Welcome to another edition of the Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations. Surviving the first round of the playoffs is always tough, especially if you had to deal with injuries and players underperforming. The Waiver Wire is key at this point of the year and every move could help bring you closer to a championship or sink you. Let’s take a look at some players worth targeting this week.

 


Wyatt Johnston - Dallas Stars - Center

The Dallas Stars are tied with the Colorado Avalanche and one point behind the Minnesota Wild for the top spot in the Central Division, so they still have meaningful hockey to play. Dallas has three games this week, but they are against Chicago, Arizona and Colorado. Two of those games should feature a healthy amount of goals, so Wyatt Johnston is a player to target this week. He’s skating on the second line and has 12 goals on the season. He’s played over 19 minutes in two of the last four games, so if he keeps getting that kind of ice time, good thighs are bound to happen. He can be a difference-maker this week for fantasy owners who need some scoring depth.


Pavel Dorofeyev - Vegas Golden Knights - Winger

Vegas is still trying to secure the top spot in the Western Conference, so they have meaningful games to play this week. They have matchups against Edmonton, San Jose and Minnesota. They play the Oilers on the tail end of a back-to-back and we know the Sharks can’t keep the puck out of their own net. Pavel Dorofeyev has five goals and two assists in seven games this season and seems to have found a spot on the second line. That’s pretty good production from the rookie at this stage of the season. He might not win you a fantasy hockey championship, but he certainly won’t hurt your chances. He should be considered in deeper formats if you need a player with some offensive upside. 


Viktor Arvidsson - Los Angeles Kings - Winger

The Los Angeles Kings have been red hot over the last two weeks and Viktor Arvidsson has been a big reason why. The Kings have four games this week and I expect Arvidsson to be able to rack up some points. He has five goals and two assists in the last three games and is shooting the puck a ton. His ownership has gone from 35% to 51% in the span of 24 hours, so fantasy owners have noticed his recent production. He deserves to be on every fantasy hockey roster at this point in the year. 


Michael Matheson - Montreal Canadiens - Defence

The Montreal Canadiens are nowhere near a playoff spot, but they have four games this week, three against teams that give up goals. Michael Matheson has been elite over the last couple of weeks but he’s still only 42% owned in Yahoo! leagues. How good has he been? He’s scoring goals, racking up points, shooting the puck a ton and even blocking a healthy amount. He’s basically a cheaper version of Roman Josi. At this point in the year, he should be on EVERY fantasy hockey team, especially if you’re fighting for a championship. If he’s on the waiver wire, make sure you go add him before someone else does. 


Philipp Grubauer - Seattle Kraken - Goalie

It is extremely rare to find a starting goalie on the waiver wire at this point in the year, but that’s exactly what we have with Philipp Grubauer. I talked about him a few weeks ago about being a player to target, but that didn’t seem to move the needle much. He’s the starter for his team and it’s not even close. Martin Jones has not been good in the last month, while Grubauer has been better. He’s still not an elite goalie, but Seattle is handing on to a Wild Card spot and they have three games this week. I would expect to see Grubauer start all three and have a chance of winning at least two. He’s 30% owned in Yahoo! leagues, so if you’re looking for goaltending help, he’s probably the best option out there. 

All stats provided by NHL.com