There are 20 teams on the main slate today, with many great value options. Some recent trends to consider are the improved play of the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins and the current dumpster fires in Ottawa, Philly, and Buffalo. You may want to avoid the big-ticket items on those three teams, and I’m not even approaching any value plays from them this week. Let’s look at our best plays for this slate (using all of them would increase your average remaining salary per player from $6,111 to $7,325).
Center
Adam Henrique (ANH): $4,300 vs. NSH
Henrique was acquired by the Ducks this week for Sami Vatanen in a deal that makes a great bit of sense for both teams. With Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and Rickard Rakell on IR, the Ducks have been struggling to stay above .500 this year. Henrique looks to immediately slot into the top line, centering promising young power forward Nick Ritchie and former fifty goal scorer Corey Perry. Henrique is no slouch in his own right, hitting at least 40 points on five occasions during his underrated career.
Wing
Alex Galchenyuk (MON): $4,800 vs. DET
A cost of $800 might have been a fair price for Galchenyuk until recently, as he got off to a horrific start in front of the most scrutinizing fan base in hockey. The pure joy you see on his face when he scores now is just a bonus, as he is clearly enjoying the game again and playing with more and more confidence. The return of Carey Price, who surprised many (including me) by shaking off the rust (and his own terrible start to the season), has been huge as he has given this team excellent goaltending. Everyone seems to be playing better hockey now, and Galchenyuk will be licking his chops to play a Red Wings team the Canadiens recently beat by a 6-3 margin.
Loui Eriksson (VAN): $4,800 vs. TOR
Eriksson is only a little over a year from scoring 63 points with Boston and is playing with the Sedins (who are still talented linemates). Eriksson has 11 points in 14 games this year (including five goals), and is averaging a solid 15:21 of ice time. He is also on the number two power-play unit for the surprisingly spunky Canucks, originally thought to be a lottery team. If you googled “Underrated,” Loui’s picture should show up, and he is by definition a value play.
Defense
Justin Schultz (PIT): $4,500 vs. BUF
After putting up an eye-popping 51 points last year (nice return for a third-round pick, Jimmy), Schultz got off to a slow start this year. He, along with many of his Penguin teammates, has ramped it up lately, with five assists in his last five games. Playing Buffalo on the second night of a back to back series doesn’t hurt either. The Sabres have the fourth worst defense in the league currently, and Schultz is logging an impressive 19:23 of total ice time as well as 2:37 on the power play.
Goalie
Keith Kinkaid (NJ): $7,300 vs. ARI
For the second week in a row I am suggesting, no imploring you to use Kinkaid (he won last week), and here’s why. He is playing Arizona, who sport the worst goals against record in the league with 100 goals allowed (San Jose has let in only 50). While they have played somewhat better lately when a 4-5-1 record in your last 10 games is “better” you know this team still has a long way to go. Also, New Jersey is one of the very best road teams in the NHL with an 8-2-2 record (Arizona is 2-8-1 at home). And to rest my case, while his stats are solid at best (3.04 GAA and 0.906 save percentage), Kinkaid’s winning percentage is a stellar 0.833. There are a couple of wild card options with Matt Murray and Corey Crawford recently injured, but Tristan Jarry (if he plays) is not that cheap at $8,300, and Anton Forsberg has to face Dallas in their barn (where they are 9-2).
Sheldon Curtis is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Sheldon, check out his archive.
