Monday’s NHL slate is an interesting one to maneuver, with the Toronto Maple Leafs being the primary decision point in 2021’s easiest possible matchup at home against the Ottawa Senators. This is a nine-game slate, however, so there’s plenty to consider and plenty of high-level players in good situations. There’s actually some afternoon hockey on Monday between the Arizona Coyotes and St. Louis Blues, but tonight’s main contests lock at 7:00 p.m. ET on DraftKings.
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Top Stacks
Toronto Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews ($8,800), Mitch Marner ($7,500), Joe Thornton ($2,900)
Tampa Bay Lightning
Brayden Point ($7,000), Steven Stamkos ($8,100), Ondrej Palat ($5,100)
Edmonton Oilers
Connor McDavid ($9,000), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ($6,900), Jesse Puljujarvi ($4,800)
Going to the Leafs for a home game against the Senators ordinarily wouldn’t make for much of a conversation, but there’s actually a bit more to talk about today with Toronto mixing up their lines. Joe Thornton is back from IR, and while he’s likely not much of a play-maker at this stage in his career, his sub-$3K price tag makes Matthews and Marner much more affordable. The Lightning are in a good spot as well, getting Stamkos back into the lineup, and they have plenty of upside in a home game against the Panthers. The Oilers have a plus-matchup too, facing the Jets at home, and McDavid is one of the strongest targets any night he plays, but especially so against a below-average defensive team like Winnipeg.
Value Stacks
Toronto Maple Leafs
John Tavares ($6,500), William Nylander ($5,300), Zach Hyman ($5,800)
Tampa Bay Lightning
Yanni Gourde ($3,600), Blake Coleman ($3,800), Barclay Goodrow ($3,000)
New York Islanders
Brock Nelson ($4,300), Jordan Eberle ($5,000), Michael Dal Colle ($2,500)
With so many high-priced options to choose from, value stacks may be the key to Monday’s slate and there are plenty of those to choose from. The Leafs' second line may not necessarily fit in a lineup with some of the top-end lines, but Tavares and Nylander in particular are pretty clearly underpriced for this matchup. The third line for the Lightning — centered by Yanni Gourde — is also a solid salary saver and one of the best depth lines in the NHL. These prices should come up eventually, but for now, they cost just over $10K as a unit. The Islanders have a cheap line with some upside too, and Nelson and Eberle seem to have been substantially priced down, which is great news for a plus-matchup against the Sabres.
Contrarian Stacks
Chicago Blackhawks
Pius Suter ($5,500), Patrick Kane ($8,300), Alex DeBrincat ($8,000)
Winnipeg Jets
Mark Scheifele ($6,900), Blake Wheeler ($5,600), Andrew Copp ($5,300)
Vancouver Canucks
Elias Pettersson ($6,000), Brock Boeser ($5,900), J.T. Miller ($5,200)
The Blackhawks’ top line would likely be getting plenty of attention on a typical night for this game against the Red Wings, but with Matthews and McDavid being in such good spots too, it’s fairly likely that they go overlooked. Kane and DeBrincat are expensive, but this should mean disproportionately low ownership as a result. The Jets are another team that could get lost on this slate, and the first and second lines both look fairly appealing after some changes to the lineup ahead of tonight’s game in Edmonton. Lastly, the Canucks are a constant mention in this contrarian section, and it’s simply because they have tons of scoring upside in any matchup due to their elite power-play unit.
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