NHL March 21st Waiver Wire: New Faces in New Places
Published: Mar 21, 2022
Welcome to the Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report! The waiver wire is key to winning. It helps you improve on the team you drafted, and to help patch holes when players go down due to injury. It’s something most managers will monitor daily. Let’s take a look at who we should be adding this week.
With Artturi Lehkonen now in Colorado, Jonathan Drouin has a firm grip on playing in the top six and on the top power play unit. He’s was really good at the beginning of the season, but then got injured and missed a ton of time. He was back in the lineup on Saturday but was invisible for most of that game. He’s a great playmaker who has the ability to make others around him better. Playing with players like Rem Pitlick and Mike Hoffman on a regular basis should help get him back to racking up points and helping his team win hockey games. He’s 5% rostered in Yahoo! leagues right now and is worth considering in deeper formats.
Rickard Rakell is moving from Anaheim to Pittsburgh and could be playing on Evgeni Malkin’s wing in no time. He’s a veteran player who can certainly score goals, and playing with elite centerman only pushes his value up. If he can stick in the top-six and make the most of his chances, he could easily produce a point-per-game down the stretch. That’s not too bad for a player that is still widely available across most platforms. If you’re looking for some scoring on the waiver wire, this is one option to consider.
I was not expecting to talk about Jack Studnicka at any point this season, but here we are. With Patrice Bergeron out of the lineup due to injury, the 23-year-old is centering the top line between Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk. He picked up a point in his first game with his new linemates and could easily pick up a few more as the week moves on. He’s obviously not seeing any power play time, so his upside will be limited, but he deserves to at least be on a fantasy hockey team in deeper formats considering his opportunity. He’s a short-term fix for teams that are desperate.
With Anton Khudobin done for the season and Braden Holtby out week-to-week, the Dallas Stars needed to go out and acquire a goalie and they were able to land Scott Wedgewood from Arizona. The veteran netminder has done a fantastic job this season, despite playing on a team that was giving up a ton of scoring chances every game. The Stars are a much better defensive team which should really help Wedgewood not get bombarded every night. There’s no doubt that he will be the number-two goalie behind Jake Oettinger, but he’s going to play down the stretch and is a nice depth add if you’re looking for a short-term fix.
The Boston Bruins went out to acquire Hampus Lindholm and then proceeded to sign him to an eight-year deal for $6.5M per season. You don’t pay a defenceman that kind of money to just sit him on the bench. The veteran defenceman can do it all: play five-on-five, on the top power play or the penalty kill. He shoots the puck a ton and can also block shots and throw his weight around. In a category league, he’s gold, which is why if he’s still on the waiver wire, you need to add him. He’s 14% rostered on Yahoo! and that should increase in the coming days. He’s not going to blow you away with a ton of points, but he’s certainly going to give you some good hockey and fill a ton of important categories.
All stats provided by NHL.com
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Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
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