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 January 31st

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

Danton Heinen, C, Boston Bruins (Available in 71 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Brad Marchand’s loss via suspension is rookie Danton Heinen’s gain, as he’s slotted into Marchand’s spot on both the first power play – where he previously played the point, swapping with Ryan Spooner – and more importantly at 5v5 with Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. Heinen’s value in keeper leagues is high, with 11G-22A in his rookie season, but in season-long leagues he can be picked up for the next handful of games.

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

Tomas Hertl, C, San Jose Shark (Available in 58 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Another spot fill-in, but Hertl will have value for much longer than Danton Heinen as he’s moving up in the lineup to replace Jumbo Joe off an MCL injury. Hertl in the three games since Jumbo went down has seen ice time of 21, 22, and 19 minutes, and has put up 1G-2A with 7SOG. Given that Hertl’s having his “breakout” year with 14G-17A in 50 games (his career highs are 21-25-46), the added ice time and playing on what should be a potent first power play unit of the Sharks for the bulk of the next 30 games makes him very valuable.

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

Nick Leddy, D, New York Islanders (Owned in 60 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Leddy’s poor play recently seems to be a mystery, as it’s not been a lack of ice time or a chance in role that’s slowed him down; Leddy is still seeing at least 22 minutes a night (minus a blowout vs. Toronto) and prime time on the first power play unit, but over his last ten games he’s put up only one assist and 14SOG. That’s a far cry from the player Leddy was earlier this year. He can take a seat on the bench if there’s an up & comer you’d prefer to take a shot on, or grab someone who’s hitting a hot streak as a quick fill in.

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

The People That Decide Goaltender Interference, NHL (Owned in 100 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Can we just stop with this?

Zach Parise, LW, Minnesota Wild (Owned in 45 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – With Nino Niederreiter returning, Parise’s role in the top-6 is more tenuous than ever. Although he’s returning from major surgery and continues to fire the puck at a decent clip – 29SOG in 11 games – he’s neither getting the ice time (16:36/game), nor producing when he does. He’s been horrendous in leagues that track +/-, already -7 in those 11 games, and has only found the back of the net twice. There are better players available on the waiver wire in EVERY league, don’t be fooled by his past successes.

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

San Jose – The Sharks have no Joe Thornton but they do have an excellent upcoming schedule, with seven games between the 2^nd and the 14^th. More than that, they’ll get to play the Oilers, Coyotes, Carolina and the Nathan MacKinnon-less Avalanche.  

Boston – Beyond San Jose, there’s a very crowded group of teams that play five or six games, and Boston is in the latter group. Luckily for Boston, they’ll get to look to continue their rise to the top of the standings against some real bottom-feeders: at Detroit and the Rangers and at home vs. Buffalo and Calgary (where the 3M line’s defensive play will be muted thanks to Boston having last change).

Philadelphia – Philadelphia is in the same spot as Boston, with six games but some soft competition in those six. They Flyers get a stretch of home vs. Ottawa, at Carolina after a two-day break, then home vs. Montreal and back on the road against the Coyotes. With a power play that’s clicked for four goals in their past five games and the coming-out party of Travis Konecny, target your Flyers players.

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

Dallas – Excluding the game against the Rangers, the Stars don’t have the most enticing schedule with five games during this period; the Lone Star State team will play Minnesota, the Rangers, Pittsburgh and Vancouver at home, with their lone road game coming against Chicago – which immediately precedes their game against Pittsburgh.

Edmonton – Beyond their special teams woes – second-last in PP% (14.5%) and DFL in PK% (72.15%), the Oilers are a bottom-10 team in terms of goals per game, which is really what fantasy owners care about. That McDavid & co. have been so poor offensively this year is a disappointment, in the same way their upcoming schedule is: at LA/SJ/ANA, and home vs. Tampa and Florida. Ouch.

Florida – Not only do the Panthers only play five times in this stretch, but they have two days off between four of the five which makes it very tough in weekly leagues. The first three all come at home, against Detroit, Vancouver and LA, while the last two are part of their Western Canada swing – at Edmonton and Vancouver.