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

Evgenii Dadonov, RW/LW, Vegas Golden Knights (Available in 37.5% of ESPN leagues, 40% Fantrax leagues) – So let's start with Florida Evgenii. He was once a 20-goal scorer in this league and a sneaky cheap DFS player from time to time in the right situation. Dadonov might not have had the most stellar campaign during the shortened season in Ottawa last year, but this is a player I've always liked that was put in tough spots, often in a shutdown role, playing bottom six minutes for a bottom-of-the-standings Sens club.

The reason he's an immediate fix is because it looks like he might get to play a significant role on this Vegas team. During Tuesday's game vs. Seattle, he played 14:33 minutes and spent time on the top power-play unit, and that alone makes this an enticing addition. Last season Vegas was one of those clubs that for the most part would run their top power-play unit out for the entire duration of the penalty, and if that's case, then Dadonov is in a great situation with the Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty. He also saw time early in Tuesday's contest paired with Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson, although it looks as he's going to be primarily on the Vegas third line with Nolan Patrick and either Peyton Krebs or Keegan Kolesar.

If your fantasy team has an injury or you're in a league with an extended bench, why not take a chance on a low-owned Dadonov?

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

Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW, Columbus Blue Jackets (Available in 18.7% of ESPN leagues, 12% Fantrax leagues) – Bjorkstrand is finally free from Torts jail! This could go for most of the Jackets, but let's just focus in on Bjorkstrand for now. Last season his opposite wingers rotated constantly, yet still led the team in points (44), goals (18), and assists (26) playing 56 games. I see no reason the 26-year-old winger couldn't be a great addition to any fantasy team this season.

For leagues with smaller rosters, Bjorkstrand might be a tough add, but if you're an owner and he's available this would be a terrific add. Bjorkstrand's offense was the best on the Jackets last season and this was with changing linemates and only seeing 1:37 average of power-play time. Not a hot take here, but Columbus will most likely be a bottom tier club this season, so Bjorkstrand might be spending more time in the defensive zone than I would like for him, but he's a high-percentage shooter and is projected to center the Blue Jackets top power-play unit. Bjorkstrand could be one of those free agent additions that you make early in the season and stays on your fantasy team throughout the season.

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

Timo Meier, RW, San Jose Sharks (Rostered in 69.9% of ESPN leagues, 76% of Fantrax leagues) – Timo is entering his sixth season in the NHL and while he has been a 30-goal scorer in the past, this might not be the year or the club to reach that goal mark. 

Meier is a solid player – really, he is. Maybe this season San Jose decides to burn it down and Meier is traded midway through the season to a club in playoff contention? By now most fantasy drafts have taken place with his average draft position in the 150's, and in that range, you can get a player that may have better production over the course of this season.

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

Kirby Dach, C, Chicago Blackhawks (Rostered in 63% of ESPN leagues, 78% of Fantrax leagues)- This one hurts because I do like Dach and feel like in a perfect NHL world he's a big center that takes up space in the middle of the ice with a heavy shot. For right now though, he's a big body that needs to figure out how his game best correlates to the NHL and what Chicago needs him to do on both ends of the ice.

Kirby missed most of last season with a wrist injury he sustained during World Juniors, limiting him to only 18 games for a club that desperately needed help down the middle. This season Dach is in a difficult spot because he now finds himself as the third center behind Jonathan Toews who has returned to the club from missing all of last season and Tyler Johnson who will likely be on the first line and the top power-play center for the Hawks. Dach has a good shot and has shown signs at times of potentially a very good player, but I worry about his production if he remains a bottom six player on this club for the foreseeable future.

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

This period runs from October 15^th to October 21^st  

Minnesota – The Wild are in an interesting to spot to start the season, but I like how they open with a back-to-back on the road vs Anaheim and Los Angeles. Remember, the Wild were in the same division as the Ducks and Kings last season and posted a 6-1-0 record against LA and 7-2-0 against Anaheim.

Calgary – So not a bad draw of the schedule to start the season for the Flames. They only play one game during the first week on a short trip to Edmonton and then come home for the Ducks, followed by two days off before facing Detroit. Will most people make a big deal out of the Flames opening their season vs the Oilers? Of course. It's the Battle for Alberta and those are the rules, but don't let Matthew Tkachuk fighting Zack Kassian take away from the bigger picture with a home game against Anaheim and then a game vs the Wings.

Montreal – I was impressed during the Habs matchup vs the Leafs how well their second line looked together and following a back-to-back, Montreal has a fairly favorable schedule. Three home games with days off in between vs. the Rangers, Sharks, and Hurricanes. There's definitely points to be had in that stretch of games.

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

Anaheim – Doesn't it feel like the clubs that most need a favorable schedule to start the season seldom get it? It's a Western Canada road trip for the Ducks with back-to-back games vs Calgary and Edmonton next Monday and Tuesday (18^th & 19^th) followed by a game in Winnipeg that will also be the Jets home opener.

Dallas – A full weekend of games vs Boston and Ottawa on the road alone put them here but let's also add a trip to Pittsburgh on top of that as well. Dallas is starting right where they left off last season with injuries beginning to impact this club and we're not even at Halloween yet.

Florida – The Panthers over the course of the week will play the Islanders, Tampa Bay, and Colorado. If you list possible Cup contenders for this season there's a chance it's those three teams in any order, tough challenge for Florida upcoming.