This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The 2018-19 NHL season begins 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday with a four-game slate. Read on to see which players are primed to get off to hot starts and which ones could leave owners with a sour taste in their mouths on opening night.
GOALIE
Frederik Andersen, TOR vs. MON ($32): Andersen is tied with Martin Jones as the fourth-most expensive among the eight starting goalies on this slate despite having arguably the easiest matchup. His Toronto club is expected to be a contender and comes into the season with a loaded roster, while the Canadiens are in a rebuilding phase after trading captain Max Pacioretty following a dreadful 2017-18 campaign for the proud franchise.
GOALIE TO AVOID
John Gibson, ANH at SJ ($36): After acquiring Erik Karlsson ($29) in the offseason, San Jose boasts arguably the league's most offensively-gifted defense corps to go with a potent top-six group up front. Gibson will be hard-pressed to slow down such a talented squad on the road, making it tough to justify paying up for him as the most expensive player on this slate.
CENTER
John Tavares, TOR vs. MON ($24): Tavares is $5 cheaper than teammate Auston Matthews, but the former Islander could easily outperform his fellow center. While this will be Tavares' regular-season debut with his hometown team, he's already demonstrated tremendous scoring ability in a Maple Leafs uniform while building instant chemistry with winger Mitch Marner ($21) during a strong preseason. Expect that success to continue against Canadiens netminder Carey Price, who finished last season with an ugly 3.11 GAA and .900 save percentage.
CENTER TO AVOID
Antti Suomela, SJ vs. ANH ($18): Suomela displayed plenty of offensive skill in the Finnish league last season, but he needs to show he can replicate that success on North American ice before owners can justify investing $18 in him. Doing so won't be easy while buried on San Jose's third line without power-play time.
WINGS
Elias Lindholm, CGY at VAN ($13): Lindholm will open the season in one of the league's most fantasy-friendly situations, skating on the first line with Sean Monahan ($20) and Johnny Gaudreau ($28) while also joining them on the top power-play unit. At just $13, he should have no problem outplaying his price against a Canucks team that's starting Jacob Markstrom in net. Markstrom had a 2.71 GAA and .912 save percentage last season.
Evander Kane, SJS vs. ANH ($22): Kane was excellent after being acquired by the Sharks at last season's trade deadline, producing nine goals and 14 points in 17 games. Not only does skating on the top line with Joe Pavelski ($23) and Joe Thornton ($17) help Kane's offense, but it can also do wonders for his rating, which should improve skating for a loaded San Jose squad after spending the majority of his career on losing teams.
WINGS TO AVOID
James Neal, CGY at VAN ($20): Calgary's prized offseason signing will start the season in a third-line role, but he still opens the season as the team's second-most expensive forward (tied with Sean Monahan). The value just isn't there at this price.
Ryan Donato, BOS at WAS ($18): Donato's another winger whose price is too hefty for his role. The youngster has plenty of scoring ability, but magnifying that ability will be tough while skating on the third line.
DEFENSEMEN
Matt Niskanen, WAS vs. BOS ($15): Niskanen has displayed solid offensive chops with an average of 35.4 points per season over the past five. He'll get all the ice time he can handle in a thin Capitals defense corps, giving the veteran defensemen plenty of opportunities to rack up counting stats across the board without burning a hole in your wallet.
Brandon Montour, ANH at SJ ($14): Montour led Anaheim's blue line with 12 power-play points last season, and he should mix in with the extra man to some degree while also skating on the top defensive pairing at even strength. That level of responsibility tends to translate to fantasy success for strong all-around players like Montour.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SJ vs. ANH ($17): Vlasic is expected to be paired with Erik Karlsson, which should be good for Vlasic's rating but could limit his offensive production. Karlsson's partners in Ottawa were always asked to focus on hanging back defensively so the skilled Swede could take more risks. San Jose has used a similar approach with Brent Burns, so the team is likely to do the same for its newest acquisition. At $17, you'd like a little more offensive upside than what Vlasic offers.
John Carlson, WAS vs. BOS ($25): The driving force behind Carlson's 68-point campaign last season was tremendous power-play production, as 32 of those points came with the extra man. Capitalizing in that special-teams situation will be tough against a Bruins penalty kill that came in third at 83.7 percent a season ago.
