NHL Fantasy Hockey Week 25 Waiver Wire: Alex Lyon Looks to Stay Hot For Panthers
Welcome to another edition of the Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations. Making it to the finals in Fantasy Hockey is a grind. You’ve made it this far, now it's time to bring it home. The Waiver Wire is key at this point of the year and every move could help bring you closer to a championship or sink you. Let’s take a look at some players worth targeting this week.
Jaden Schwartz - Seattle Kraken - Winger
The Seattle Kraken have four games this week; two against the Coyotes, one against the Canucks and one against Chicago. Those are some soft matchups that could see the Kraken score a ton of goals. They are still trying to lock up a playoff spot, so this week will be critical for them. Jaden Schwartz is skating on the second line and top power play unit while seeing over 16 minutes per game in the last five. He’s also been shooting the puck a healthy amount, so he’s in a really good spot this week to do some damage.
Barrett Hayton - Arizona Coyotes - Center
The Arizona Coyotes only have three games this week, but they are against the Kraken twice and the Anaheim Ducks. Seattle is a good offensive team, but they have struggled to keep the puck out of their own net, while the Ducks have just been terrible at everything. Barrett Hayton has been really good in the second half of the season and continues to skate on the top line with Clayton Keller. He’s only 36% owned in Yahoo! leagues, so there’s a good chance he might be on the waiver wire in your league. If there’s a week to own him, it’s this one.
Alex Newhook - Colorado Avalanche - Winger/Center
The Colorado Avalanche also play four games this week; two against the San Jose Sharks, one against the Los Angeles Kings and one against the Anaheim Ducks. Three of those matchups are elite, so Colorado should be able to score a fair amount of goals this week. Alex Newhook is skating on the second line and second power play unit, so he should be able to collect a few points this week. The best case scenario would be four points in as many games, which isn’t a stretch. His ice time isn’t where it needs to be, but that could change with the soft matchups this week.
Gavin Bayreuther - Columbus Blue Jackets - Defence
If you’re in a categories league, you need players who are going to do more than just score goals and rack up points. Gavin Bayreuther isn’t a sexy name, but he’s a player that can do everything but score goals. He’s seeing time on the top power play unit, but we are adding him because he can shoot the puck a couple of times on goal, add a few hits and block shots. These are categories that you are going to need to win a week, and he’s basically free across every platform. I’m not saying to start him over a superstar, but if you have a free roster spot and need a boost in those categories, he’s a name to consider.
Alex Lyon - Florida Panthers - Goalie
The Florida Panthers have three games this week and are one point behind the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Alex Lyon has started three games in a row and has won all of them while also posting a shutout. He was fantastic last week and he will need to be just as good this week if the Panthers want to keep up. He did have some easy matchups against Montreal and Columbus, but he still won both games and that’s all that matters. If Sergei Bobrovsky isn’t able to return this week, it would shock me if Lyon didn’t play every game.
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.