This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
I've been in deep with the World Junior Championship, watching four games starting at 9am every day since Boxing Day. It's great, but I've spent a little less time obsessing with my fantasy teams, which means I'm reminded of some quick ways of putting together a team.
Look for the big injuries and figure out who is stepping into that role or what high-upside depth players are about to get a chance.
Zach Parise is out Thursday? There's a roster shakeup happening in the top six. Charlie Coyle is moving from the third line to the second. He's been on fire with three goals and an assist in his last four games. (And if you're in a keeper league, he's owned in fewer that 5% of keeper leagues.)
Start there, with the lower end of your roster, which is kind of the opposite of the order we often go. But finding a deal or two to start your roster can open the possibilities with other players. Finding a guy or two who is thriving in a depth position and is getting a larger temporary role can make it so that the tough decisions with more expensive players aren't actually all that tough.
That can save a little time if you're putting together a roster in a hurry. And that means I can go back to giving Jesse Puljujarvi and Auston Matthews my undivided attention.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Islanders (Thomas Greiss) at Sabres (Linus Ullmark), 6:00 PM
Penguins (Jeff Zatkoff) at Red Wings (Petr Mrazek), 6:00 PM
Capitals (Philipp Grubauer) at Hurricanes (Eddie Lack), 6:00 PM
Wild (Devan Dubnyk) at Blues (Jake Allen), 8:00 PM
Blackhawks (Corey Crawford) at Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov), 8:00 PM
Predators (Pekka Rinne) at Stars (Antti Niemi), 8:30 PM
Kings (Jonathan Quick) at Flames (Karri Ramo), 9:00 PM
Ducks (John Gibson) at Oilers (Cam Talbot), 9:00 PM
Jets (Connor Hellebuyck) at Coyotes (Louis Domingue), 9:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Thursday
New York Islanders
Jaroslav Halak, G (upper body) - has been placed in IR
Buffalo Sabres
Tyler Ennis, LW (upper body) - left Wednesday's game with an injury
Robin Lehner, G (ankle) - joined practice on Tuesday for the first time since being injured
Mark Pysyk, D (lower body) - is still considered week-to-week
Cody McCormick, C (blood clots) - hasn't played yet this season and isn't likely to play soon
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pascal Dupuis, RW (blood clots) - will not play hockey again
Marc-Andre Fleury, G (concussion) - returned to practice on Wednesday
Beau Bennett, RW (upper body) - is out
Detroit Red Wings
Teemu Pulkkinen, RW (shoulder) - could be out for up to another month
Kyle Quincey, D (ankle) - is expected back in early January
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) - remains on long-term IR
Jonathan Ericsson, D - was out on Tuesday
Drew Miller, LW (jaw) - is on IR
Washington Capitals
Brooks Orpik, D (lower body) - has a situation that's still a bit mysterious, but is unlikely to play Thursday
John Carlson, D (undisclosed) - remains out
Jay Beagle, C (upper body) - was injured on Wednesday and will require surgery
Michael Latta, C (arm) - coach Trotz indcated that Latta could return Thursday
Carolina Hurricanes
Nathan Gerbe, LW (lower body) - skated in Wednesday's practice
James Wisniewski, D (ACL) - remains out after tearing his ACL in the first game of the season
Minnesota Wild
Zach Parise, LW (undisclosed) - will not play Thursday
Darcy Kuemper, G (concussion) - will miss some time with a concussion
St. Louis Blues
Jaden Schwartz, LW (ankle) - remains out
Patrik Berglund, C (shoulder) - has been cleared for contact and could return in early January
Steve Ott, C (hamstring) - will miss at least a couple more months
Chicago Blackhawks
Marcus Kruger, C (wrist) - is going to miss months of play
Colorado Avalanche
Ben Street, C (chest) - is on injured reserve
Brad Stuart, D (back) - is on injured reserve
Nate Guenin, D (concussion) - could return soon, though his situation hasn't been updated in a bit
Reto Berra, G (ankle) - is on injured reserve
Jesse Winchester, LW (concussion) - has been on the shelf since the start of the season
Nashville Predators
Gabriel Bourque, LW (upper body) - has skated before team practice
Dallas Stars
Ales Hemsky, RW (undisclosed) - was placed on IR after being injured in Tuesday's game
Los Angeles Kings
Kyle Clifford, LW (upper body) - isn't close to a return
Jeff Carter, C (upper body) - didn't play Tuesday
Matt Greene, D (upper body) - is on long-term injured reserve
Calgary Flames
Michael Frolik, LW (upper body) - will be out "a few weeks"
Anaheim Ducks
Simon Despres, D (concussion) - remains out
Cam Fowler, D (knee) - is out indefinitely
Edmonton Oilers
Oscar Klefbom, D (finger) - will be out at least another week
Nail Yakupov, RW (ankle) - still hasn't started skating again
Brandon Davidson, D (ribs) - is expected back Thursday
Iiro Pakarinen, RW (undisclosed) - missed practice Wednesday
Connor McDavid, C (shoulder) - isn't likely to return until mid-January at the earliest
Rob Klinkhammer, LW (ankle) - isn't likely to return
Andrew Ference, D (undisclosed) - is on IR
Winnipeg Jets
Mark Scheifele, C (concussion) - will travel with the team on the road trip, but is questionable at best
Ondrej Pavelec, G (knee) - won't be back until late January or February
Arizona Coyotes
Joe Vitale, C (fractured orbital bone) - remains out
Boyd Gordon, C (head) - has been placed on IR
Mike Smith, G (core muscle) - remains out following surgery
Martin Hanzal, C (lower body) - has been ruled out of Thursday's game
Hot
Jack Eichel, C, BUF — The kid has really turned it on in the last five games, particularly in his first trip to Boston as a NHLer. he has two goals and six assists in those games with 17 shots.
Sidney Crosby, C, PIT — Crosby has turned a bit of success before the holiday break into a hot streak. Over the last five games he's got two goals and five assists, which is great. But that's not all he's providing. He has a plus-3 rating, 10 penalty minutes and 16 shots.
Cold
Joffrey Lupul, LW, TOR — Lupul is always tough to roster in keeper leagues with how frequently he's injured. He hasn't played close to a full season since the 2008-09 season. This year won't be different. He miss a good stretch already. Since coming back on December 15, he has one goal and no assists in eight games. Throw in a minus-3 rating and that he was given a season-low 10:22 of ice time on Wednesday, and it's looking like an ugly situation. You can't roster him.
Phil Kessel, RW, PIT — He's been here before, but it's worth noting because every time it looks like he's pulling out and about to start scoring, he goes back into a slump. He has two goals -- which came in the same game -- and no assists over his last seven games. In his last 13 games he has two goals and one assist. It's been a rough run.
Recommended Pickup
Matt Murray, G, PIT — While Marc-Andre Fleury is about ready to re-enter the lineup, it's hard to see how you send him back down to the AHL and forget about him. In the five games Fleury has been on the shelf, Murray has taken four of those starts. He's 2-1-1, hasn't given up more than two goals in any game and is running a save percentage of .938. The 21-year-old had an outstanding rookie season in the AHL last year. He may be ready for some more NHL time. However, keep an eye on the situation. Murray is a cheap start, but once Fleury is back Fleury will be the starter no matter how well Murray is playing.
