Fantasy buzz: Yamamoto, DeBrincat make roster cut

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.

6 p.m.

Flames make Jagr signing official

No one should be surprised to see veteran right wing Jaromir Jagr (RW, 22 percent owned in Yahoo) back in the NHL for another season. No one should be surprised if he remains fantasy-relevant either.
The 45-year-old signed a one-year contract with the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, giving them a viable right wing to incorporate into their top-nine forward group. Jagr, the No. 2 scorer in NHL history (1,914 points in 1,711 games) behind Wayne Gretzky (2,857 points), finished 113th overall in Yahoo last season and 56th in 2015-16, proving he's still a valuable category coverage asset in the twilight of his NHL career.
For more on Jagr's fantasy value and potential lineup placement, click here.

5 p.m.

Goaltenders debut with new teams

Three goaltenders will debut with their new teams on opening night: Mike Smith for the Calgary Flames, Brian Elliott for the Philadelphia Flyers and Steve Mason for the Winnipeg Jets.
Mason and Smith will face high-powered offenses in the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, respectively, and fantasy owners should be cautious to start them in these spots. Elliott may have a better chance to steal his game on the road against the San Jose Sharks. That said, each goaltender is an affordable DFS option in DraftKings; Elliott and Smith are each priced at $7,000 and Mason is at $7,300 on home ice.
For the full list of projected goalie starters, click here.

1:45 p.m.

Brassard will play in Senators opener

Ottawa Senators center Derick Brassard will play in their season opener Thursday against the Washington Capitals (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSWA, TSN5, RDS2).
Brassard (C, 8 percent owned in Yahoo) had shoulder surgery June 6 but will rejoin the Senators' top-six forward group, likely as the second-line center behind Kyle Turris. Brassard was going undrafted on average in Yahoo because of the injury concern.
He took a big step back production-wise last season (39 points, seven power-play points in 81 games) but did have an NHL career-high 195 shots on goal. If his low shooting percentage (7.2 last season) reverts to his NHL career average (10.9) or better, he would have bounce-back potential.
Brassard was fantasy-relevant with 60 points (19 goals, 41 assists) in 2014-15 and 58 (27 goals, 31 assists) in 2015-16 with the New York Rangers. He also came around offensively with 11 points (four goals, seven assists) with four PPP and 49 SOG in 19 games for Ottawa during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

1:20 p.m.

Opening night rosters unveiled

The NHL released the
opening night rosters for each of the 31 teams
Wednesday, and there are plenty of fantasy takeaways from this comprehensive list.
There are well-known rookies who were expected to make their respective rosters, but also many who have taken fantasy owners by surprise. Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto (RW, 11 percent owned), the No. 22 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, beat out Jesse Puljujarvi for a spot. Yamamoto is listed as a value wing in
NHL.com's daily fantasy picks
for Wednesday against the Calgary Flames (10 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS) with potential exposure to Connor McDavid and/or Leon Draisaitl.
Forward Alex DeBrincat (RW, 16 percent owned), who spent time on a line with Patrick Kane and Nick Schmaltz at times this preseason, was briefly assigned to the American Hockey League but then recalled by the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. He's a high-end waiver wire add and bound for a top-nine role if he sticks in the NHL. Forwards Anders Bjork (LW, BOS; 8 percent), Filip Chytil (C, NYR; 1 percent) and Alex Kerfoot (C, COL) could also be destined for top-six roles after solid preseason production. Check out the full list of
preseason standouts worth fantasy consideration
.
Fantasy-relevant players on the injured list for their respective teams include Patrick Eaves (RW, ANA), Torey Krug (D, BOS), Boone Jenner (C/LW, CBJ), Patric Hornqvist (RW, PIT), Alexander Steen (C/LW, STL) and James Neal (LW/RW, VGK). Centers Jonathan Toews (CHI), Ryan Getzlaf (ANA) and Patrice Bergeron (BOS), despite preseason injury concerns, are listed on opening night rosters.

12:00 p.m.

Jonathan Drouin gains center eligibilty

Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin has gained center eligibility in Yahoo leagues, making him tri-eligible (C/LW/RW) before the start of the season.
Drouin (94 percent owned) had five points (one goal, four assists), a plus-2 and four shots on goal in three preseason games playing mostly center alongside left wing Max Pacioretty.
Ranked 73rd in
NHL.com's top 250
, Drouin is worth drafting earlier than his Yahoo average draft position (91.0) given the added lineup flexibility he provides.
The Canadiens open their season Thursday at the Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, RDS, TSN2).