NHL DFS Picks for December 16, 2025: Top Stacks, Best Value Plays & Goalie Targets
Tuesday, 12/16/2025, and we have a literal barn burner on our hands. First place pays $100K on DraftKings tonight, so let’s win some money.
Top Stack of the Day
Colorado Power Play 1
(Nelson, Necas, Landeskog, MacKinnon, Makar)
I thought I was going to be writing about a different spot here today. It’s a ten-game slate with most of the highest-scoring teams in the league in action, some with awesome matchups. I felt this spot was too “obvious” and wanted to guide you all toward something more exotic.
Well… then I saw ownership projections.
Apparently, everyone else also thinks Colorado is too “obvious,” because the projected ownership is far too low for their expected output. Since Power Play 1 is split between COL 1 and COL 2, you can mix and match lines to get different ones, but if you can afford it, definitely try to fit in MacKinnon.
Top Stack Fade of the Day
Columbus Power Play 1
(Voronkov, Monahan, Fantilli, Marchenko, Werenski)
The staffer who priced this slate for DraftKings is drunk — somebody should go check on them. One of the reasons ownership for Colorado is coming in so low is that you can get a fully correlated CLB 1 for almost $7,000 cheaper than the other top stacks. It’s one of their cheapest price points of the year, at home, versus one of the worst defences in the league, in the highest total game of the night.
That means slam, right?
Well, the issue in DFS is that we aren’t playing against a computer — we’re playing against a human field. This spot is so obvious that it’s projecting for 25–30% ownership tonight. Anytime ownership on a ten-game slate starts to approach that, you have to make a decision: all-in or all-out.
I’m all-out. If I get burned and they’re in the winner, I’ll live with it, but even in this spectacular matchup, I can’t stomach playing something this chalky.
Top Value Stack of the Day
New York Islanders 1
(Heineman, Barzal, Drouin)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Barzal is a GTD but expected to play. Be sure to check the injury report before lock.
The Islanders are the walking wounded tonight, heading into Detroit. They have six regular contributors on injured reserve, including stalwarts like Bo Horvat. This matchup with DET is quite juicy, and somebody has to play minutes. Whomever they throw out in the top six should be excellent value.
Top C Value
Nazem Kadri, Calgary (6.3k DK)
For the record, the real answer here is Adam Fantilli, but we already discussed why I’m skipping him tonight. Now, 6.3k normally isn’t considered “value,” but on a points-per-dollar basis tonight, Kadri is far too cheap.
He has one of the top matchups in the entire NHL and should probably be priced a full $1,000+ higher based on his expected role. Don’t be afraid to pay up for his production and find savings elsewhere.
Top W Value
Alexis Lafrenière, New York Rangers (3.8k DK)
Let’s be honest: the Rangers have been an abomination. Tensions boiled over yesterday when Igor Shesterkin smashed his stick in a video most of you have seen on social media by now. As a team, New York has been awful.
Will it be any better tonight? The math says probably not, but Vancouver comes in having recently traded their captain and not looking too hot themselves. I’ll take a lottery ticket on a line-1, PP1 player skating with uber-talented linemates at sub-4k.
Top D Value
Alexandre Carrier, Montreal (2.7k DK)
Another excellent option if you’re chasing tournament-winning ceiling is Matt Grzelcyk at 2.5k for Chicago, but he’s true boom-bust — a couple chances at points or a zero. For a reliable floor, give me Carrier, who’s on the top defensive pairing for Montreal and should block a couple of shots at a minimum.
He’s simply too cheap for his role and relative production.
Top G Value
Mackenzie Blackwood, Colorado (8.4k DK)
We’re really stretching the definition of “value” today with Kadri and Blackwood, but hear me out. Blackwood is a -305 favourite on a slate full of pick’ems, and while Seattle doesn’t score much, they do shoot.
DraftKings will never do this, but if I were pricing goalies tonight, Blackwood would probably be $9,500. At $8,400, he’s actually a bargain.
Bonus G Value
Jet Greaves, Columbus (7.6k DK)
Let me go on the record: I think Dustin Wolf and Thatcher Demko are traps tonight, even if we can agree they’re mispriced. Another obviously mispriced goalie is Greaves.
He’s priced like a moderate dog as a -142 favourite, and we already know I think Columbus will score. This gives me one last chance to talk about the Blue Jackets’ offence tonight — the spot is fantastic, so obvious that I think it’s too obvious.
I still think they pull out the win, and I’ll be happy to have Greaves in my lineups.