Unfortunately, it’s still early in the season and we’re coming across some re-runs with players to add that still haven’t gotten the respect they deserve. That can mostly be attributed to owners holding out on hope for draft picks that haven’t lived up to their hype, but either performed well last year or have a certain pedigree that’s earned them a long leash. For me, it was Wyatt Johnston of the Stars. Don’t worry, I still have him because he proved he could finish plays at this level just below 30 times last year even at his super young age and his first season. Others like Timo Meier have been tougher to justify other than being without Jack Hughes for a week +. It’s a battle of patience to win more later or pull the trigger to capture points and hopefully earn weekly wins in the early going. I say all that to say, it’s okay to pull the trigger as long as you do the homework on the upcoming schedule and metrics of the matchups.

Let’s get into it:

ADD

1. Erik Gustafsson (D) – He’s on the second pairing, but first power play unit in New York where they desperately need more offense with Adam Fox going down for a while with an injury. Gus is 30% owned, but climbing due to that PP slot and his 10 points on 22 SOG while on a four-game point streak, so hustle on this one.
2. Joel Farabee (LW) – Only owned in 10% of leagues due to him being a third-liner, Joel has 12 points on 35 shots and averaging around 14 minutes of ice time. The Flyers are in the top half of the league in shooting % and HDCF (High danger chances), which are nice indicators of riding hot with some legitimacy.
3. Ryan Strome (LW/RW) – He’s more of a distributor right now, but he’s certainly a large reason the Ducks are relevant and more competitive than we’d first assumed. He’s up to 14 points thanks to the 12 assists while garnering 2nd line minutes. They have four games this week so the value shoots up with that in mind.
4. Leo Carlsson (C) – We’ve mentioned him before but he could be heating up after getting his first career hat trick last week and added an assist in the next game. He’s only up to eight points but he’s also missed some games due to management. He averages about 19 minutes of ice time and plays next to Troy Terry on the first line and PP which bolsters his potential. He is still a rookie so droughts will happen, but he looks like a real deal player already.

DROP

1. Johnny Gaudreau (LW) – Johnny “Hockey” is owned in 67% of leagues but dropping due to his inconsistent play and lack of production. He’s at six points with only one goal thus far. The guys to own in Columbus are on the second line, so I’d feel comfortable letting Gaudreau go for now.
2. David Perron (LW/RW) – Detroit has some good weapons on offense, but Perron is not one to own.  He has seven points and his minutes are inconsistent. It’s an easy drop for me, but somehow he’s still on 51% of rosters. He’s known to get hot for stretches but not worth waiting around for at this point.
3. Shayne Gostisbehere (D) – Similar to Perron, he’s not trustworthy despite the nine points. He is on the bottom pairing and not on the top power play unit. Yet, he’s on about 60% of rosters. I’m curious as to why…
4. Elias Lindholm (C) – It’s been a dreadful start to the season for Calgary who are 4-8-1. Lindholm hasn’t exactly helped, as he’s been stuck on eight points for the last four contests. That, of course, means he’ll score today, but I’d be okay cutting bait with an underperforming player on an underperforming team. Center is  a deep position this year, as well. Either via trade or drop, you can find value to replace him.

Honorable Mentions

Add: Casey DeSmith (26%), Ryan O’Reilly (40%), Charlie Coyle (19%)
Drop: Tom Wilson (51%), Mackenzie Weegar (61%)

Injury Notables: Kuemper, Markstrom, Stephenson, Lehkonen, Hall