NHL Building Blocks: September 29 (Opening Night)
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.
Oct 19, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) skates in the third period against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
CASH
Forward: Connor McDavid
McDavid brings the best combination of floor and ceiling on the slate. Edmonton gets Vancouver in a favorable offensive matchup, while his shot volume, assist upside and multi-point potential give him plenty of ways to pay off his salary (which doesn’t scare me).
Defense: Evan Bouchard
Bouchard brings elite offensive upside from Edmonton’s top defensive pair and PP1, giving him multiple paths to a big fantasy score. With the Oilers in a favorable matchup against Vancouver, he’s one of the strongest ways to access Edmonton’s offense from the blue line.
Goalie: Tristan Jarry
Jarry gets the opening-night start at home against Vancouver, giving him one of the better win environments on the slate. Edmonton should control much of the game as the largest favorite on the slate. No issue with him as your cash goalie.
Nov 21, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) gets set for a face-off during the third period against the Utah Hockey Club at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
SINGLE ENTRY
Forward: David Pastrnak
The newly-named Bruins captain offers a strong combination of shooting volume and goal-scoring upside without requiring the same construction as a McDavid lineup. Boston’s matchup with the Rangers isn’t the most explosive on the slate, but Pastrnak has enough individual ceiling to make him an excellent SE spend-up, and we know the floor and ceiling he has on any given night.
Defense: Darren Raddysh
Raddysh becomes more appealing when paired with Toronto exposure. His offensive role gives him a path to benefit from the same scoring events you’re already counting on from the Toronto forwards, making him a useful correlation piece at his price. He was brought in at big money, and we’ll want to see if he’s worth it right off the bat.
Goalie: Jeremy Swayman
Boston provides Swayman with a strong team environment while the Rangers have enough offensive talent to create opportunities for saves. He’s also a natural way to differentiate from the more obvious goalie combinations without getting too aggressive.
Stack: TOR2 (Nylander-Tavares-McKenna)
With Kirill Marchenko’s exact deployment uncertain, TOR2 gives us the cleaner Toronto option. Nylander and Tavares bring plenty of scoring upside and years of chemistry while McKenna adds another talented offensive piece against Montreal. There’s enough ceiling here to make this a strong SE stack without relying on the new acquisition or getting onto the Matthews line.
Mar 28, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (13) center Nick Suzuki (14) and left wing Juraj Slafkovský (20) talk against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
SINGLE ENTRY
Forward: Cole Caufield
Caufield brings legitimate multi-goal upside (a career-high 51 last season) and the shot volume to support it. Toronto will naturally attract attention in this matchup, making Montreal’s top offensive pieces more interesting as leverage. Caufield is exactly the type of high-ceiling scorer I want in a large-field tournament.
Defense: Rasmus Andersson
Andersson can accumulate fantasy points through several categories while retaining the offensive ceiling needed for a GPP. On a five-game slate, his ability to contribute without needing a goal makes him an interesting way to differentiate the blue-line portion of a lineup.
Goalie: Jakub Dobes
Toronto should give Dobes plenty of save opportunities while Montreal has enough defensive structure to give him legitimate win equity. He doesn’t need a shutout to be useful; a solid save total combined with a Montreal win would make for a strong result.
Stack: MTL1 (Caufield-Suzuki-Kreider)
This is a strong leverage construction against the Toronto-heavy builds. Montreal’s top line has plenty of scoring talent, while Hutson adds power-play correlation and another route to benefit from Montreal goals. If Montreal controls the scoring in this game, this stack (you can also mix in Demidov and Slafkovsky for additional PP exposure) has the ceiling to separate a large-field lineup.
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