Fantasy buzz: Gaborik in favorable spot for Senators debut

All season long, NHL.com's fantasy hockey staff will have you covered with daily lineup news, production trends and injury notes from around the League. We will identify how these developments affect fantasy owners in year-long (Yahoo) and daily (DraftKings) formats.

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Projected lineups

Gaborik to play with Duchene, Hoffman after trade to Senators

Veteran forward Marian Gaborik is expected to skate on a line with Mike Hoffman and Matt Duchene in his Ottawa Senators debut against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, MSG-B, NHL.TV). He was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
Exposure to Hoffman (112th in Yahoo) and Duchene (16 points in 17 games since Jan. 5) is a best-case scenario for Gaborik (LW/RW, 3 percent owned in Yahoo), who was limited to 30 of Los Angeles' 56 games prior to the trade. Gaborik did not make his season debut until Nov. 24 because of a knee injury, missed games in recent weeks because of an undisclosed injury and was a healthy scratch Feb. 9.
Gaborik is a three-time 40-goal scorer and seven-time 30-goal scorer but hasn't scored 30 in a single season since 2011-12 with the New York Rangers. His best stretch with the Kings came in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he scored 22 points (14 goals, eight assists) in 26 games on a line with Anze Kopitar during their championship run.
The 36-year-old is worth monitoring in season-long leagues, but his fantasy value is limited to daily formats for now. His lineup placement and favorable opponent Thursday make him an intriguing value pick ($3,100 in DraftKings). He's also stackable with either Hoffman (W, $6,000) or Duchene (C, $5,400).

Burns to remain at forward; Heed draws into lineup

San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns is expected to remain at forward against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, SNP, NHL.TV). Burns (32nd in Yahoo) took shifts at wing on a line with Joe Pavelski (63rd) and Timo Meier (LW/RW, 6 percent, 186th) against the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday and practiced in that spot again Thursday.
Burns remains eligible at defenseman in season-long and daily formats Thursday, but is likely to play forward again with forward Tomas Hertl (C/LW/RW, 137th in Yahoo) out. Hertl (undisclosed) left in the second period Tuesday and did not return, prompting the Sharks to play Burns at right wing.
Defenseman Tim Heed (1 percent owned in Yahoo) will draw into the Sharks lineup for the first time since Jan. 13. He was a fantasy streaming option earlier in the season but has been a healthy scratch and spent time with San Jose in the American Hockey League over the past month. Heed ($2,700 in DraftKings) would likely need to either rejoin the first power-play unit (five power-play points in 27 games) or have Burns ($7,300) remain at forward to regain relevance.
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Carter could rejoin Kings after road trip

The Los Angeles Kings hope center Jeff Carter can return to practice after their current road trip. They play the fourth of seven straight games away from home against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN1, SNP, ATTSN-PT, FS-W, NHL.TV).
Carter (C, 60 percent owned in Yahoo) has not played since Oct. 18 because of a lacerated ankle tendon. He was one of seven players with at least 30 goals (32), 30 assists (34), 20 power-play points (22) and 250 shots on goal last season, finishing 25th overall in Yahoo.
The 33-year-old is likely stashed on injured reserve in most fantasy leagues but could be available in shallow formats. Once he returns, he would likely play second-line center with frequent linemates Tyler Toffoli (C/RW, 69 percent, 106th in Yahoo) and Tanner Pearson (LW, 7 percent, 206th) and see first power-play usage with center Anze Kopitar (25th) and defenseman Drew Doughty (39th).

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