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.

Gustav Nyquist - Detroit Red Wings - Winger

Fantasy hockey is all about value, and Nyquist provides a ton of that. He’s already at 14 points (2G,12A) on the season and on pace for close to 60-points.That’s not bad for a player that’s only 15% owned on ESPN. The Red Wings are a mess of a hockey team, but they still have players who are fantasy relevant. Nyquist can be a depth player in a shallow league, but he can also be a go-to player who helps you win matchups in deeper leagues. There’s no reason for him to be below 50% owned.

Brady Tkachuk - Ottawa Senators - Winger

Sticking with terrible hockey teams, Brady Tkachuk is back from his leg injury and he’s ready to take over from where he left off. He’s going to get a ton of opportunities to pick up points, and that’s all we can ask for in fantasy hockey. He’s 12% owned on ESPN, so he’s widely available if you need to add a forward. In Ottawa’s most recent game, Tkachuk was on the top line and saw some time on the second power play unit. He should continue to log his 14 minutes a night, so while everyone else sleeps on him, go out and add him before it’s too late.

 

Anthony Duclair - Columbus Blue Jackets - Winger

Remember when Duclair was once a top prospect? He’s always had that touch for finding the back of the net and he’s been doing a lot of that this season for Columbus. Duclair has ten points in 16 games this season, including seven goals. He’s doing all the goal scoring while playing on average 12 minutes a night. He’s getting a chance to play on the top power play unit, so that’s creating a ton of chances for him to score goals. He’s only 5% owned on Yahoo!, so why not add a player who’s scoring goals? He will come back down to earth at some point, but for now, ride the hot start.

Miro Heiskanen - Dallas Stars - Defence

If you haven’t heard this name before, you’re about to hear it a lot over the next few weeks. With John Klingberg out four weeks, Heiskanen is going to be the new quarterback on the top power play unit, and he’s going to log some heavy minutes. He’s averaging over 24 minutes per night in his last four games and that should continue while Klingberg is on the shelf. He doesn’t have a ton of points (2G, 5A) this season, but now that he’s the top dog on the blue line, he’s could become fantasy relevant sooner rather than later. He’s already 40% owned on Yahoo!, so if he’s still on the waiver wire, he needs to be added!

Rasmus Dahlin - Buffalo Sabres - Defence

So many people were quick to draft Dahlin as the top rookie in fantasy hockey, and now you can get him for free off the waiver wire. He’s 38% owned on ESPN, and his ownership has been dropping every week. His five points (1G, 4A) in 16 games is cutting it for most fantasy owners, but it’s still super early in the season to be giving up on a kid with a ton of talent. He’s not going to blow the league away, but he can fill it on a fantasy team while some injured players work their way back. Dahlin isn’t a high risk pick up, so it makes sense to grab him where available.

Roberto Luongo - Florida Panthers- Goalie

It’s funny when a goalie like Luongo is only 15% owned on ESPN and a backup goalie like Halak (who we talked about last week) is now 50% owned. Luongo is healed from his lower-body injury and is a lock as the starting goalie. Maybe he’s not the elite goalie he once was, but he can still play his position in the league and help fantasy owners. If he’s sitting on the wire, scoop him up and just laugh. That’s all anyone can really do at this point.

Cory Schneider - New Jersey Devils - Goalie

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about adding Keith Kinkaid to your fantasy hockey team, and while that was all good at that point in time, it’s time to move on from him and grab Schneider. Kinkaid has been a mess lately and it’s clear that he’s not going to help the Devils win hockey games. Schneider is a good goalie when healthy, and now he’s healthy and ready to help his team win. He’s 2% owned on ESPN, so no need to worry about anyone already owning him. The Devils need to let him play hockey games. This Kinkaid experiment isn’t going to work long term, so give Schneider the net and let him do his thing. If New Jersey decides to go with the “hot hand”, that would hurt his value, but as of this moment, that doesn’t seem likely. Schneider is a low risk / high reward add, so if you need some goaltending depth, he’s the goalie to add.