Studs and Stacks – October 12
As the 2025–26 NHL season kicks off, daily fantasy hockey enthusiasts are gearing up for the action on DraftKings and FanDuel. In this article, we spotlight today’s top NHL DFS studs and stack recommendations, focusing on high-upside players and synergistic line combinations that can elevate your lineups. Whether you’re targeting cash games or GPPs, these picks are designed to maximize value and exposure. Let’s dive into the matchups and identify the key players to target.
FORWARDS
The Stud: Artemi Panarin
Likely the highest upside on the slate. Contract year here as well. Just two assists through his first three games, though.
The Pivot: Alex Ovechkin
Ovie’s got the record now and he’s also in the last year of his contract. He’s old, though, and it might be better to get exposure to him early on.
Oct 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10)talks to center Vincent Trocheck (16) against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Low-Owned: Alexis Lafreniere
Lafreniere has been extremely active through the Rangers’ first three games, taking 12 shots and notching a goal and a helper. He developed great chemistry with Panarin and Trocheck last season, and that’s continued so far this year. Good salary on both sites.
The Value: Will Cuylle
Slots up on L1 and is cheap.
STACKS
The Full: NYR1 (Miller-Zibanejad-Cuylle)
Will go overlooked compared to Panarin’s line, which on a showdown gives us leverage automatically.
The Mini: WAS (Strome-Carlson)
These two correlate with Ovie on L1 and PP1, but fading him gives some leverage. Additionally, Carlson sees a ton of minutes in all three situations and Strome actually led Washington in scoring last season.
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