This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's a busy Thursday in the NHL with 10 games and after tonight, only Detroit, St. Louis and Winnipeg will have yet to play a regular-season game. It's the second game of back-to-back contests for Chicago, Colorado, Seattle, Toronto and Washington, so be careful in rostering tired players. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIE
Ilya Samsonov, TOR vs. WAS ($25): Samsonov gets his first start for the Maple Leafs and, lo and behold, he faces the team that would not give him a qualifying offer in the offseason, the Capitals. The netminder has plenty of motivation to show Washington it made a huge mistake in releasing him. He wants the top job in Toronto and, after Matt Murray's mediocre showing Opening Night, the job is Samsonov's to take.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Alex Stalock, CHI at VGK ($20): Chicago did not look great against the Avalanche on Wednesday and now travel to Vegas to take on a rested Golden Knights squad. Stalock will make his Chicago debut, and the cards are stacked against him on a team that could challenge Arizona and Philadelphia for the worst record in the league this season. Stalock has played only one game in the NHL over the last two seasons, and it did not go well as he gave up six goals on 28 shots in 46 minutes of action.
CENTER
Jack Hughes, NJ at PHI ($24): If you look just at last season's point totals, you would think that 56 points is just an okay year for a center, but Hughes only played 49 games as injuries took a toll. He was red hot before his campaign came to an end in early April with seven goals and nine points in his last seven games. Hughes is only 21 and could be a 100-point player as early as this season.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nazem Kadri, CGY vs. COL ($29): There is no doubting that Kadri had a season for the ages last year, but not too many players have their career year at age 31. He had 28 goals and 87 points in just 71 games with Colorado but he has moved on to Calgary after signing a seven-year, $49 million deal. He faces his old Avalanche teammates Thursday and while that could be a motivator, Kadri is also fairly expensive.
WING
Jason Robertson, DAL at NSH ($23): Robertson is coming off a great sophomore season with 41 goals and 79 points in 74 contests. He plays on the top line with Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski as well as the first power play and at the age of 23, Robertson is only going to get better. The Stars face a Predators team that has just returned from playing a couple games in Europe, and that should help their cause.
Brady Tkachuk, OTT at BUF ($21): Tkachuk is one of the best fantasy players in the NHL and is expected to take another big step forward this season. He hit the 30-goal mark for the first time last season, and his 67 points in 79 games also were a career high. Tkachuk sees first-line duty in both five-on-five situations as well as on the power play.
WINGS TO AVOID
Matt Duchene, NSH vs. DAL ($25): Duchene is coming off a great rebound season in which he scored 43 times and added 43 assists, after a dismal 13-point campaign in 2020-21, albeit in only 34 games. He is off to a good start with a goal and assist in two games in Europe, but the fatigue factor could hurt the 31-year-old here.
Alex DeBrincat, OTT at BUF ($24): DeBrincat had a great 2021-22 season with 41 goals and 78 points but found himself dealt to the Senators in the offseason as Chicago is in full tank mode. He will see action on the top line in even-strength situations but is starting the season on the second power play, as Ottawa wants to spread out its scoring. That could hurt his production at the start of the season.
DEFENSE
Cale Makar, COL at CGY ($34): The cream of the crop as far as defensemen are concerned, Makar is coming off a Norris Trophy season in which he potted 28 goals and 86 points in 77 games. He is only 23 years of age and is only going to get better. He started the season off nicely Wednesday with a pair of assists in a 5-2 win over Chicago.
Kris Letang, PIT vs. ARI ($24): Letang had a great season last year with 10 goals and 68 points, and the Penguins rewarded the 35-year-old with a six-year deal in the offseason. He quarterbacks the vaunted Pittsburgh power play and should do well Thursday as they host a weak Arizona team.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Roman Josi, NSH vs. DAL ($30): Like Duchene, Josi is returning from opening the season in Europe and that could hurt his production Thursday. He had a career year in 2021-22 with 23 goals and 96 points, a mark not seen by a defenseman since the 1992-93 season when Phil Housley had 97 points. Josi has an assist in two games to begin the season.
Michael Stone, CGY vs. COL ($18): Stone's salary is awfully high considering the third-pairing defenseman has not scored more than 10 points since the 2017-18 season.
