Welcome back everyone! I got the spice today, you guys. Some weeks I search and search for different options to write about. This week I had who I wanted on first pass through the player pool…so let's dive in! Pool. Dive. Highbrow comedy here on Looking Ahead.

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

Cam Talbot, G, Detroit Red Wings (Rostered in 60% of ESPN leagues, 70% Fantrax, 64% Yahoo) – I did not think there would be a world where I'd recommend a goaltender for the Wings, as I can't say I'm super high on this club and even put some shackles on them to miss playoffs. I've been more impressed than I thought I'd be watching them lately, so much so that I added Cam Talbot to my fantasy team. It's been a great return so far, so hope on board with me.

Talbot has allowed less than three goals in his last six starts in net, and that's on a Wings team that is around middle of the pack in shots allowed. Over that span, he has a 4-1-1 record, a GAA of two, and a .936 SV%. This sort of reminds me of Petr Mrazek last season in some ways. Talbot has earned the starting spot in net for the Wings as well with Ville Husso up and down and Alex Lyon not pushing for that starting role.  

The schedule here checks out in the short term as well. Detroit will play tonight vs Anaheim, tomorrow against the Kings, and Monday against the Sharks. I would think here that it would be Talbot today to get two days off rest, then go into San Jose and if that's indeed the case, then those are two very winnable games. For fantasy, I like the add here and don't see a reason why he couldn't be on your roster long term. For DFS, he might be pricier, so I'd maybe only consider him in heavy Detroit stacks. If anything for leagues that only start one goaltender, he may be available to add. If you're rostering him, he may be considered a must start over your bench in the coming days.  

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

Valeri Nichushkin, RW, Colorado Avalanche (Rostered in 39% of ESPN leagues, 76% Fantrax, 60% Yahoo) – I took my first loss of the fantasy season last week, which was of course a bummer. It came down to where I was down around 11 points on Sunday with one matchup acquisition and a player on my roster going already. I decided to not chase, rather lose a game now to win one later, and that meant I could add someone to stash on IR. Valeri Nichushkin, come on down.

The Avalanche activated Nichushkin off of IR following a six-month suspension for alleged substance abuse during last year's playoffs, which also led to him going into the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. I genuinely believe that the Player Assistance Program provided is excellent for players who enter it, and hope that Nichushkin is able to return in good form. I rostered him in my league for almost all of last season, where he was fantastic. In 54 games he has 28 goals, 25 assists, 158 shots, 65 hits, and 62 blocks.

It’s no secret, that this Colorado team has really been hit hard by injuries but is starting to bring players back, and that's where Nichushkin could be in a great spot here. We'll have to wait and see what lines look like, but if this is anything like last season, you're looking at a line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, with that trio skating together for over 300 minutes last year. The roster numbers might be higher over on Yahoo than ESPN, but there's a real possibility that he's going overlooked right now in your league.

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

Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston Bruins (Rostered in 90% of ESPN leagues, 93% Fantrax, 96% Yahoo) – I took Charlie McAvoy in my draft, and it being a live draft, got two people saying some choice words to me that they were in their queue. Now, it's me saying choice words whenever I watch the Bruins…which is admittedly not that often. Sorry B's.

During the first two weeks of the season when the Bruins began to slide, I was starting to get worried that McAvoy would be taken off of the Bruins top power play. Fast forward to this week and that came to fruition with Mason Lohrei taking over that responsibility. I know that Lohrei has also not looked stellar this season, but I liked the way he looked in playoffs last season so not shocked that he is getting an opportunity here. That said, we're about a quarter of the way through this season, and just going off of last year, through Q1 McAvoy had 14 points. This season, that number is down to six.

For McAvoy though, this does hurt his value not being on the top power play and given just how high his roster numbers are. If there's any saving grace and value here, it's that Boston takes a ton of penalties and McAvoy goes out on the Bruins top PK unit. So…yay penalties!

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

Brady Skjei, D, Nashville Predators (Rostered in 66% of ESPN leagues, 60%, Fantrax, 74% Yahoo) – We have someone in our league that went all in on Nashville skaters coming into the season. He is holding down last place in our league. That should tell you about all you need to know right there.

I wrote up the Nashville season preview back in August along with talking Nashville in an early Capped, and I stood by the Steven Stamkos signing, Jonathan Marchessault signings. That said, also wrote about the Canes, and thought that for the AAV that Nashville gave Skjei that it was smart of Carolina to not match. Skjei hasn't gotten on the scoresheet since before Halloween and is looking like he's only on pace for around 30 points this season. You could try and maybe trade a defenseman for defensemen to try and get something back in return here, but if you're looking to maybe find someone else for your roster now might be the time with Nashville only on the schedule twice next week.

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

This period runs through November 8 – November 17

Edmonton – Edmonton's offense is starting to pick it up here after a slow start, and now with a healthy Connor McDavid back on the team, there's reason to like them going forward. They're on the schedule four times next week, and anytime I can get that many Oilers they are a Love 'Em.

Utah – Utah might be figuring out what they want to do with their lines right now, but if they settle on something that works, then I like them next week. They're also on the schedule four times, and we love clubs that take the ice more often in a given week.    

Carolina – Unique spot for the Canes, they will play both Saturday and Sunday this week but get a nice three days to prepare for a back-to-back against New Jersey and Philadelphia. I like them coming into the weekend and beyond, they're a Love 'Em for me.   

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

Toronto – It's bummer that the Leafs will only be on the schedule twice next week, but this is the club that has the most back-to-backs in the NHL this season. I like the rest long term, but for now they're a Leave 'Em.    

New Jersey – New Jersey will only play in two games next week and those will be against Carolina and a surprisingly good Washington club. With so few opportunities, they're a stay away for me.

Seattle – Tougher stretch for the Kraken with a home back-to-back against both NY clubs with a road game against the Kings looming. Believe me, they're schedule will get much easier this time next week, but for now I'm putting them down as a Leave 'Em.

Relative Schedule Value Best Bets: Nov 15th – Nov 22nd                                   

Rank     Team    Rating              

1          Anaheim           8.30                 

2          Detroit               8.26                 

3          Vegas                8.20                 

4          Carolina            8.19                 

5          Edmonton         8.09

Relative Schedule Value Worst Bets:                                         

28         Montreal           4.52                 

29         Winnipeg          4.40                 

30         Los Angeles      4.31                 

31         Toronto              3.99                 

32         New Jersey       3.49     

Relative Schedule Value Best Bets: Nov 18th – Nov 24th                                    

Rank     Team    Rating              

1          Edmonton         8.08                 

2          Utah                  7.92                 

3          San Jose          7.82                 

4          Dallas                6.95                 

5          Boston              6.72     

Relative Schedule Value Worst Bets:                                         

28         Montreal           3.99                 

29         Vancouver        3.89                 

30         Nashville           3.79                 

31         New Jersey       3.77                 

32         Seattle               3.71