The NHL season is in full swing and that means so is fantasy hockey! It’s a long grind to get to the playoffs, and an even tougher challenge to win it all. Like every year, injuries are going to happen to key players, which means we need to be active on the waiver wire. The waiver wire can help you win a championship, so it’s important to add the right players at the right time. Let’s take a look at which players are worth looking adding for the upcoming week.

 

Jason Pominville - Buffalo Sabres - Winger

Don’t look now, but the veteran winger has collected 11 points (6G, 5A) in 13 games so far this season. That will happen when you find yourself playing on the top line with Jack Eichel. There’s a 200% chance that Pominville doesn’t maintain that pace all season, but for now, he’s earned a spot on a fantasy team roster. He’s only 12% owned on ESPN, so he’s widely available in most leagues. If the 35-year-old can produce close to 50-points by the end of the season, that would be a fantasy miracle. It’s unlikely that he does, but as long as he’s seeing time on the top line, we can continue to believe in miracles.

Jake DeBrusk - Boston Bruins - Winger

If you followed my advice last week about adding Ryan Donato, I’m sorry. In fantasy hockey, that’s going to happen sometimes. Good news is, we can drop Donato and add Jake DeBrusk! The Bruins are more than just a top line team, but those other three lines are still waiting to break out. DeBrusk is skating on the second line and top power play unit, which is all you need in fantasy hockey. He’s 24% owned on Yahoo!, so you can still find him on the waiver wire. He’s not a long-term solution right now, but that could change in a couple of weeks if he starts to get hot. At worst, he gets send down to the AHL and we drop him for another Boston forward, but let's not do that again this week.

Nikolay Goldobin - Vancouver Canucks - Winger

This has less to do with Goldobin being a great hockey player and more to do with how much volume he’s getting. He’s seeing second line minutes with arguably the hottest player in the NHL (Elias Pettersson) and he’s seeing top power play time. Goldobin isn’t a point producing machine, but he’s get enough volume that he’s worth a fantasy roster spot. He’s only got six points this season (1G, 5A), but he’s a depth add that can be useful once injuries start to pile up.


Ryan McDonagh - Tampa Bay Lightning - Defence

I’ll start by saying that I am not a fan of adding Ryan McDonagh in fantasy hockey, but he’s only 63% owned on Yahoo! and he’s seeing time on the top power play unit. With Victor Hedman out, the veteran defenceman will probably hold that spot for at least another week. In theory, Mikhail Sergachev should be the defenceman to add, but he really hasn’t been great this season and he’s probably not available in most standard leagues. McDonagh is probably just a one week add type of player, but if you’re desperate for a player on the blue line, he’s your best option.

Dennis Cholowski - Detroit Red Wings - Defence

Last week I mentioned that Mike Green was a nice waiver wire add, and if you weren’t able to add him, you’ll get a second chance by adding Dennis Cholowski. The rookie defenceman has collected eight points (2G, 6A) in 11 games so far this season on a terrible Detroit team. Even though he’s not getting top power play minutes, he’s seeing a healthy amount of ice time per night and he’s still managing to collect points. It’s hard to predict how good rookies will be, especially on a bad team like Detroit, but as long as he’s getting the opportunity to play, he’s worth a roster spot. He’s 11% owned on ESPN, so if you are in a deep league and Cholowski is still available, take a risk and see how it works out.


Antti Raanta - Arizona Coyotes - Goalie

It’s amazing that Antti Raanta is only 33% owned in ESPN leagues four weeks into the season. His stats aren’t that great because the Coyotes couldn’t score a goal to start the season, but the team has gotten better and Raanta is still a starting goalie in the NHL. He’s an excellent third goalie on a fantasy team that can also help you win your league! If he’s still on the waiver wire, please add him. Goalies are gold in fantasy hockey and you can never have too many.

Jaroslav Halak - Boston Bruins - Goalie

Usually when you add a backup goalie to a fantasy hockey team, it’s because the starting goalie is out due to injury. Jaroslav Halak may not get an increase in ice time this week because Rask isn’t injured, but he’s going to see more time in the blue paint before the end of the season, and it won’t be because of injury. Halak has been lights out so far this season, posting a 1.51 GAA and a .947SV% in seven games so far this season. Tuukka Rask is a starter for now, but Halak is going to squeeze out more stars if he keeps up this hot play. He’s also 33% owned on ESPN, so other fantasy owners are starting to take notice. If you have the roster spot for a goalie, Halak should be added.

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