Torey Krug and Justin Faulk around.

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I had a spirited debate with a few folks on Twitter recently about John Gibson's value and more specifically how good the Anaheim Ducks will be this year. I'm not sure Gibson is going to give you much as long as he's still in Anaheim, as the Ducks are likely headed for another subpar campaign as their young stars continue to develop. Gibson hasn't had better than a .904 save percentage in the past three years and he hasn't won more than 20 games in any of those seasons.

Gibson is probably only draftable in deep leagues where you're carrying three goalies, as relying on him as your top starter at this point seems foolhardy.

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Is this the year Bryan Rust finally rewards fantasy GMs with a full season? Rust has only hit 70 games once in his eight seasons and has never played more than 72 games. When healthy, though, he's so effective, recording 158 points in his past 171 games over the last three campaigns. As long as he's in the top six, Rust is too tempting to pass up, but just make sure you've got an injured reserve spot readily available.

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Staying with Pens, many are counting on Rickard Rakell to deliver this year in a likely role next to Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel. It's hard to garner too much from preseason action, but Rackell at least got off to a strong start Sunday, picking up an assist and five shots. He's had trouble finishing over the past few seasons with some low shooting percentages, so hopefully Rakell can turn things around with some high-end linemates.

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There's only a few RFAs still unsigned, with Jason Robertson being the most notable from a fantasy perspective. A long holdout seems unlikely, but the recent deals for Tim Stutzle and Jordan Kyrou have likely raised Robertson's asking price and complicated matters somewhat. The Stars probably want to move Anton Khudobin's contract to give them some more flexibility, too. Robertson could end up missing a handful of games to start the year depending on how things go, much like Brady Tkachuk did a year ago, so keep that in mind during your drafts.

For fantasy hockey tips and advice, follow me on Twitter at @amato_mike