Hey everyone, we have finally arrived at real, meaningful hockey games… well sort of. The NHL officially kicked off the regular season on Friday and Saturday with their Global Series in the Czech Republic with a two-game series between the Nashville Predators and the San Jose Sharks. It's great to start having games that count, but on the flipside, it kind of sucks that now we have nothing to look forward to until Tuesday, when the rest of the league officially gets started. Without a ton to really break down or analyze, I thought it could be a good chance to highlight some players worth taking a shot on if you have a couple of empty roster spots to fill thanks to IR stashes. Let's have a look!

Brock Nelson

Nelson is heading into his tenth season in the NHL, all of which have been played on Long Island. He is coming off of a season which saw him set a career high in goals and points with 37 and 59 respectively. It's also worth considering that he achieved this on an Isles team that was lackluster to say the least last season. This year, the dynamic could be much different for the Islanders. The New York Islanders brass decided to part ways with head coach Barry Trotz this offseason. 

Trotz was known as a defensive-oriented type coach that, while effective, often led to a subpar offensive output. The hope is that new coach Lane Lambert can step in this season and bring a more balanced attack to the fold. Nelson turns 31 next week, so he isn't exactly a young gun out there anymore, but I think he could still make for a serviceable pickup for most fantasy teams, even if it's only a temporary one. He should continue to get first line and first power-play unit deployment, so his opportunities will be there.

Of his 59 points last season, only 14 came on the power play, which really doesn't account for that much. I think the power play should see some improvement this season, and with that could a bump in production for Nelson.  Outside of his point production, don't expect a whole lot else from Nelson. He shoots at a pretty solid rate. Last year he averaged 2.4 shots per game which is decent. He is fairly serviceable when it comes to getting draws as well, but don't expect a ton of hits or blocks from him. 

I suppose his ownership is low because he is a pure center and center is easily the deepest position in fantasy hockey. The Islanders are a definite unknown this year, and if anything, people are pretty down on them heading into the year. He is rostered in just 40 percent of Yahoo leagues and just over half of Fantrax leagues, so he is still pretty obtainable overall. If you have an open roster spot, he could be worth testing the waters on. 

Jeff Skinner

I know what you're thinking… Jeff Skinner?? Really?? Yes, he is overpaid and on a horrendous contract, but it's not my money and Skinner always has a chance to provide half decent fantasy upside. The Buffalo Sabres are definitely headed in the right direction, and while I don't think they are quite there yet, I do think we will see improvements from them this year. It's crazy to think Skinner will be a veteran on this team, but he will actually be one of the older players on the team heading into this season at the age of 30.

Skinner has been known to be streaky and unpredictable, but in the scenario, I am proposing where you have a free roster spot open temporarily, taking a flier on someone like Skinner could pay dividends. His deployment will certainly not be an issue. Much like the aforementioned Nelson, Skinner will be getting top-tier deployment both on both 5-on-5 and power play lines. He is going to be surrounded by a ton of emerging young talent, so I think he should have plenty of opportunities to do what he does best, and that's score. 

When Skinner is having a good year, he's good for about 30 or more goals and anywhere from 50-60 points. Another upside he brings is his super-high shot volume. He consistently is a lock for over three shots per game so that's one thing you can always count on him for. Last year only five of his 33 goals came on the man advantage. Like the Isles, I think the Buffalo power play could be more potent so there's some room for improvement in his special teams numbers. Skinner isn't going to get you much outside of these stats, so keep that in mind.

Depending on the format, Skinner's availability varies. In Yahoo leagues Skinner only has a 36% ownership rate, while over on Fantrax he is just over 60%. I should mention that the Fantrax numbers will almost always be higher, but I am pretty sure that is because a lot of deeper dynasty leagues get hosted on Fantrax thanks to their incredible league customization settings. In both of my standard 12-team leagues Skinner can still be had, so that's some food for thought. If you can find a home for him on your team without dropping anyone, he could be a decent low-risk add to start off your season.

Martin Fehervary

Shifting our focus to the blueline, I have a pretty low-owned suggestion in Fehverary from the Washington Captials. If you don't know much about him, the 23-year-old Slovakian defenseman is entering the final year of his entry-level contract. That alone has a bit of importance as he is playing for his next contract, especially at a time where it seems like salaries are on the rise with talks of the salary cap going up in the near future. Fehervary or as I call him to my friends "February", is a gritty and physical defenseman. With a lot of the Captials' defensive corps starting to age, Fehervary looks to be primed for an incredible opportunity this season. 

It seems like Fehervary will be riding shotgun alongside John Carlson on the top pairing to start the season. That's great for his deployment and average TOI. With that being said though, don't expect him to be getting any power-play deployment. At least at his stage of his career, Fehervary isn't going to provide you much in terms of offense. But if you are in a bangers league that values hits and blocked shots, you certainly do worse than Fehervary.  Last season he racked up 251 hits and 117 blocked shots. 

If you have some decent offensive defensemen and are looking to load up on some peripherals off your bench, I think Fehervary is an ideal option for a fifth d-man for your team. He is certainly available in most formats. In Yahoo leagues he is only 20% rostered, while on Fantrax he is listed at 42%. I consider him a younger, poor-man’s version of Radko Gudas. If you have the room to spare he could be of use to you!

Well that's a wrap for this week. A quick Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadian readers out there. Enjoy your turkey and stuffing. Also commiserations to all my fellow Jays fans out there. What a disappointing way to end a season, but if you're in the Toronto sports scene like myself, it's really just another day in the park and you're probably numb to it at this point. Wow this took a dark turn! Take care everyone, can't wait to start things FOR REAL next week!