DFS: Mystery Men - Friday's Top Sleeper Plays
Five games hit the slate for 2015-16's first Friday night in the NHL. It's a relatively light schedule, but value is still aplenty, if risky.
Here are a few sleepers worth keeping an eye on.
G Michael Hutchinson, Jets (at Devils)
Backup goalies will provide a lot of sneaky value throughout the NHL season. Because of their unreliability they will come with low enough pricetags to be enticing. Paying down for a backup frees up cash to go big everywhere else.
This does go against conventional wisdom suggesting to build from the net out, but if you hit the odds are it will set you apart. If your choice backup doesn't start, though, you'll have to re-imagine your lineup on the fly.
Hutchinson, who will get the start in place of Ondrej Pavelec, is a great choice simply because the Devils' offense frightens no one.
C Mikhail Grabovski, Islanders (vs. Blackhawks)
Grabovski has bounced around a lot through his career, and has never lived up to the expectations set for him. If he can figure it out - and on the Islanders' third line he'll get his chances - he will show his balanced attack that led him to a 29-goal, 29-assist season in 2010-11.
DFS expectations are understandably low - but the Islanders clearly believe in his ability, signing him to a four-year deal this offseason. With the one knock on Chicago being its stability in net, Grabovski could be a cheap way to get a few points.
W Teuvo Teravainen, Blackhawks (at Islanders)
Teravainen is one of the most exciting breakout candidates of the new season. He was touted fairly heavily going into his rookie season but was overshadowed by the likes of Sean Monahan and Filip Forsberg. They flourished while Teravainen only played sparingly.
He's already showing promise in the young season, netting a goal in Wednesday night's game. He's skating on Chicago's top line alongside Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa, so his discounted price will not last long.
D Ryan Murray, Blue Jackets (vs. Rangers)
The biggest risk here lies in the matchup, which is not too favorable. Henrik Lundqvist doesn't allow goals, so fading the entire Blue Jackets roster is forgivable.
Murray has also had trouble with injuries, which seemingly overrides his talent when it comes to early DFS pricing. Murray has excellent skating ability and is being pegged as a top defensive option for the Jackets.
In his 2013-14 rookie campaign, he managed four goals and 17 assists over 66 games. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to build on this as he only saw the ice for 12 games last season.
He's not far removed from being selected second overall. He's worth a flier in a GPP because he's pretty far off the radar.