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Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Week 27

This is it! Chances are, this is your finals week and now is the time to either win it all or go out with a bang and place as high as you can. Every player I recommend in my Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Week 27 article will have four or more games this week.

Must Add

Frans Nielsen – C – New York Islanders
27% Owned
OPP: TBL/WSH/NYR/BUF/PHI

Frans Nielsen and the Islanders have five games this week which instantly makes him a must add. More games equals more production. In his last 11 games, his ice time has only dipped below 17 minutes once. He’s playing on the second line while also getting time on the first powerplay unit. Nielsen is nearing 100 blocks and 600+ faceoff wins which makes him a valuable asset. (NOTE: If Nielsen isn’t available and you still want an Islander because of the five game stream – pick up Anders Lee or Brock Nelson)

Marcus Johansson – RW, LW, C – Washington Capitals
28% Owned
OPP: NYI/PIT/STL/ANH

I’m a sucker for triple eligibility and you should be too. The ability to flex Johansson into any position slot is exactly why you should pick him up this week…. And he’s centering Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie… And he’s on the first powerplay… And he plays for the best team in the NHL. Ok, so there’s a lot of reasons why you should pick him up. Johansson is a valuable finals play.

Nick Bjugstad – C – Florida Panthers
26% Owned
OPP: TOR/MTL/OTT/CAR

What an easy schedule the Panthers have coming up. What an opportunity Nick Bjugstad has fallen into. With Vincent Trocheck out for the rest of the season, Bjugstad finds himself as a top six forward again. Playing alongside Jussi Jokinen who has set a new career high in assists (41), Bjugstad will find the back of the net against a very weak schedule.

Morgan Rielly – D – Toronto Maple Leafs
25% Owned
OPP: FLA/CBJ/PHI/NJD

Yes, I know the Leafs are bad. You should also know that Morgan Rielly is in a class of his own when it comes to blueliners in Toronto. Rielly’s offensive ceiling is sky high. Extra time playing with phenom William Nylander will only help him get on the board more. If you have blocked shots in your league as well, Rielly surprisingly has put his body in front of 110+ shots. He has potential to pick up two or more points against his opponents this week as well.

Drops

Erik Haula – C, LW – Minnesota Wild
18% Owned
OPP: SJS/CAL

Erik Haula was such a fun streamer to have while he (and the rest of Minnesota’s third line) was hot. Unfortunately, no matter how well he was producing prior (he’s also cooled off recently), a two game week isn’t going to cut it.

 

Carl Soderberg – C, LW – Colorado Avalanche
29% Owned
OPP: NSH/DAL/ANH

Look at Colorado’s upcoming schedule and then tell me you’re still comfortable with rostering Carl Soderberg. Soderberg has been streaky lately and he’s not going to heat up against three of the leagues best teams.

Thanks for reading this season’s last Waiver Wire article! Your feedback and comments have been much appreciated throughout the year and I’m already looking forward to next season. I’m happy to announce that starting next week I’ll be switching gears and starting a weekly MLB Waiver Wire article! If you do have NHL DFS questions or need help in your finals week, feel free to contact me via Twitter @BESTofMATT.

 

 

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Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Week 26

Chances are you’re either in the finals or in the semi-finals of your fantasy hockey leagues. More than ever is it important to maximize how many player starts you’ll have in a week as well as focusing in on what teams have the easiest matchups. Below in my Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Week 26 article, I’ll outline players that have great matchups this week as well as the teams you should stay away from when picking up players.

Must Adds

Jamie McGinn – LW/RW – Anaheim Ducks
14% Owned
OPP: EDM/CGY/VAN/DAL

Jamie McGinn has been constantly producing in Anaheim to the point where it’s no longer a fluke. He’s found chemistry within the top six no matter who he’s played with and he’s getting a ton of powerplay time. McGinn hasn’t been held without a shot on goal since March 11th. He also hasn’t had a game without recording a hit dating back to February 24th against Anaheim while he was a member of the Sabres. The Ducks have been the most lethal offensive team as of late and there’s no reason McGinn should slow down any time soon.

Radko Gudas – D – Philadelphia Flyers
27% Owned
OPP: WPG/WSH/OTT/PIT

Radko Gudas is everything you want in a stay at home D-man. He’s also everything you want when it comes to filling categories such as penalty minutes, blocked shots & hits. He’s a part of what I like to call the “100 club”. You need at least 100 hits, blocks and penalty minutes to join. Gudas fits right in with 277 hits, 137 blocks and 108 PIMs. With four games on the schedule against teams that shoot a lot, Gudas will have a chance to keep on contributing.

Darren Helm – C – Detroit Red Wings
2% Owned
OPP: BUF/MTL/MIN/TOR

I’ll start by saying this – if you can get Justin Abdelkader (41%) get him instead of Darren Helm. The reasoning for picking up either is the same. Detroit has the easiest four game schedule this week. Helm is getting a great opportunity to play along side Pavel Datsyuk and Anthony Mantha. Helm also has the fourth most hits among all Red Wings (105). Against four very bad teams this week, there’s production to be had.

Cody Eakin – C – Dallas Stars
9% Owned
OPP: NSH/ARI/LA/ANA

If there’s one thing I like in a player, it’s time on ice. Cody Eakin is in no danger of losing his spot centering the top line until Tyler Seguin comes back. Over his last seven games he’s been producing at exactly a point per game pace. Playing next to Jamie Benn and Patrick Sharp, it’s a no-brainer to have Eakin on your team.

Drops

J.T. Miller – C – New York Rangers
18% Owned
OPP: CAR/BUF

If there was a segment called “trap of the week” this would be it. At first glance, J.T. Miller has been producing well. Two goals over his last three games and getting top six minutes. The problem with this is, the Rangers have two games this week and his production will likely cap off at two points at the most if you decide to keep him. Streaming someone who has just two games is just not worth it at this point.

Devante Smith-Pelly – RW – New Jersey Devils
21% Owned
OPP: BOS/FLA/TBL

I’ll be the first to say that the Honeymoon is over with Devante Smith-Pelly. Why? He’s producing at a pace that is unsustainable for most players, never mind a career bottom six forward. Pointless in his last two games as well as seeing his ice time dip to 14 minutes to go along with a tough schedule this week, it’s time to cut ties with Smith-Pelly.

Thanks for reading! If you have any NHL season long or DFS questions, feel free to contact me via Twitter @BESTofMATT

 

 

 

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Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Week 25

The playoffs are still underway for most leagues and in order to advance into the next round – you need some strategic adds and drops. I will not only cover what players you should add and drop but also mix in some strategy in this week’s Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire.

It’s easy. Games played equals opportunity. Opportunity equals stuffing your categories with points. Points equals wins. If you haven’t checked weekly schedules for teams, I suggest you start immediately in the playoffs. I always recommend picking players up on four game streams but this week it’s definitely worth noting how many games some teams have. This deep into the season, it’s not worth picking someone up that plays two games just because they’re a name of value. Punch your ticket into the next round and then worry about re-adding players.

Must Adds

Vincent Lecavalier – C,LW – Los Angeles Kings
6% Owned
OPP: NSH/MIN/WPG/EDM

Out of all the teams that have four games this week (CAR, LA, NYI, NYR, PHI, VAN) none have an easier schedule than the Kings. Vincent Lecavalier has looked like “Old Vinny” from years ago since being moved to LA from Philadelphia. Talk about a revitalizing trade. He has eight goals in 32 games since being traded (puts him on pace for about 21 goals in a full season) and has been hot as of late. Dating back to March 5th, he’s only been held off the scoresheet in two games.

Rickard Rakell – C – Anaheim Ducks
18% Owned
OPP: MTL/TOR/OTT

The Anaheim Ducks have the easiest schedule this week. Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa are all inside the bottom ten of the league when it comes to the standings while Toronto and Ottawa have the honour of being in the top ten of giving up the most goals per game (Montreal gets an honourable mention at 11th). Rickard Rakell is getting fed a steady diet of minutes as well as playing on the same line with a former Rocket Richard winner in Corey Perry. It wouldn’t be far fetched to say Anaheim could score five or more against these three teams with Rakell definitely getting in on the action.

Frans Nielsen – C – New York Islanders
30% Owned
OPP: PHI/OTT/TBL/CAR

Frans Nielsen has quietly been having a great season for the Islanders. Currently third on the team in points, he’s been very under-owned in fantasy. Over his last 12 games he’s only seen his minutes dip below 16 twice while being above 20 minutes four times. He’s really clicked well recently with Ryan Strome and Nikolay Kulemin and should continue to this week with a relatively easy schedule.

Radko Gudas – D – Philadelphia Flyers
24% Owned
OPP: NYI/CBJ/COL/ARI

Don’t be fooled by his two recent goals. That is not why you’re picking up Radko Gudas. Sure, if he scores – that’s just icing on the cake. Gudas is great when it comes to other categories such as blocked shots or hits. In fact, he’s a monster when it comes to that. Gudas is fourth in hits in the NHL while having over 100 blocked shots. If you’re needing those stats padded, Gudas is the go-to guy.

Drops

Lee Stempniak – LW,RW – Boston Bruins
47% Owned
OPP: NYR/FLA/TOR

Lee Stempniak is back to doing what Lee Stempniak does when he’s not the number one option on a team. Disappear. Pointless in his last six games and seeing back-to-back nights with less than 13 minutes of ice time, it’s time to cut ties with Stempniak. At the pace he’s playing right now in Boston, with a full season with the B’s he’s projected to score 9 goals. He scored 16 in 63 games for the Devils this year. The last time he had 16 or more goals in a full season was in 2010-2011 with the Coyotes.

Ryan Callahan – RW – Tampa Bay Lightning
32% Owned
OPP: DET/NYI/FLA

It’s a shame Ryan Callahan had to find himself on this list. He was producing so well after the All-Star break (14 points in 22 games). He’s on here because he’s been recently dealing with an “undisclosed injury”. I don’t like the sounds of that at all and I don’t want to run the risk of missing games and having his production fall off when he comes back. There are much safer options out there.

 

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via Twitter @BESTofMATT

 

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Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Week 24

With playoffs underway for most leagues, it’s important now more than ever to maximize on weakness of schedule and the amount of games played per week. What you want to stay away from is players with a low number of games this week as well as tough matchups which would limit their fantasy value. Below in my Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Week 24 outlook, I’ll break down who you should pick up and who you should drop for your playoff matchups.

Must Add:

Charlie Coyle – C,RW – Minnesota Wild
13% Owned
OPP: OTT/NJD/CAR/CHI

Charlie Coyle has seemingly cemented himself on the first line and first powerplay unit with Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise. The 24 year old has shown tremendous growth this year and has almost doubled last years goal output with 23 games left to play. Coyle is a perfect play up until Sunday night when the Wild face the Blackhawks. For the other three opponents, you need Coyle on your roster.

Jori Lehtera – C – St. Louis Blues
8% Owned
OPP: CGY/EDM/VAN

Jori Lehtera has got to be the biggest beneficiary of the linemate lottery. For most of the last two years he’s played along side Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko to form the “STL” line. Playing with those two, Lehtera has massive potential this week to snag you some points. He’s also produces on the faceoff dot (Over 400 wins). The Blues boast one of the easiest schedules this week and Lehtera is someone you can use to exploit that.

Ben Hutton – D – Vancouver Canucks
2% Owned
OPP: WPG/COL/EDM/STL

You might be thinking, Ben who? That’s perfect. Ben Hutton is a player nobody is even focusing on and I can’t figure out why for the life of me. Hutton is getting every opportunity to show Vancouver he can be the go-to guy at the backend for years to come. He’s gobbled up a ton of minutes (20:36 has been his lowest TOI dating back to February 15th) and he’s producing offensively (six points in his last seven games). He’s on the first pairing with Luca Sbisa and is on the backend of the first powerplay unit. Hutton is a converted forward playing defence and has the potential to chip in some serious points as a blueliner.

Reilly Smith – LW,RW – Florida Panthers
26% Owned
OPP: NYI/MTL/TOR/DET

What’s better than being on a hot streak? Being on a hot streak and getting the opportunity to play Montreal and Toronto in the same week. Reilly Smith has been more successful lately because he’s actually been firing the puck on net a lot more (12 shots over his last three games) compared to the rest of the season. He already has 23 goals but look for him to add to that tally against some weak teams this week.

Drops:

Louis Domingue – G – Arizona Coyotes
24% Owned
OPP: NJD/NYR/BOS/WPG

First of all, don’t roster a goalie from Arizona if you want wins. Second of all, Mike Smith is back and looks excellent after posting a 44 save shutout. With the former Olympian back in the crease, it looks like Domingue’s days of carrying the load between the pipes is over.

Jordan Staal – C/LW – Carolina Hurricanes
30% Owned
OPP: WSH/PIT/MIN

People are still holding onto Staal hoping that he’ll gobble up all the offence left behind by his brother Eric. That hasn’t happened since he left and it’s definitely not going to happen against Washington and Pittsburgh. Cut ties with Staal fast.

 

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions regarding Fantasy Hockey or DFS Hockey, feel free to reach out to me via Twitter @BESTofMATT

 

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Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Week 23

The best thing about being the last place team in the league is that nearly nobody will be owned fantasy-wise. The best thing about reading the rest of this article? Finding out who I’m talking about because that person is absolutely stuffing the stat sheet and you’ll want him for your Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Week 23 .

Must Add

Zach Smith – C – Ottawa Senators
8% Owned
OPP: CAR/FLA/TOR 

Zach Smith has been on a tear since Kyle Turris went down. He’s found consistent ice time on the second line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mark Stone while also playing a ton of the powerplay. He’s riding a five game point streak (3G, 2A) and a hit streak of the same length. While the Sens may not have many big names to choose from, Zach Smith is a nice under-the-radar play.

Mike Ribeiro – C – Nashville Predators
20% Owned 
OPP: WPG/CGY/VAN

If you need a plethora of assists and faceoff wins, Mike Ribeiro is your guy. On a four game point streak, the 36 year old has racked up six assists to go along with a goal. He’s really been feeding off of Filip Forsberg on both the powerplay and the second line. As long as Forsberg is hot, Ribeiro will be a hot fantasy commodity.

Mikkel Boedker – LW,RW – Colorado Avalanche
30% Owned
OPP: ARI/ANA/WPG

Perhaps the biggest winner from the trade deadline, Mikkel Boedker is getting the chance to play next to supreme talent. He’s been cemented next to Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog upon arrival on both the first line and second powerplay unit. It’s not a matter of “if” he can gel with his new linemates, it’s a matter of “when”. If for some reason Boedker is not owned in your league, pick him up now.

Nikita Soshnikov – RW – Toronto Maple Leafs
5% Owned
OPP: BUF/NYI/OTT/DET

The saying does go, save the best for last. Nikita Soshnikov is flourishing in Mike Babcocks system. The 22 year old is an absolute machine across the stat sheet. Hits? 15 in his last three games. Goals? Two in his last three games. Shots? Nine in his last three games. He has certainly earned the trust of his coach and is finding himself time on the first line and first powerplay unit. While the Leafs might not have much offensive talent, Soshnikov is certainly worthy of a pickup this week.

Drops

Jason Pominville – RW – Minnesota Wild
33% Owned
OPP: EDM/MTL

It was nice while it lasted, right? Jason Pominville was a nice streamer to pick up last week but this week he’s absolutely droppable. Pointless in his last three games as well as only having two games this week makes Pominville dead weight on your fantasy team.

Cory Schneider/Keith Kinkaid – G – New Jersey Devils
93%/9% Owned
OPP: SJS/LA

I’m not saying drop Cory Schneider. I’m saying put him on the IR if you own him but do not pick up Keith Kinkaid. Many flocked to the waiver wire to pick him up when Cory Schneider went down but Kinkaid is really not that good between the pipes. He even said that he might have “put too much pressure” on himself. Not exactly what you want to hear from your goalie. The Devils were marginally successful because they relied on Schneider to carry them. Kinkaid is not ready for that workload.

 

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions regarding NHL Fantasy or NHL DFS, feel free to tweet at me @BESTofMATT

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Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire and John Scott All Star MVP

After the All-Star break, teams go right back into action on February 2nd. Five teams have four games this week and there are some players that should immediately be picked up from the fantasy hockey waiver wire from those squads.  In this post I will discuss Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire and John Scott All Star MVP

At the end of the fantasy hockey waiver wire – my take on the John Scott story.

Fantasy Waiver Wire Must Adds

Nail Yakupov – LW/RW – Edmonton Oilers
36% Owned

Nobody has suffered more from Connor McDavid going down than Nail Yakupov. With McDavid recalled from the AHL, he should find himself back on a line with Yakupov again. It makes sense, too. The two had amazing chemistry together for the first 13 games of the season. McDavid had 12 points in 13 games while Yakupov had 10 points in the same amount of games. In the 16 games Yakupov played without McDavid, he only put up four points. The best part of this situation? Edmonton has four games this week. Capitalize on Yakupov’s value and pick him up.

Andre Burakovsky – LW – Washington Capitals
5% Owned

Another player with a four game slate ahead of him. Another player with a ton of potential to make some noise this week. Andre Burakovsky has saw his usage go up over the last two games. Moved from the third line, up to the second and he’s now been seeing powerplay time as well. With three goals in his last two games, Burakovsky is starting to get noticed. He’s seemed to find some chemistry with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Justin Williams. The 20 year old’s performance in the upcoming games will solely dictate how long he continues to spend time as a top six forward with PP time

Mattias Ekholm – D – Nashville Predators
14% Owned

Mattias Ekholm is the hottest D-man in the league right now. Riding a five game point streak (2G, 4A) Ekholm has found himself to be a major part of Nashvilles offence. If you’re in a league with plus/minus, Ekholm is a safe play. He’s +7 at home but -6 on the road. Good news – Nashville plays three games at home (STL, PHI, SJS) following the All-Star break. Ekholm has seen himself paired up with Petter Granberg so he’s had the freedom to take some risks from the blue line. Head coach Peter Laviolette has rewarded his defenseman with an uptick in power play time as well.

JT Miller – C – New York Rangers
9% Owned

J.T. Miller is the multi-purpose player you’ve always wanted in your league. He does a little bit of everything. He hits and he scores. Miller has found the back of the net four times in the last four games while also racking up 15 hits across those games. He’s a must add in dynasty formats and someone you should definitely pick up in re-draft leagues.

Drops

Sam Bennett – C/LW – Calgary Flames
27% Owned

If you’re in a dynasty league – ignore this and do not drop Sam Bennett. If you’re in a re-draft league, please drop Sam Bennett. Bennett is as streaky as they come this year and right now he’s cold. People are still on Bennett because of his four goal game almost a month ago and are hoping he does it again. Pointless in his last three games, Bennett should see himself drop in the depth chart this upcoming week. Until he gets hot again, Bennett isn’t worth rostering. Find production somewhere else for the time being.

Tyler Myers – D – Winnipeg Jets
35% Owned

I don’t know about you, but if I was 6’8”, 240 lbs and in the NHL – I would hit a lot of people. Tyler Myers doesn’t use his body enough to warrant a spot on any fantasy team. 41 hits through 49 games isn’t good if you play in a league with hits. 19 points in 49 games isn’t that great either. Until Myers strings together a point streak or starts to throw his body around – I’m off him for the whole year.

4,149 Miles – John Scott All Star MVP

I’ll admit it. At first – I was probably the biggest John Scott hater there could be (yes, even more than Phil Kessel). I didn’t believe that goons deserved to be in the All-Star game. I didn’t believe that Scott, a player who has never played more than 56 games in a season should be allowed to participate. I didn’t think that Scott, a 33 year old Edmonton boy with five goals in 285 NHL games played deserved to hang out in Nashville among the leagues superstars. I didn’t think that Scott, a family man with two young children with twins on the way – deserved a chance to stick it to the NHL. I was fully convinced that John Scott was the bad guy in all of this.

Was I ever wrong.

None of this was Scott’s fault. Blame the fan vote before you blame Scott. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still fully against having the fan vote the way it is now. Create a list of eligible players that can be voted for and go from there. It’s not Scott’s fault that he was selected to the game. He didn’t ask to be voted for. Heck, at one point he told people to vote for people more deserving than himself.

The All-Star weekend was about John Scott. The normally boring All-Star game can thank John Scott for bringing a storyline into the fold.

Previously asked by Arizona and the NHL to bow out of the All-Star game, he refused and was traded to Montreal (inevitably, St. John’s) seemingly taking care of any chance Scott had of going to the All-Star game.

Nice try.

The NHL did it’s damnedest to try and keep Scott away from the party in Nashville. Everything from telling him he couldn’t wear his requested AHL St. John’s Ice Caps jersey and forcing him to wear a team-less sweater, to someone in the NHL asking Scott if his kids would be proud of him. You’re telling a guy who made a living with his fists what to do and not do. Probably not a smart choice.

At the end of the day, the All-Star game is a laugh. It’s a chance where players can put on mullets and pretend to be someone else. It’s a time where players can wear a Chewbacca mask and bring their son on the ice. It’s a time where all the feel-good stories come out about all the players participating. It’s an event that players bring their families to.

It’s the All-Star game.

They play an exhibition game. They have a skills competition. None of this means anything in the grand scheme of the rigorous 82 game NHL season.

It did mean something to John Scott though. A 33 year old journeyman who punched his way through 285 NHL games. An Edmonton boy with a wife and two kids while also expecting twins. A player sent 4,149 miles away from his previous NHL team’s arena to his new AHL arena to try and rid him from an exhibition game that he was voted into.

A player who was told that his kids wouldn’t be proud of him.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or comments regarding NHL fantasy, NHL DFS or John Scott, feel free to reach out to me via Twitter @BESTofMATT

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