NHL Fantasy Hockey Week 15 Waiver Wire: Eeli Tolvanen Shines With The Seattle Kraken
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.
Eeli Tolvanen - Seattle Kraken - Winger
Remember when the Nashville Predators just let Eeli Tolvanen walk for FREE? Since being claimed off waiver, Tolvanen has scored five goals and has added two assists. The Kraken has been on a tear of late and the kid is shooting a ridiculous 27.8%, so there will be some regression over the next couple of weeks, but still, he’s hot and there’s no denying that. He could easily help a fantasy hockey team that is in need of some goals.
Juuso Parssinen - Nashville Predators - Center
We’ve been down this road with Juuso Parssinen before, but we need to revisit it because it’s criminal that he’s only 4% owned in Yahoo! leagues. The kid is riding a six games points streak and continues to see time on the top power play unit. His ice time over that span has been decent, but ideally, we’d like to see him consistently playing over 17 minutes a game. If he stays hot like this, Nashville will have no choice but to play him more. He’s a depth player that can be added to all fantasy teams in any format.
Mattias Janmark - Edmonton Oilers - Winger
The carousel in Edmonton continues for fantasy hockey owners. It’s so hard to trust anyone outside of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but there are always new options to consider every week. Mattias Janmark is skating on the third line and has four points in the last three games. Usually, third-line players are who we like to target, but he’s skating with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who is on pace for 93 points this season. Janmark is a veteran who can find the back of the net and his ice time has been up there over the last three games. As long as he’s skating with one of the team’s three elite centermen, he should be able to produce.
Pavel Francouz - Colorado Avalanche - Goalie
Pavel Francouz has returned from injury and has started the team’s last two games. He’s been pretty solid in those starts, while Alexandar Georgiev has really struggled in his last eight starts, posting a 3.79 GAA and a .888 SV%. Colorado needs better from their goaltenders, so if Francouz gets hot, he could steal a few more starts from Georgiev. We saw him be very good in the playoffs last season and there’s no reason to believe that he can’t return to that form. He may not be a must-add at this point, but it’s certainly something fantasy owners will want to monitor over the next couple of weeks.
Ty Smith - Pittsburgh Penguins - Defence
Since Kris Letang left the team to go back to Montreal for the passing of his father, Ty Smith has moved up and assumed the starting job on the top power play unit and has done pretty well. He’s a young defenceman who can shoot the puck, but he can also throw his weight around and mix in a couple of blocked shots here and there. The Penguins have been pretty bad of late, so they are going to need Smith to lock in and give the team some quality minutes. He’s the only true puck-moving defenceman on this team, so he should continue to get chances to produce offensively. It’s up to him to take the opportunity and run with it.
All stats provided by NHL.com
Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
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.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
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.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.