All fantasy owners need help in the short term AND the long term. The Looking Ahead feature identifies one player to plug into lineups in the short term, a second to invest in for the long term, a third to bench for the coming week, and a fourth who will struggle to meet expectations for some time. All players discussed are selected based on their upcoming schedule. Stats in this article updated through December 21^st – HAPPY HOLIDAYS

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

Jeff Petry, D, Montreal (Available in 90 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Not only do the Canadiens have a good number of games coming up, but Shea Weber is on IR with an undisclosed foot injury. That’s bad news for the Canadiens but great news for fantasy players with the foresight to pick Petry up; in the first game after the Weber announcement, Petry picked up 1G1A with 2Ht 2Blk and 3SOG. He’s averaged 25 minutes/game in his last three since Weber went out and plays on the top power play and penalty kill, and has a ton of value in leagues that count peripherals.

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

Justin Williams, RW, Carolina (Available in 84 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Mr. Game 7 is very quietly having a great season in Carolina, with 7G-16A in 33 games played, a 17G-57pt pace for the year which would be his best in seven years. Williams tends to avoid injury – going back to 2010-11 he’s only missed 12 games – and gets around 17 minutes a game. He’s really found his rhythm recently with Jordan Staal and Brock McGinn, with five points in seven games since they were put together, and he does pick up the odd peripheral stat as well. He’s a great bench player in deeper leagues and with an AAV of 4.5MM he’s a respectable play in cap leagues.

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

Ryan Johansen, C, Nashville (Owned in 73 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Johansen is currently on pace for the worst season of his career, only 57 points. For a player that doesn’t score goals or shoot the puck – he topped out at 33G and 237SOG with Columbus as his career-best, and has only 26G and 295SOG in 154 games with Nashville – RyJo is far too highly-owned. Johansen has only fired 44 shots on net this year and struggles to pick up peripherals, and should either be shopped or benched for the next little while.

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

Conor Sheary, LW, Pittsburgh (Owned in 36 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Sheary’s perceived value before the season started is about the only reason he’s owned at 36%, the idea being that he would stick beside Sidney Crosby for most, if not all, of the season. Unfortunately for the 36%, Sheary’s been bounced up and down the Penguins lineup and gets no power play time on the top unit. Sheary has 9-5-14 in his 35 games which is respectable in very, very deep leagues, but he’s also a -8, has only 68SOG, and collects no peripherals. The advice would be wait until he has a big game and shop him if he’s sitting on your bench, but if he’s in your starting lineup there’s better long-term options available.

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

With the holidays coming up, the number of games gets pretty light for every team during this stretch.

New Jersey – The Devils have been a surprise fun team this year in terms of fantasy, with production coming from all four lines while still getting strong numbers from their studs (Hall, Hischier, etc.). With five games upcoming and off games where they scored four, five and five goals, keep your Devils active and in your lineup.

Tampa Bay – With the schedule not giving much in the way of teams to target for or against, the Lightning should be rolled out over the holidays with impunity. Their first line continues to produce at a great clip, they have a strong second offensive line clicking in Palat-Point-Johnson, and the Lightning still sit first in the league in Goals For. They have three home games (Minnesota, Montreal, Philadelphia) before leaving for two road games at Columbus and Toronto.

Montreal – The Habs have six games between the 22^nd and January 3^rd, which is a great number considering all the holiday breaks. The unfortunate thing for Montreal owners is that five of the six come on the road, and there are two different back-to-backs: on the West Coast against Calgary and then Edmonton, and a post-Christmas set against Carolina and Tampa Bay. On volume, roll out the Montreal studs and Carey Price, but leave any marginal Canadiens (Charles Hudon, Brendan Gallagher) to the side during this stretch.

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

Calgary – The Flames have a great schedule…for the Flames’ players’ families. Calgary only plays four games between the 22^nd and January 3^rd, with two home games (vs. Montreal and Chicago) sandwiching back-to-back road games against tough opponents in San Jose and Anaheim.

Ottawa – Ottawa has five games during this period, but they all come against tough competition: they play road games against Florida, Boston and Detroit, and have two home games against Columbus and Boston (again). Beyond Detroit, those are three teams that shut down opposing studs very effectively, which will

Arizona – There aren’t many fantasy-relevant Coyotes in the first place, but Arizona only has five games in this stretch as well, but they have a home-home back-to-back (vs. Washington and Colorado) and then travel to Colorado after Christmas to face the Avs again. With the shut-down abilities of the MacKinnon line, the only relevant players on the Coyotes won’t be able to muster much in those games.