9 moves you need to make before Week 3
Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.
Send out offers for all Predators
A preseason Stanley Cup favorite, the Nashville Predators have gotten off to an abysmal start, sitting at 2-4-1 through seven games, dead last in the Central Division. They begin a three-game road trip this week which includes games against the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes. They'll then host a four-game home stand, welcoming plush matchups against the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators.
Overall their November schedule is very favorable. Stars Filip Forsberg, James Neal and Ryan Johansen won't be available in trades for much longer. Secondary players such as Ryan Ellis, Mike Fisher and Craig Smith should also be picked up in advance of the forthcoming offensive onslaught.
Clear house of Canucks
Every. Single. One.
Only three, Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Loui Eriksson are owned in more than 50 percent of leagues, with no other skater topping 20 percent. While these three will continue to score some points, the production will be wildly inconsistent. Vancouver is the lowest-scoring team in the league, averaging just two goals per game.
In plus/minus leagues, even these three will more often do more harm than good.
Enjoy Jonathan Marchessault's run while it lasts
Still available on nearly half of all waiver wires, Marchessault is tied for second in league scoring with five goals and five assists. Even still, few are recognizing his strong start, with a poll of theScore readers indicating fewer than 25 percent of fantasy owners are buying in.
With LW Jonathan Huberdeau still without a solidified timetable for his return from injury, Marchessault will remain beside C Aleksander Barkov and RW Jaromir Jagr. His reign will end at some point, but he's likely much more valuable to his current owner than any return package would be.
Go big on offers for Dustin Byfuglien
Byfuglien leads all skaters in average time on ice. His 28:43 is over a full minute more than second-placed Drew Doughty. He has topped 30 minutes in four of his seven games, never playing less than 24:00. He has five assists on the season, with one of those coming on the power play.
His 14 SOG are on pace for his lowest full-season total since joining the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets organization, but there's no reason to expect him to finish this short of the 256 he has averaged over his past five full seasons.
Favor Seth Jones' better half
Rookie D Zach Werenski has played at least 20:57 in five of six games this season and no less than 19:37. He has multiple shots in each of those six games, twice tallying five SOG in a single contest. Jones averages 24:23 in ice time, but he has just three points on the season, compared to Werenski's five. Jones has just 10 SOG, while his offensively-minded partner has a total of 22.
Add Mark Streit
Buoyed by a three-point game against the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday, Streit has six points on the season. He has played as much as 22:55 and no less than 19:38 in his eight games. The Flyers have been held to fewer than two goals just once, scoring four or more goals on four occasions. Philadelphia has the league's fifth-ranked power play, scoring on nine of 34 opportunities.
Sell Taylor Hall
Hall has five goals to open the season, but they've come on just 25 shots on goal. He has never sustained a shooting percentage over 13 for a full season and his career success rate if just 10.8 percent. He has just one assist on the season, while 59 percent of his career points have come via helpers. He doesn't have the support within New Jersey's pedestrian offense to maintain this rate.
Double down on Stars' goalie tandem
Similarly to the Predators, the Stars have had an extremely disappointing start to the 2016-17 campaign. They're 3-3-1, scoring just 2.57 goals per game and allowing 3.14. G Kari Lehtonen has been vastly better than tandem partner Antti Niemi, posting a save percentage of .924 to Niemi's .893. Still, the two have played four games each, with Niemi having drawn one more start.
The best means to addressing the timeshare is to own both, hoping Lehtonen starts in the tougher matchups.
Own any and all tandems
The Los Angeles Kings lead the league with a Corsi For rating of 58.14 percent at 5v5 this season. They're 4-3-0 through seven games, having score just 20 goals and allowed 22. They're on their third-string goaltender in Peter Budaj, who has a save percentage of .901 and a goals against average of 2.21. They need a better goaltender.
The Kings are playing well as a team, despite a myriad of injuries up front. A good defensive corps and strong coaching has and will keep them competitive. With G Jonathan Quick out without a timetable, they will likely need to make a trade at some point. The Montreal Canadiens started strong without G Carey Price last season, before eventually falling apart at the seems.
Expect L.A. to address this weakness before reaching the point of no return. Any goalie's numbers will improve by moving behind the Kings' defense.