Welcome to another edition of the Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report. The only way to win a championship in any fantasy league is to be active on the waiver wire. If you aren’t checking the wire at least once a week, then you’re doing it wrong. Each week, we’ll look at some players you should be adding to your watch list, or adding right away. Let’s take a look at who we are keeping an eye on for this week.

 


Jonathan Drouin - Montreal Canadiens - Winger

It has not been easy for Jonathan Drouin this season. The veteran winger has five assists in 15 games and has had to deal with his fair share of injuries. He’s healthy now and getting a chance to play on the second line and top power play unit. Montreal is #NotGood on the man advantage, but Drouin is an offensive player who can move the puck around. He’s playing with some talented players and has seen over 16 minutes in the last two games. He’s a long shot to do anything this season, but if he can rack up close to a point per game down the stretch, that would be more than amazing. 


Filip Chytil - New York Rangers - Center

It’s crazy how good Filip Chytil is and how no one is really talking about him. New York has a ton of good players in their lineup, but Chytil is a key part of their offence. He’s moved up to the second line with Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko and has six points in the last six games. He did suffer an injury in Sunday’s game against Chicago, but if it isn’t anything serious, the 23-year-old should be on a fantasy hockey team.


Sam Gagner - Winnipeg Jets - Winger

It’s almost the end of 2022 and Sam Gagner is still fantasy relevant. The veteran is skating on the second line with Kyle Connor and Pierre-Luc Dubois and has had some success of late. He isn’t seeing a ton of ice time-- playing under 13 minutes in five of the last six games-- but he’s making every minute count. I’m not expecting to be a point-per-game player, but when you play on a line with two of the team’s most talented players, good things are bound to happen. I’m willing to take a chance on him and see where things go.


Pheonix Copley - Los Angeles Kings - Goalie

If the Los Angeles Kings want to stay in the playoff hunt, they need to figure out their goaltending situation. Jonathan Quick has not been good this season and Cal Petersen is in the minors. Pheonix Copley has come up and has done exactly what has been asked of him; play well enough to give your team a chance to win hockey games. He’s given up two or fewer goals in four of his five starts and has four wins on the season. His .904 SV% and 2.71 GAA aren’t great, but he’s an AHL goalie doing all that he can and he deserves to play more. He’s started three games in a row and it looks like he’s dethroned Quick as the starting goalie. 


Connor Timmins - Toronto Maple Leafs - Defence

Since being called up to the NHL on December 6th, Connor Timmins has recorded six assists in as many games. Five of those points have come at even strength and he’s doing all this while playing under 20 minutes a game. He’s not going to be able to maintain this pace, but considering how hot he’s been, he looks like a player to keep an eye out for. Toronto’s blue line is slowly getting healthy, so he might have to go back down to the AHL, but for now, he’s worth considering in deeper formats. 


All stats provided by NHL.com