Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report-- March 30th

Published: Mar 30, 2021
Welcome to the fantasy hockey waiver wire report! As usual, every week, the weekly waiver wire report will help you target some players that you should be adding, or monitoring, on the waiver wire. You’ll want to check back through the week to see if players are added. The fantasy hockey season is a long one, but staying on top of the waiver wire will most certainly help keep your team competitive. Let’s see who we should be targeting this week.
Brian Elliott - Philadelphia Flyers - Goalie
I know, this is a bold one to start with, but hear me out for a minute. Carter Hart can’t stop a beach ball right now, and the team has decided to give him some extra practice time to work on his game. At this point in the season, that isn’t going to help him. This is just a loss season for the kid, and who knows, maybe the Flyers decide to send him to the AHL. All that to stay, Brian Elliott is going to see more starts, and this week is especially important for Philadelphia. They have a date with the Sabres, and another one with the Islanders. Even if he doesn’t win both games, I don’t expect the veteran netminder to get lit up like Hart. It’s definitely a risk, but with fantasy hockey playoffs around the corner, we need to maximize every opportunity, and this is one of them.
Eeli Tolvanen - Nashville Predators - Winger
Don’t look now, but coming into tonight, Eeli Tolvanen has seven points in the last five games and is seeing time on the top power play unit. Filip Forsberg has missed the team’s last three games, so that might be a reason why the kid is seeing more ice time, but he’s making the most of it. Even if he’s a temporary solution, he’s hot, and deserves to be on a fantasy team.
Shayne Gostisbehere - (Maybe) Philadelphia Flyers - Defence
The Philadelphia Flyers put Shayne Gostisbehere on waivers, which says a lot about what the team thinks of him. The Flyers are playing some terrible defence, but they’re willing to part ways with a player that is only 27-years-old. I don’t think he’s that bad that he should be waived, but Philadelphia might just be trying to see if anyone is willing to take him and his salary off their hands. He can still contribute on the power play, and there are a ton of teams that could use his services. If you have an extra roster spot, it might be worth adding Gostisbehere. We don’t know if he’s going to be part of this team in a few weeks, but if he does find a new home, I think he can be very productive down the stretch.
Alex Galchenyuk - Toronto Maple Leafs - Winger
Since joining the Maple Leafs, Alex Galchenyuk has four points in five games while playing close to 12 minutes a night. The ice time is a concern, but he’s currently skating on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander. He isn’t seeing any power play time, but that’s not a concern considering Toronto has one main unit, and a second one to come on when the first unit is tired. If Galchenyuk can hold down that second line role, we could see him produce at a point-per-game pace down the stretch. It’s definitely high expectations, but for the first time in almost forever, he’s playing with really good linemates, but it’s up to him to prove to the coaching staff that he deserves to be there.
Jason Robertson - Dallas Stars - Winger
If you’re an active reader of the NHL Playbook, then you know I love to play Jason Robertson in DFS. The kid has five points in the last five games, and is playing close to 20 minutes per night. That’s a crazy amount of ice time for a rookie to be seeing, but we won’t complain. The Stars currently sit outside of the playoffs, so they are going to need to turn on the jets and start winning some hockey games, and Robertson can definitely produce. As long as the ice time is there, he’s worth considering in deeper formats.
All stats provided by NHL.com
Player News
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that Zach Eflin (lat) is likely to return and start Sunday against the Angels
It was assumed that Eflin would be back this weekend, but now we have a concrete date. The 31-year-old may not be at full strength after throwing fewer than 60 pitches in his rehab start, but the Orioles feel confident enough to have the right-hander back on the bump for the series finale against the Angels.
Riley Greene is not in the lineup for the first game of a doubleheader against the Rockies on Thursday.
Greene will get a break and likely return to the lineup for the second game of the twin-billing. Zach McKinstry will get the start in left field while Greene rests.
Panthers released TE Jordan Matthews.
Matthews converted to tight end a few years ago and hasn’t made much noise at the position. The change has, however, likely kept him in the league for a few more seasons. He appeared in four games with the Panthers last year but didn’t record any stats on offense. The Panthers also released or waived WR Dax Milne, C Andrew Raym, and TE Colin Granger.
Yu Darvish (elbow) is facing live hitters on Thursday.
Darvish has been throwing bullpen sessions and traveled to the team’s complex in Arizona to face live hitters on Thursday. It will be his first time facing live batters since a spring training appearance on March 13th. He will likely need a few sessions like this before the Padres can map out a rehab appearance timeline for him.
Adael Amador is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Rockies on Thursday.
Amador has now started three of the last four games at second base for the Rockies. He’s gone just 7-for-43 this season with 15 strikeouts in 16 games. He’s just 22 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to adjust to the MLB level, but he doesn’t need to be on redraft radars right now.
Jackson Holliday is playing second base and batting second for the Orioles on Thursday against the Twins.
With Cedric Mullins sitting out on Thursday, Gunnar Henderson will bat lead off, and Holliday will jump up from sixth in the order to second. Holliday is riding a hot streak right now, and the Orioles are taking advantage. This is likely just a one-game sample with no Mullins or Adley Rutschman in the lineup, but Rutschman has been struggling, so perhaps it could become a more permanent spot in the lineup for Holliday moving forward.