Welcome back all! Is it just me or does it feel like the NHL sort of hits this low point each season following the All-Star break? The break itself along with a lighter week of games certainly doesn't help but, but never fear. We have six slates next week with five or more games, and a whopping total of 19 clubs that will be in action four times with only one club that will play just twice…and lucky for us, that's San Jose. We also have the benefit next week as well with a seven-game Sunday slate which helps us with fantasy. Don't think it's a coincidence that football is over, so we're back to decent size slates to close out the week. With a full plate coming at us, this week's Looking Ahead is all about navigating the schedule next week as well as helping us into the future.

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

Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Minnesota Wild (Rostered in 13% of ESPN leagues, 44% Fantrax, 52% Yahoo) – I'm not sure if we can call this one an Immediate Fix, so much as maybe an Immediate Rental? Marc-Andre Fleury and the Wild are in a very advantageous spot upcoming that we could use to help fill out a roster.

I help contribute over at GoaliePost as well as being the Lucy psychiatric help stand in my fantasy league where I'll get texts parodically for different goaltenders that are surprise start/sits, and I can say that the most reassuring thing in fantasy is knowing that you have a goaltender starting on a given slate instead of speculating. For this week, we have a nice schedule quirk here as the Wild will play in a back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday (VAN/@WPG), as well as a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday (@EDM/@SEA).

If Fleury gets the nod on Monday against Vancouver, we can make a real good assumption that he's going to also get the start Friday against Edmonton, and likewise if he gets the start on Tuesday, the next start odds will be Saturday. Regardless of which set of starts Fleury gets, if he gets the Friday spot, that's fantastic for us as Friday will have the lowest number of games (three), of all days next week. 

Fleury hasn't seen much action in February, but looking back at January where he started in seven games going 3-3-1 over that span with a 2.46 GAA and .912 SV%. He's the choice here for the Immediate Fix with the schedule advantage that Minnesota brings, as well as his roster numbers as compared to Filip Gustavsson. This is a good add for those out there in leagues that only start one goaltender, but an excellent add for those that start two.

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

Shane Pinto, C, Ottawa Senators (Rostered in 15% of ESPN leagues, 53% Fantrax, 19% Yahoo) – The Senators might not be where a lot of us thought they'd be in the standings at this time in the year, but this club is a gold mine for fantasy hockey. Tack one more on. Shane Pinto is your Building Block this week.

It is really a hard task come fantasy draft time if you're in a smaller-mid size roster league to avoid loading up on two to three Senators. I drafted Tim Stutzle early, Drake Batherson sometime in the mid-rounds…wait, Claude Giroux is still on the board? You get the idea, but since returning to the club, Pinto has been excellent for this club and could be an excellent addition moving forward. Since returning to the lineup, Pinto immediately contributed to scoring with two points in his first two games played, and although did not get on the scoresheet in the following three games, he did have nine shots on goal within that timeframe.

Now, in the past three games, Pinto has put up six points while playing 19-plus minutes in each of those three games. What else are we missing here? He's also centering the Senators' top power-play unit, a group with two goals for in their past three games along with 12 shots for. The Senators are also one of those clubs next week that will be in action four times next week, so no worry about missing out on games played if you make this add sooner rather than later, and the Sens are a club that has changed up the top center duties often this season. I could see Pinto getting time to center each of the Ottawa top three lines, each with decent scoring options on his wings.

I do think in fantasy, center may be the one position grouping that is deeper than the others so you may already have a plethora of C's on your club. If you're in need of help at the center, Pinto might be a solid play.

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

Jake Walman, D, Detroit Red Wings (Rostered in 88% of ESPN leagues, 53% Fantrax, 26% Yahoo) – Any players returning to lineups? Some, but nothing that moves the needle for fantasy. Lineup changes? We’ve moved past the All-Star break line shakeups so that's a no go. What about players who aren't receiving any power play time? Jake Walman, hello.

I roster Moritz Seider in my main league. The hits and blocked shots are fun to have and every now and again does provide decent assist and secondary assist numbers. Walman though only has nine assists on the season, but just like Seider, Walman provides plenty of hits and blocked shots. There's value for sure here as what Walman brings and could potentially being with more power-play time but it is difficult to get see the offensive production. Not at all recommending going out and make a change, but there's cause for concern with the lack of opportunities within the lineup.

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

Darnell Nurse, D, Edmonton Oilers (Rostered in 93% of ESPN leagues, 82%, Fantrax, 83% Yahoo) – I know we just got through talking about Walman, but what about a defenseman that can provide hits and blocked shots but does see regular power play time? The roster numbers here are too high to ignore. I have to throw Nurse on as this week's Anchor.    

In my main league I had Andrei Svechnikov coming back from injury and had a choice to make on where to make room for him returning on my roster. I have Drew Doughty and Seider on my blueline but also have Nurse, who I drafted. Of course, Nurse goes out and gets on the scoresheet twice right after I dropped him, but prior to that he only had one point in his last ten games and seemed like was a player that wasn't producing, or I would start my other two d-men over him when all three were on the slate. If you're in a league and the waiver is real light on defenseman, maybe Nurse is worth holding onto, but it's tough seeing low numbers from him like we've seen throughout the season, and I don't think that is going to change anytime soon.

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

This period runs through February 16 – February 28

Toronto – With multiple clubs seeing plenty of action upcoming, it was difficult to pick out three Love 'Em's. If there's one place to start, it's Toronto. The Leafs have softer matchups upcoming against the Ducks and Coyotes.  

Vegas – A Leave 'Em last week, the Knights have a busy schedule next week which turns them over to a Love 'Em.  

Buffalo – The Sabres will hit a stretch of games next week where they'll see Arizona, Montreal, and Columbus. That alone makes them a Love 'Em for the time being.  

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

San Jose – Sorry Sharks, they are the only club in the NHL with two games on the schedule next week.  

St. Louis – Just like how it was difficult to pick out three Love 'Ems, it was equally as difficult to find three Leave 'Ems. Well maybe two, San Jose was easy. St. Louis will see Edmonton and Toronto upcoming which puts them as a Leave 'Em.

Nashville – The Preds have plenty of games on the schedule which is great, but they'll be on a four-game west coast road trip upcoming making them a Leave 'Em.

*For continued fantasy news and notes, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz.