Welcome to another edition of the Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report. The NHL season is in full swing, so we must start looking at the waiver wire. This part of the year is critical to be able to claim players that might have been missed in drafts. Some of these players will help you win a championship, so make sure you aren’t asleep at the helm of your fantasy team. Let’s take a look at some players worth targeting this week.

 

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Pickups

Charlie Coyle - Boston Bruins - Centre

The Boston Bruins are just so thin down the middle, but they keep finding ways to win hockey games. Charlie Coyle is centering the second line between Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk and has five points in the last three games. He has 13 goals on the year and is on pace to score over 25. Not too bad for a player that is only 30% owned in Yahoo! leagues. The Bruins aren’t a dominant offense, but Coyle is going to get every chance in the world to produce, so he’s a great add in all formats.

Jesse Ylonen - Montreal Canadiens - Winger

Some of you are asking who Jeese Ylonen is and that’s a fair question. The kid is a 24-year-old from Finland and he’s trying to convince head coach Martin St. Louis to give him more ice time! He can shoot the puck and drive the play, but he’s playing on the fourth line most nights and seeing under ten minutes a game. Even when Montreal decided to go with 11 forwards against Tampa Bay, he played just 12 minutes. The Canadiens need scoring and Ylonen can give them some of that. He’s a goalscorer in the AHL, which I know doesn’t mean he will do that in the NHL, but give him a chance! He finished the last game on the second line, so maybe this is a sign of things to come.

Paul Cotter - Vegas Golden Knights - Winger/Centre

Paul Cotter has been moved up to the second line and it has already paid off. The Vegas forward played a season-high 16 minutes last game and recorded an assist with three hits. He has four points in the last three games and is playing with a ton of confidence. The ice time is still limited, but he’s making the most of what is being given to him. Vegas is a talented team that can score goals, so if he can hold down his second-line spot, the points will follow. 

Torey Krug - St. Louis Blues - Defense

Let me start by saying this: I dislike Torey Krug. Not him as a person-- I'm sure he’s a nice family man who pays his taxes-- but as a hockey player, he’s beyond overrated. So why is he here? The Blues are down Justin Faulk and someone has to step up and do something. Krug is skating on the top power-play unit and is seeing over 23 minutes a night. With that amount of ice time, good things are bound to happen. No one is pushing him to play more or to take his spot on the top power play, so you have to believe he’s going to rack up some points. Just be ready for him to disappoint you. 

Dennis Hildeby - Toronto Maple Leafs - Goalie

I’m not going to lie, I had to dig REALLY deep to find out who Dennis Hildeby was. The 22-year-old was born in Sweden and drafted by the Leafs in the 4th round in 2022. He has a solid 2.20 GAA and a .919 SV% in 15 games in the AHL. Does that mean he will be good in the NHL? Nope, but he certainly can’t be worse than Ilya Samsonov, who was placed on waivers before Hildeby was called up. Martin Jones is going to get a chance to run with the starting job, but it’s 2024, let’s stop pretending like he’s anything good. Toronto is desperate for goaltending and they will give anyone a chance at this point. Maybe nothing comes from this, but if your fantasy hockey team is desperate for a goalie, this is the route to go. It can’t get any worse, right?

All stats provided by NHL.com