Welcome to another edition of the Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report. The only way to win a championship in any fantasy league is to be active on the waiver wire. If you aren’t checking the wire at least once a week, then you’re doing it wrong. Each week, we’ll look at some players you should be adding to your watch list, or adding right away. Let’s take a look at who we are keeping an eye on for this week.

 


Alexis Lafreniere - New York Rangers - Winger

Alexis Lafreniere is a good hockey player, but he just hasn’t found his way in the NHL just yet. He’s been moved up to the top line with Mika Zibanejad but is still playing under 15 minutes most nights. He does have two goals in the last three games, so maybe he’s starting to turn a corner. As long as he continues to play on the top line, he’s going to have chances to rack up points. He’s worth considering in deeper formats. 


Matthew Phillips - Calgary Flames - Center

Matthews Phillips has been torching the AHL this year. He has 15 goals in just 20 games, which puts him on pace to score well over 50 goals. He’s been called up to the big club, but we don’t know where he’s going to fit into the lineup. He’s a natural centerman, but the Flames are set in that position. He skated on the wing against the Leafs over the weekend but saw only nine minutes of ice time. There’s no point having him in the AHL if he isn’t going to play, so Calgary could be smart and give him some top-6 minutes. He’s a flyer pick up for a team that needs some help up front. 

 

Nick Paul - Tampa Bay Lightning - Center/Winger

Nick Paul has quietly scored 12 goals this season and has found a home on Tampa Bay’s second line. He’s skating with Steven Stamkos and that seems to have given him a slight offensive boost. The most impressive part is, he’s regularly playing over 17 minutes a game. With that kind of ice time and production, he is well worth a roster spot on any fantasy hockey team.


Eetu Makiniemi - San Jose Sharks - Goalie

We are taking a risk here with Eetu Makiniemi. With James Reimer on IR, the Sharks have called up the 23-year-old and he could get a decent amount of starts. He was very good in his first NHL start-- stopping 23 of the 24 shots he faced-- en route to a 6-1 victory. It was against Anaheim, so we can’t put much stock into just one game, but it was a solid performance. San Jose has been better of late and they have some pretty easy matchups coming up. The rookie is a temporary solution for this week. We’ll see how he does before deciding if we should hold onto him. 


Sean Durzi - Los Angeles Kings - Defence

With Drew Doughty day-to-day because of a lower-body injury, Sean Durzi becomes a very interesting player. He has a ton of offensive abilities, but he can also defend pretty well. Historically, he’s played well when his teammate has been out of the lineup, and there’s no reason to believe that won’t be the case moving forward. He played over 23 minutes and recorded four blocked shots last game and he could easily have a big week if Doughty can’t return anytime soon. He might not be on your waiver wire, but just double-check to be sure. 

 


All stats provided by NHL.com