It's January in Chicago and although I like most of you out there haven't seen the sun in little over a week, I have been finding a game or two that's been good on each slate so far this week. With a solid weekend slate ahead to cap off the week, let's dive in!

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

Eeli Tolvanen, LW/RW, Seattle Kraken (Rostered in 9% of ESPN leagues, 48% Fantrax, 17% Yahoo) – I have to get some part of this Seattle third line, right? Seattle went from being a fun team to text fake trades to your buddies to now a fun team to watch that also has three legit scoring lines.

Hand up, I was one of those that thought my Kraken mock draft was light years better than the roster they put on the ice last season. Their roster still isn't perfect by any means mainly with the play that they've gotten in net this season, but it is a vast improvement from what we saw from this Seattle club this time last year. Part of this improvement is due to their depth and that's where I think Tolvanen makes for a good immediate fantasy fix.

In the last 15 days, Tolvanen has 18 shots on goal along with five points on a line that I think he makes go. I started to really take notice on my own when I was beaten to the waiver wire for Vince Dunn, and then got my full attention along with everyone else when they steamrolled Chicago last week (every Seattle forward recorded at least one point), to cap off a historically good road trip for the Kraken. In Seattle's last three games the Tolvanen line has the highest shots for percentage and highest Corsi for percentage and just eye test seems to drive play well to go along with their numbers. Tolvanen makes for a good player to roster in the short term and if he continues to play well, he becomes a nice asset to have on your roster. For DFS both him and his line make for good filler stacks but just be careful. It's going to be you and 100 of your closest friends in large field tournaments who have the same idea.

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

Evan Rodrigues, C/LW/RW, Colorado Avalanche (Rostered in 13% of ESPN leagues, 45% Fantrax, 37% Yahoo) – Last season Rodrigues was an Immediate Fix, Odd-Man Out, and then eventually an Anchor. Listing him as a Building Block now makes him the first player in NHL history to get listed on all four. Not sure if we'll ever see this outstanding achievement again but if I had to guess my money is Jared McCann. This is like when Ovechkin won the Hart, Lester B. Pearson (now Ted Lindsay), Rocket Richard, and Art Ross in the same season. Legendary stuff.

All joking aside, I was scrolling through players on Tuesday night, and I noticed the streak that Rodrigues was on and knew that he would be this week's Building Block. Rodrigues has 12 points in his last 10 games played and is skating alongside Nathan MacKinnon. In addition to his play on the ice, the amount of time he's skating is also great for fantasy as in the last week (four games), his ice time is over 20 minutes a night.

We all know what can happen if Colorado gets on a roll offensively and how that can drive roster numbers up for anyone in an Avalanche sweater. This club is starting to get healthy too with Valeri Nichushkin returning to the lineup on Tuesday and Bowen Byram and Gabriel Landeskog making progress to rejoin the club. I like Rodrigues for the spot that he's in now on this Avalanche lineup and moving forward I could still see him playing a larger role for this team.

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

Zach Hyman, LW, Edmonton Oilers (Rostered in 88% of ESPN leagues, 98% of Fantrax, 93% Yahoo) – Looking at the shift charts from Edmonton's last game against Seattle and their lines from morning skate, we could have an odd-situation odd-man out? That's a thing when talking about Edmonton.

Hyman has been terrific for the Oilers this season. In 45 games played he has 50 points which is good for 19^th in the league. He most likely went undrafted in many leagues out there but now you'd be lucky to claim him off waivers and your buddy who has him in fantasy probably isn't trading him anytime soon. He's an odd man out though this week for one reason: where he is skating on Edmonton's lines and how much of it is with either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.

I mentioned that I looked at the Edmonton shift charts from last game and trying to follow them is like trying to follow a crime investigation board with pins and lines going every which way. For Hyman, that means uncertainty as to just who he's going over the board with and if it's players that are good for fantasy and DFS. This morning he was skating with Warren Foegele and Devin Shore, which is a downgrade offensively from McDavid and Evander Kane who recently returned to the Oilers lineup. There is definitely value rostering Hyman playing him whenever the Oilers are on the slate, but just be aware of his pairings. He could see time on Edmonton's bottom six or very well be taking the bulk of his shifts on the top line.

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

Mathew Barzal, D, New York Islanders (Rostered in 78% of ESPN leagues, 94% Fantrax, 71% Yahoo) – I went back and forth here on if this week's Anchor should be either Barzal or his teammate Brock Nelson, but what drove me to Barzal is the obvious lack of production and those out there in salary cap leagues.  

Barzal has no points in his last five games and in so many contests this season he's left the ice with nothing for fantasy owners. He's also extremely expensive at his current cap hit of $7 million now, and next season that numbers jump up to just over $9 million which should make rostering him a fun endeavor for those out there in cap leagues. At that price point, that's more than David Pastrnak, Chris Kreider, and at least for this season Nathan MacKinnon.

The upside here is that Barzal is still just 25 years old, so maybe it all begins to turn around but for now the value in rostering him is difficult. I think there's a roadmap where his numbers don't end up being as bleak as I'm making them seem right now, but the roster numbers are higher on him for a player that hopefully falls around 60-65 points this season.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)
This period runs through January 20^th to February 1^st

Vancouver – I'm not going to get into any coaching rumors here, just the schedule and that the Canucks have a favorable next week. Vancouver has home games against Chicago and Columbus – that's the 31^st and 32^nd ranked clubs in the NHL for those keeping score at home.

Winnipeg – Second week in a row for the Jets as a Love 'Em, as the club has been great lately going 8-2-0 in their last ten games. Winnipeg and their elite goaltending will see Nashville on the road next week before two home games against Buffalo and Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh – When it's going right for the Penguins there's no limit to what this club can do. On the opposite side of the spectrum when it's going bad this club isn't recognizable. They do grade well though moving forward. This club is getting healthier so this may be a good stretch to gain some points in a close Eastern Conference.

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

Edmonton – What to do with Edmonton here is tricky. On one hand they play Columbus and Chicago both at home next week. On the other hand, though, that's it for the week with just two games on the schedule. Edmonton rostering players that can help swing a fantasy matchup they're a Leave 'Em for now just off games played.

Nashville – The Predators also only have two games on the schedule next week and that's tough news for those rostering any Nashville players.

Vegas – The recent injury to Mark Stone is going to really hurt this club while he's out along with the injuries that they already have along their blueline. The club with the least number of shots on goal in January has a tough schedule ahead with a New York road trip on the horizon.

*For continued fantasy news and notes, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz.