Week 1 Fantasy Hockey Planner

The Fantasy Hockey Weekly Planner is the essential guide to setting your lineup for the upcoming week. Every week, we provide you with top matchups, the latest news and give you the scoop on injured players.

Projections are for Oct. 4-12 games and all stats are through Tuesday

Teams with four games: N.Y. Rangers

Teams with three games: Ottawa, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Tampa Bay

Teams with two games: Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Los Angeles, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, N.Y. Islanders, Phoenix, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington

Teams with one game: Buffalo, Edmonton, Minnesota, Philadelphia

First Week of the Season

It feels like just yesterday the NHL crowned its 2007-08 Stanley Cup Champions -- the Detroit Red Wings -- and here we are about to drop the puck on the 2008-09 season.

We hope you all had a relaxing offseason and now it's time to turn on the Fantasy itch once again.

The NHL season opens up Saturday as the Rangers and Lightning playing in Prague, Czech Republic and the Penguins and Ottawa playing in Stockholm, Sweden. They both play a pair of games overseas before returning home to North America.

The official opening night of hockey isn't until Oct. 9, but we will include the two overseas openers, so Fantasy Week 1 will run from Oct. 4-12.

This week's news and notes for each team:

Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks were able to make a late preseason trade and send defenseman Mathieu Schneider to the Thrashers to clear up cap space to sign right winger Teemu Selanne. He has been practicing with the team since camped opened and scored a goal in his first preseason action. He has shown no rust thus far ... The arrival of Selanne means Corey Perry is dropped to the second line and Bobby Ryan is now on the third line ... Jean-Sebastien Giguere is back in net for Anaheim and should see a majority of starts again while Jonas Hiller serves as his backup ... Newly-acquired center Brendan Morrison is slow to recover from a torn ACL and the Ducks are still hoping he will be active for their opener Oct. 9 on the road at San Jose.

Atlanta Thrashers: Atlanta landed veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider on their blue line. He should be a top-two pairing defensemen all season ... Speaking of defensemen, 2008 first-round pick Zach Bogosian should be on the Thrashers' roster from Day 1, but he will have to impress in his first nine games or else Atlanta could ship him back to his junior team and save a season on his entry-level deal ... First-line center Erik Christensen continues to battle a shoulder injury and remains day-to-day as Atlanta leads up to its opener against the Capitals on Oct. 10 ... First-year head coach John Anderson thinks the world of goalie Kari Lehtonen and intends to have him start 60-plus games as long as he is healthy in 2008-09.

Boston Bruins: Center Patrice Bergeron was limited to just 10 games last season as he recovered from a Grade 3 concussion as the result of a nasty hit from Philadelphia defenseman Randy Jones. Well, Bergeron has been outstanding in the preseason with one goal and four assists in three preseason games. He will look to anchor the B's second line in 2008-09 ... Goalie Tim Thomas got Boston through the hard times in 2007-08 as Manny Fernandez missed most of the season due to injury. The Bruins will reward Thomas for his effort and treat him as the No. 1 goalie to start the season. He could end up splitting time with Fernandez down the road, and since Boston has only two games in Fantasy Week 1, don't be surprised if each goalie gets a start ... Boston has been very careful with defenseman Zdeno Chara in the preseason as he is coming off shoulder surgery, but he is expected to be ready for the opener on Oct. 9 against Colorado.

Buffalo Sabres: Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff made a very surprising move in the preseason by keeping Jochen Hecht as the second-line center instead of moving him back to his natural wing position. Even with a healthy Tim Connolly, Ruff believes Hecht better serves the team up the middle ... Right winger Maxim Afinogenov has looked strong in the preseason and says he is at 100 percent after an injury-filled 2007-08, but don't be surprised if Buffalo keeps him on the trading block ... Center Paul Gaustad is expected to miss a month after having thumb surgery, but he was a fringe Fantasy option regardless ... Goalie Ryan Miller played in a career-high 76 games last season and wore down toward the end. Buffalo intends to take away some of his starts and use newly-signed backup Patrick Lalime. However, Miller is still going to see at least 60 appearances and remains a No. 1 Fantasy goalie.

Calgary Flames: Calgary added a little offseason punch on their top two lines by adding Michael Cammalleri and Todd Bertuzzi. Cammalleri has the versatility to play on the left wing or at center, so Calgary should have a lot of fun moving him around. Bertuzzi could be a very solid second-line right winger behind Jarome Iginla, as long as he can stay healthy ... The goalie situation hasn’t changed for Calgary. Miikka Kiprusoff is still the man in net and should start 70-plus games as long as he is healthy. Curtis McElhinney will serve as his seldom-used backup.

Carolina Hurricanes: The Hurricanes were forced to play a majority of 2007-08 without right winger Justin Williams because of a knee injury and will once again face the same fate in 2008-09 as Williams is out until at least mid-January with an Achilles' injury ... On a brighter note, forward Rod Brind'Amour, who is coming off a torn ACL, recently resumed practicing after mid-September surgery and should be in the opening night lineup against Florida (Oct. 10) ... Forwards Ray Whitney (groin) and Tuomo Ruutu (leg) are both listed as day-to-day, but the Hurricanes are only optimistic Whitney will be ready by opening night. Ruutu hasn't practiced since Sept. 23 and his return is unknown ... Goalie Cam Ward added some weight back in the offseason and altered his diet to avoid himself from tiring late in games. That is going to help since Carolina will lean on him heavily in net. Michael Leighton will be there to spare Ward on some nights, however.

Chicago Blackhawks: Chicago opted to place goalie Nikolai Khabibulin on waivers, looking to see if they can dump his salary. If they can’t trade him, they will likely start the year with him as a backup to Cristobal Huet. It's not a good idea to start the 'Bulin Wall Fantasy Week 1, but owners should feel free to start Huet as a No. 2 Fantasy goalie ... Defenseman/forward Dustin Byfuglien just got back on the ice after dealing with a minor groin injury and looks ready for the start of the season barring any setbacks ... One player not ready for action is defenseman James Wisniewski, who is out until at least late December while recovering from a torn ACL.

Colorado Avalanche: Joe Sakic opted to put off retiring for at least one more season and will anchor the Avalanche's top line heading into the season, meaning Paul Stastny will start on the second line. There is some injury-risk with Sakic, but he still has great offensive talent and remains a point-per-game threat ... Speaking of injuries, the Avalanche are a bit banged up in the preseason. Defenseman John-Michael Liles (eye), and forwards Wojtek Wolski (foot), Milan Hejduk (back) and Marek Svatos (knee) are all nursing injuries. None of the injuries are considered serious and the only person in real jeopardy of missing the opener (Oct. 9) against Boston is Wolski ... First-year head coach Tony Granato will enter the season with Peter Budaj as his No. 1 goalie and Andrew Raycroft as his backup. The Avs play two games Week 1, and since they aren’t back-to-back, Budaj could end up starting both.

Columbus Blue Jackets: 2008 first-round pick Nikita Filatov first battled the IIHF for his right to play in North America this season and is now battling a minor leg fracture that has limited his participation in camp. The injury could end up forcing Filatov to the minors or back to junior hockey. Either way, he is a better long-term Fantasy prospect at this juncture ... Forward Raffi Torres, already trying to come back from a serious knee injury, suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason and could be out until at least mid-November ... The Blue Jackets are anxious to debut some of their key offseason acquisitions, particularly R.J. Umberger and Kristian Huselius, on Oct. 10 against Dallas, but one debut Fantasy owners should pay attention to his rookie winger Jakub Voracek. The 2007 first-rounder has been great in the preseason and is a legit candidate for Rookie of the Year ... Pascal Leclaire will once again open the season in net for Columbus with his backup being Fredik Norrena, who might see one start per week.

Dallas Stars: After battling injury in 2007-08, defenseman Sergei Zubov is not off to a better start in 2008-09 as a hip injury will keep him out until at least mid-October. Matt Niskanen and Stephane Robidas will benefit from Zubov's absence ... Defenseman Philippe Boucher also saw limited time last season due to injury and is now dealing with a minor foot injury. However, he should be ready for the opener against Columbus (Oct. 10) ... Marty Turco is back in net for Dallas. Despite not having an experienced backup, the Stars intend to throw rookie Tobias Stephan at least 20-25 appearances in 2008-09.

Detroit Red Wings: The addition of Marian Hossa only makes the Red Wings' chances of repeating as Stanley Cup champions that much better. It also allows them some flexibility by keeping Tomas Holmstrom on the top line with Pavel Datsyuk and Hossa, and bumping Henrik Zetterberg down to a line with Jiri Hudler and Johan Franzen ... Speaking of Datsyuk, he is dealing with a minor groin injury right now and his status is listed as day-to-day. Detroit is not tipping their cap as to how severe the injury is, but it’s hard to imagine them not taking the ice Oct. 9 against Toronto without him ... Also, expect to see reigning Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom in the lineup on opening night despite breaking his nose in the preseason ... Goalie Dominik Hasek retired in the offseason, so that has cleared the way for Chris Osgood to start in net. Detroit added Ty Conklin from Pittsburgh as insurance.

Edmonton Oilers: Shawn Horcoff was having a career campaign in 2007-08 before a shoulder injury ended his season prematurely. He had a healthy offseason and has looked very strong in the preseason. He will open as the Oilers' top-line center ... Sheldon Souray saw even less time than Horcoff last season due to a shoulder injury, but he has also shown no ill-effects in the preseason. He is expected to pair with newly-acquired Lubomir Visnovsky and that will be one of heck an offensive combo ... The Oilers intend to carry three goalies to open the season, but could easily deal Dwayne Roloson. Mathieu Garon will open against Colorado as Roloson and Jeff Drouin-Deslaurie serve as his backups.

Florida Panthers: The addition of Bryan McCabe gives Florida two legit offensive-minded blue liners with the other being Jay Bouwmeester. However, first-year head coach Peter DeBoer is preaching defense, and added Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton to help in that department ... Florida is looking for an identity up front with the loss of Olli Jokinen in a trade to Phoenix. Nathan Horton has been moved to the right wing and should end up leading Florida in scoring ... Florida has high hopes for rookie center Shawn Matthias. He has looked strong in the preseason and it might only be a matter of time before he is a top-six forward ... Tomas Vokoun has already said he feels a lot more comfortable in net heading into his second season with Florida. He should see the majority of starts again with Craig Anderson getting a start every once in a while.

Los Angeles Kings: The only good news for Los Angeles as the 2008-09 season approaches is that they are fairly healthy going into the season. Los Angeles is definitely in rebuilding mode now that Terry Murray has been picked to coach the team ... A name to watch for the Kings is right winger Teddy Purcell, who could end up pulling top-line duty after exploding onto the scene in the AHL last season ... The Kings are still deciding whether to keep rookie defensemen Drew Doughty and Thomas Hickey on the roster, and neither player are recommended Fantasy starts Week 1 ... Los Angeles will open the season with Jason LaBarbera in net and Erik Ersberg as the backup. But this is one area that could be in flux all season.

Minnesota Wild: Marian Gaborik has a history of injury problems and it definitely wasn't good to see him idle the first few weeks of camp with a quad injury, especially since he was coming off hip surgery. But all seems well now for the free-agent-to-be and Gaborik is usually a must-start Fantasy option. However, no one would blame you for sitting him Week 1 since Minnesota has just one game ... Defenseman Brent Burns has made a speedy recovery from minor elbow surgery and is also expected to be in the lineup Oct. 11 against the Bruins ... Newly-acquired Marc-Andre Bergeron had to leave a preseason game after getting cut in the face during a fight, but it’s not an injury that is expected to sideline him for long ... The situation in net didn't change in the offseason for Minnesota. Niklas Backstrom is the starter and Josh Harding, who could see 20-25 appearances, is his backup.

Montreal Canadiens: Groin injuries have slowed defenseman Roman Hamrlik and left winger Alex Tanguay in camp, but both players are expected to be healthy by the season opener against Buffalo (Oct. 10). Many are eager to see Tanguay's Montreal debut as he is paired with Saku Koivu and Alexei Kovalev ... The other big acquisition for Montreal in the offseason was Robert Lang, but he is expected to open as a third-line center ... Carey Price returns in net for his sophomore season after a very successful rookie campaign. Price would like to start every game in net, but the Canadiens are going to give backup Jaroslav Halak some time since he is making a stink about PT. Still, Price is the future for Montreal and a No. 1 Fantasy goalie.

Nashville Predators: Nashville is still reeling from the unexpected departure of right winger Alexander Radulov, who left the team to play in Russia with one year left on his contract. Nashville is definitely weak on the right side and that means there is plenty of playing time available for burgeoning stars like Patric Hornqvist and Ryan Jones ... The Predators are very solid along the blue line despite the loss of Marek Zidlicky and that’s good news for goalie Dan Ellis, who is the unquestioned No. 1 netminder after Nashville traded Chris Mason to St. Louis. Pekka Rinne will be nipping at his heels, but Ellis does get the first crack in net.

New Jersey Devils: Martin Brodeur took home another Vezina Trophy after the 2007-08 season and the 36-year-old netminder doesn't intend to let up in 2008-09. He still wants to start 70-plus games and that means backup Kevin Weekes will likely see limited time again in net ... The Devils brought Brian Rolston back to New Jersey to give them an offensive lift up front, and his arrival means Patrik Elias can return to the wing.

New York Islanders: The Islanders are still waiting for goalie Rick DiPietro (hip, knee) to be cleared to practice, but reports are that he will be active soon and could play in a preseason game or two before Oct. 10's opener against the Devils. The fact he has been idle so long means he could be a bit rusty to start the season. If DiPietro is not healthy Oct. 10, Joey MacDonald is expected to start ... The Islanders are expected to be without Andy Sutton (hamstring), Chris Campoli (undisclosed) and Mike Sillinger (hip) against New Jersey ... Rookie right winger Kyle Okposo is a player to watch this season as he is a top contender for the Calder Trophy.

New York Rangers: There is a lot of excitement building for the Rangers' revamped top line of Scott Gomez, Nikolai Zherdev and Markus Naslund. Gomez is in his second year with New York, while Zherdev and Naslund are both newcomers ... The Rangers are once again deep along the blue line and the addition of Wade Redden should help on the power play. That's good news for goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who only won 37 games last season despite 10 shutouts and a 2.23 GAA. Barring injury, backup goalie Steve Valiquette will once again see limited PT.

Ottawa Senators: First-year head coach Brian Hartsburg is hell bent of moving Daniel Alfredsson off the top line and give rookie Jesse Winchester a chance to skate with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley ... The Senators have a new look on the blue line since the departures of Wade Redden and Andrej Meszaros. Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov now make up the top pairing ... Disruptive force Ray Emery is in Russia trying to revive his reputation, so Martin Gerber now has the net all to himself. However, he needs to be careful with Alex Auld close on his heels ... Center Mike Fisher, expected to anchor the third line, is battling a groin injury and his status for Saturday's opener against Pittsburgh remains iffy.

Philadelphia Flyers: Head coach John Stevens is ready to head into the season with a top line of Simon Gagne, Mike Richards and Daniel Briere. He wants to give it a chance since he believes Jeff Carter is not a third-line center. But if Briere can't cut it on the right wing, he will return to the top-line center role and Richards will be bumped to the second ... Fantasy owners need to be fixated on rookie right winger Claude Giroux. He has been a standout in camp and could finally be ready for full-time duty in the NHL. He is being considered a darkhorse for the Calder ... Goalie Antero Niittymaki is out until at least mid-October following hip surgery, so starter Martin Biron should see plenty of starts in the first few weeks.

Phoenix Coyotes: Phoenix was ecstatic when they landed Olli Jokinen in a trade from Florida, but it did deplete their blue line and that could spell trouble for goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. He is still a favorite of head coach Wayne Gretzky and should start most games in net. But Gretzky won’t afraid to give quick hooks and put Mikael Tellqvist in net ... There is a lot of excitement building around rookies Kyle Turris, a first-round pick in 2007, and Mikkel Boedker, a first-rounder in 2008. Both forwards have looked strong in camp and both players are likely to be in the Calder Trophy mix.

Pittsburgh Penguins: It has not been a kind offseason to Pittsburgh. First, they were unable to sign Marian Hossa to a long-term deal and then lost their top two defensemen -- Ryan Whitney (foot) and Sergei Gonchar (shoulder) -- to injuries. Both defensemen might not play until 2009. That means second-year defenseman Kris Letang could be in for a breakout season. He is expected to run the show on the power play ... Marc-Andre Fleury is looking for some consistency in 2008-09 after a turbulent 2007-08, but he remains Pittsburgh's top netminder with Dany Sabourin as his backup ... Three players drumming up excitement this season are Miroslav Satan, Jordan Staal and Janne Pesonen.

San Jose Sharks: Not being able to sign Brian Campbell was a big loss on defense for San Jose, but they made up for it by signing Rob Blake and trading for Dan Boyle. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov is surely appreciative as he will have continued firepower in front of him as he starts most games in net. Brian Boucher should be used to being a seldom-used backup ... San Jose has a lot of good young talent up front in Ryane Clowe, Devin Setoguchi and Joe Pavelski, but the Sharks will be looking for rebound seasons from Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo. They are two players who can't afford slow starts.

St. Louis Blues: The loss of Erik Johnson, who is out for the season after tearing his ACL at a golf function, further depleted an already thin blue line for St. Louis. His loss means that rookie Alex Pietrangelo, the fourth overall pick in 2008, could be on the Blues' roster from Day 1 ... Forty-goal scorer Brad Boyes is back to anchor the Blues' offensive attack and should open the season on a line with Andy McDonald and Lee Stempniak. But St. Louis is definitely in rebuilding mode and rookies Patrik Berglund and T.J. Oshie should see plenty of ice time in 2008-09 ... St. Louis traded for Chris Mason in the offseason and expected him to battle Manny Legace for the No. 1 goaltending job. Legace is a free agent after the season, so Mason was added as insurance. However, Legace should emerge as St. Louis' clear-cut No. 1 goalie with time.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Where do you begin with Tampa Bay? They made so many changes in the offseason from ownership, to the head coach and to player personnel. We can spend hours talking about the revamped Lightning, but the most important news is that Vincent Lecavalier has recovered from offseason shoulder surgery and should start Saturday against the Rangers ... First overall pick Steven Stamkos will be a top-six forward from the second he makes his NHL debut and is considered the leading candidate for the Calder ... Goalie Mike Smith is getting his first chance to open a season as a No. 1 goalie, but if he can’t handle the job, veteran Olaf Kolzig is waiting in the wings ... Two players are questionable heading into Saturday's opener against New York -- Ryan Malone (shoulder) and Paul Ranger (shoulder).

Toronto Maple Leafs: First-year head coach Ron Wilson remembers Vesa Toskala from his days in San Jose and will lean heavily on the netminder in 2008-09. Veteran backup Curtis Joseph will give Toskala a rest at times ... Toskala should benefit from Wilson's conservative defensive approach, but what won't help is uncertainty up front. Nik Antropov is being tagged the team's only true top-six forward and Toronto has a lot of sorting out to do on offense.

Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks are very healthy along the blue line heading into 2008-09, a problem they dealt with plenty in 2007-08. If they can stay healthy this season, goalie Roberto Luongo might taste 40-plus wins again ... Pavol Demitra was Vancouver's biggest offseason signing, but the team is hoping that Steve Bernier and Kyle Wellwood can get their careers back on track.

Washington Capitals: Whether or not reigning MVP Alex Ovechkin can have another 60-goal season in 2008-09 will be the topic of choice in Washington, but the big buzz in camp is how center Michael Nylander has looked coming off shoulder surgery. He was a point-per-game player before going down in January and has returned to form thus far. He could be a must-start Fantasy option before long ... Washington said goodbye to longtime goalie Olaf Kolzig in the offseason and signed Jose Theodore to a fat deal. It will be interesting to see how he transitions to Washington's fast-paced, forechecking style, which forces them to rely heavily on the goalie.

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