NHL Fantasy Hockey Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups: Charlie Lindgren Making a Case For More Playing Time
Welcome to another edition of the Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report. The NHL season is in full swing, which means we need to 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.
NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Pickups
Cole Perfetti - Winnipeg Jets - Centre
Cole Perfetti is quietly putting together an outstanding season. The young forward has five goals in the last six games and is seeing a decent amount of ice time each night. He’s not on the top power play unit, so that does limit his upside, but his production hasn’t been limited because of that. We know he’s a talented kid who can score goals and he’s showing us that. If he can keep this pace up, there’s no reason to believe that he can’t top 60 points this year.
Owen Tippett - Philadelphia Flyers - Winger
The Philadelphia Flyers are currently riding a five-game winning streak and Owen Tippett is a big reason why. He now has 13 points on the season, including seven points in the last five games. His ice time has been good and he has found a home on the second line and top power play unit. It’s taken Tippett a while to find consistent production, but we may be witnessing a player starting to blossom. If he can keep this production up, then he is worth a roster spot in deeper formats.
Connor Zary - Calgary Flames - Centre
The Calgary Flames are struggling to put wins together but Connor Zary is a bright spot. The rookie has eight points in as many games and is playing steady minutes on the second line. He’s seen over 18 minutes multiple times this season and seems to be gaining the trust of the coaching staff. Calgary needs players to contribute and Zary is making a case to stay with the big club. He only has centre position eligibility, but that will change over the next couple of weeks, making him even more of an asset. He’s a perfect candidate to add to any fantasy team, especially in deeper formats.
Zach Werenski - Columbus Blue Jackets - Defence
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a mess but there are some players still worth targeting. Zach Werenski has one goal on the season but he does have ten assists, including five in the last six games. He’s also doing a good job at blocking shots and generating shots on goal. His ownership has been dropping steadily, but this might be a good time to scoop him up, especially in banger leagues. He’s an offensive defenceman who is going to get every chance possible to produce offensively.
Charlie Lindgren - Washington Capitals - Goalie
The Washington Capitals need stability in goal and Charlie Lindgren is giving them that. Darcy Kuepmer has battled injuries this season and even when he has been healthy, his numbers have not been good. Lindgren is 4-1-0 this season with a 2.01 GAA and a .940 SV%. It’s a small sample size, but he has earned the right to play more games and even take over as the starter. He’s allowed just three goals in his last two starts and has won four in a row. It’s quite something to see him at only 25% ownership in Yahoo! leagues because he’s a player who can help you win a championship.
All stats provided by NHL.com
Player News
Paul Skenes has announced that he will pitch for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic
Skenes has pitched for Team USA in two other tournaments during his career and actually spent two years at the Air Force Academy. He is arguably the best pitcher in baseball right now and will partner with arguably the best hitter in baseball right now, Aaron Judge, to lead Team USA in what figures to be an extremely competitive WBC tournament in 2026.
White Sox LHP prospect Hagen Smith (fatigue) will have his workload managed at Double-A Birmingham.
Hagen Smith’s velocity fluctuated in his last outing, and the White Sox were cautious about him showing some signs of fatigue. They shortened his last outing and will skip his next start to help him manage his workload in his first full professional season. Everything is fine with Smith from a medical perspective, but this is a good reminder that Smith is an immense talent, but fantasy managers shouldn’t expect a major impact this season as he adjusts to professional baseball.
Paul Blackburn (knee) will make his final rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday
Blackburn has already made four rehab starts, so he will need to be reinstated from the injured list after his start on Friday. As of now, there is no room in the Mets’ rotation, so the most likely outcome is that Blackburn would serve as a multi-inning reliever, which could bump Dedniel Nunez back to the minors.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora admitted the team will “take a look at” whether or not to remove Tanner Houck from the starting rotation.
After his brutal start on Monday, Houck admitted this is “probably the most lost [he’s] ever been.” The struggles really began in the second half of last season, but Houck now has an 8.04 ERA and has allowed double-digit runs in less than three innings twice this season already. Houck does have minor league options remaining, so the Red Sox could simply send him to Triple-A and give him time to figure out what’s going out. If they were to do so, that would allow Hunter Dobbins to stay in the rotation even after Walker Buehler returns next week.
MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy suggests that the Brewers could call up Logan Henderson to start on Wednesday against the Guardians.
Milwaukee has pushed Jose Quintana’s start back to Saturday against the Twins, which means they currently don’t have a starter for Wednesday’s game. Henderson is already on the 40-man roster, so he would make some sense and be an intriguing streamer in deeper formats.
Austin Slater (knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.
SLater had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee back on April 16th. He was given a four-to-six week timeline at the time, so he remains on track in his recovery. He could need multiple weeks of rehab games before returning to the White Sox lineup.