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.

Sam Gagner - Edmonton Oilers - Winger

After being traded from the Vancouver Canucks back to the Edmonton Oilers, Sam Gagner has gone from irrelevant to fantasy hockey relevant. There is a 100% chance that Ken Hitchcock gives Gagner a shot on the top line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and who knows, maybe he will stick with that line for more than two periods. The veteran forward is widely available across most fantasy hockey sites, so fantasy owners may want to take a chance and add Gagner before it’s too late.

Jake DeBrusk - Boston Bruins - Winger

With David Pastrnak expected to be out another week due to a thumb injury, everyone will be running to add Danton Heinen, but he’s not the player to be targeting. Over the last three games, Jake DeBrusk has scored three goals and added three assists and has been benefiting from some top power play time, making him the player fantasy owners should be looking to add. DeBrusk is 20% owned on Yahoo!, which is quite low for a player who has a boatload of skill. His production might dip a little once Pastrnak returns, but he won’t become invisible like Heinen.


Phillip Danault - Montreal Canadiens - Center

Maybe it’s time to start considering Danault as a legit fantasy hockey option. The Habs centerman has gone pointless in his last three games, but prior to that, he had eight points in seven games. He’s playing with Brendan Gallagher and Jonathan Drouin, and that line seems to have no problem producing points. Danault isn’t seeing any power play time, but the Habs are 30th in that department, so it doesn’t really matter. At 21% ownership on Yahoo!, the 25-year-old is a depth forward in shallow leagues, but an everyday forward in deeper formats.

Ryan Pulock - New York Islanders - Defence

One day, Nick Leddy is going to lose his spot on the top power play unit to Ryan Pulock and the fantasy hockey community will rejoice. Pulock is seeing power play time, but on the second unit. He’s 50% owned on ESPN, so fantasy owners are expecting the move to happen sooner rather than later. He’s not worth a look in shallow leagues, but in deeper formats, he’s a nice depth option with some offensive abilities.

Troy Stecher - Vancouver Canucks - Defence

Last week we mentioned that Ben Hutton was a good pickup because he was on the top power play unit. Fast forward one week and the Hutton experiment is over. The new defenceman on the back end of the power play is Troy Stecher, and he deserves to be on your fantasy hockey team. The 24-year old has collected five points in his last ten games and he’s seeing a ton of ice time of late. As we’ve already mentioned in previous waiver wire articles-- volume is key, and Stecher is seeing a lot of it. He played over 31 minutes in Los Angeles on Thursday and he played over 28 minutes Saturday against San Jose. With that much ice time, good things are bound to happen. He only has one goal this season, but that could change if he continues to spend half the game on the ice. At 1% owned on both sites, he’s a low risk/high reward add.

Jordan Binnington - St. Louis Blues - Goalie

We keep talking about Jordan Binnington because his ownership continues to be too low. The rookie goaltender has a 11-1-1 record with a 1.69 GAA and a .931 SV%. It’s no surprise that the Blues have been unbeatable over the last month. There is actual talk of them maybe making the playoffs! Yet for whatever reason, Binnington ownership has DROPPED 12% on ESPN in the last seven days to 18%. Are people afraid that Jake Allen is going to steal starts from him? At this point, the 25-year-old is a must own in fantasy hockey. He’s no longer a short-term solution, he’s the real deal.