Eric Staal is officially back for one more season. Following a professional tryout, the Panthers have signed Staal to a one-year contract worth $750,000. He wasn't in the lineup for Friday's game against Tampa Bay, but he should make his season debut on Sunday. Staal last played in the NHL in 2020-21, when he split time between the Sabres and Canadiens. Although he has built up a solid Hall of Fame argument, Staal shouldn't be on anyone's fantasy radar at this stage of his career.

In that Friday game, Brayden Point scored both the game-tying goal and the game-winning goal (in OT). He also took five shots in this game.

BRAYDEN POINT ON THE POWER PLAY! LIGHTNING WIN IT IN OVERTIME!#GoBolts pic.twitter.com/cbK3csvmYE

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) October 22, 2022

Steven Stamkos scored Tampa's other goal, which was also his league-leading seventh goal of the season. Stamkos has scored at least one goal and taken at least four shots in each of his five games played, making him one of fantasy's top players in the early going.

As a result of both Aaron Ekblad's injury and Mackenzie Weegar's departure, both Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling are seeing a sizable increase in value. Returning from a two-game absence, Montour recorded two assists. Forsling has five points over his last four games and has played at least 22 minutes in each of his five games. They're also Florida's first defense pair at the moment, so they should continue to log major minutes for the next little while. Montour is the one less likely to be rostered in your league (just 20% Yahoo/49% Fantrax) compared to Forsling (69% Yahoo/83% Fantrax). Combine that with the fact that Montour is receiving more power-play minutes than Forsling and the decision of which one to pick from your waiver wire should be made easier. Florida appeared to run a five-forward first-unit power play, as they have done at times in the past.

Matthew Tkachuk must be liking South Florida so far. Tkachuk has eight points in his first five games, including a goal and an assist on Friday. Tkachuk also filled several categories in the Battle of Florida, also contributing 6 PIM and 6 SOG.  

On Tkachuk's line, Rudolfs Balcers has goals in back-to-back games and points in each of his last three games.

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Despite their best efforts this offseason, the Blackhawks aren't going to lose every game. On Friday, Max Domi completed the comeback from a 3-1 deficit to secure the win in overtime.

MAX DOMI WITH THE STEAL AND SNIPE IN OVERTIME! BLACKHAWKS WIN!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/L7SQFybA3h

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) October 22, 2022

Dominik Kubalik was one of those players that the Blackhawks parted ways with in the offseason. Facing his former team, Kubalik scored a goal and added an assist while taking four shots. He's off to a fast start with the Red Wings, scoring five points over his last three games. He was a 30-goal scorer (in just 68 games) just three seasons ago, and he's seeing even-strength time with Dylan Larkin and David Perron. That’s a good thing because he’s a linemate-dependent player, with that 30-goal season coming while alongside a more productive version of Jonathan Toews. He's also playing in his fourth season, and he’s widely available in fantasy leagues (14% Yahoo/32% Fantrax).

Petr Mrazek (a onetime Wing who is now with the Blackhawks, if you're having trouble keeping track) left this game late in the second period with an injury. Alex Stalock took over in the third period and would be the Blackhawks' default starter if Mrazek should miss any time. I'd recommend adding Stalock under normal circumstances, but you know the state of the Blackhawks. Arvid Soderblom was recalled after the game, which means that Mrazek could be missing games.  

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In a game that made absolutely no sense in terms of expected results, the Kraken knocked off the Avalanche 3-2 in Denver while outshooting the Avalanche 38-20. Philipp Grubauer would have been in the line for an unexpected win (for anyone who felt lucky), but he left the game shortly after the Avalanche's game-tying goal in the third period with an injury. Martin Jones had to make just one save in picking up the win. Did I say this was a weird game? You can reread what I wrote about the Chicago goaltending situation and apply it to Seattle as well. Kraken goalies have allowed at least four goals in four of their six games.

Jaden Schwartz scored a power-play goal and added an assist, which gives him five points in his first six games. We know that Schwartz is Band-Aid Boy Certified, as he missed over half of last season with a hand injury and 16 games the season before. He was on a line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle, so he might be a half-decent contributor if he can stay healthy for the entire season. He's also widely available (18% Yahoo/39% Fantrax).

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The Jets have placed Nikolaj Ehlers on IR with an undisclosed injury (or at least I couldn't find it anywhere). Ehlers has missed a total of 29 games over the past two seasons, so he might be on the verge of Band-Aid Boy territory. As a result of the injury, Mason Appleton has been elevated to a scoring line with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor, so he might be one to watch for some short-term value.

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Looking to maximize your head-to-head results at the end of your week? Look no further than the Frozen Tools Schedule Planner. Then set the date range to Custom Date Range, and enter the dates from Saturday to Sunday. Four teams play on both Saturday and Sunday, while every other team plays once. I'll focus on potential waiver-wire pickups for those four teams playing twice.

Columbus

Justin Danforth, who we discussed last week because of his sudden ascension to the top line, has goals in back-to-back games. He's not really on the top line or top power-play unit anymore, but he's an option just about everywhere because he's only 1% rostered in Yahoo leagues.

Boone Jenner and Gustav Nyquist were on the Johnny Gaudreau line last game. Jenner is more likely to be rostered because he's been tied to the top line for longer, but Nyquist is only 21% rostered in Fantrax and 5% rostered in Yahoo. As well, Nyquist has skated for 21 minutes in each of his last two games.

While we're on the subject of Columbus, Adam Boqvist has been a healthy scratch for the past two games. This has been to allow Nick Blankenburg to enter the lineup. Although I wouldn't suggest that Blankenburg has as much offensive upside as Boqvist, Blankenburg might provide some of his own value in bangers leagues. He scored a goal and an assist on Thursday, and he's added a combined six shots, seven hits, and three blocks over those two games. Although he's only 5-9 and 177 lbs., former University of Michigan captain Blankenburg is known for his physicality.

NY Islanders

Kyle Palmieri finds himself on the better side of the even-strength and power-play line combinations at the moment. Lining up with Mathew Barzal, Palmieri is just 1 percent rostered in Yahoo and 10% rostered in Fantrax. Although he has yet to score a goal this season, Palmieri recorded an assist along with five hits on Thursday.

Philadelphia

I was close to adding James van Riemsdyk in one league, but someone beat me to the punch. (Oh well, I had to settle for Nick Robertson, although I missed out on his two-goal debut.) van Riemsdyk is a player who experiences some massive hot and cold streaks, and right now he's on a bender for a Flyers team that has outperformed expectations so far. JVR has points in each of his four games, including goals in back-to-back games. In addition, his icetime has exceeded 20 minutes in each of his last two games and he's on the first-unit power play. He's rostered in just 12 percent of Yahoo leagues and 21 percent of Fantrax leagues. Adding him comes with the caveat that he's a likely drop once he hits a dry spell, which seems inevitable.

San Jose

The cupboard is barer in San Jose than it has been in recent years, but I was able to snag Logan Couture in one league. He's probably already rostered in deeper leagues, but he might be worth at least a short-term add as the Sharks hit New Jersey and Philly on the weekend.

For deeper leagues, Luke Kunin is back on the first-unit power play, which is where he started the season. He might not be the long-term solution there, but he might be worth a go while he's there. Kunin recorded an assist while adding some bangers value (6 PIM, 3 HITS) on Thursday.

Mario Ferraro has three assists in six games, although I would never consider him a big points guy even though he logs serious minutes for the Sharks. If you need blocked shots, he's averaged over two per game so far.

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Follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding for more fantasy hockey.