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.

 

Mike Hoffman - San Jose Sharks - Winger

Listen, I don’t like having to talk about Mike Hoffman in 2023, but the man has been on a tear for the better part of two weeks. He has six goals in as many games and is providing some fantasy value. The Sharks are still #NotGood, but they aren’t getting destroyed every game. Hoffman is a solid add in deeper formats, but don’t expect this hot streak to continue forever.
 

Alex Nylander - Pittsburgh Penguins - Winger

I don’t know what to expect from Alex Nylander, but I do know that he is skating in the top-6 and playing over 15 minutes a night. The Penguins have a ton of elite offensive players in their lineup, so Nylander playing alongside those guys is only going to help him. In three games, he doesn’t have a single point, but he’s seeing a healthy amount of ice time and has six shots on goal. We’re digging quite deep here but in deeper formats, he’s worth a speculative add.
 

Gustav Nyquist - Nashville Predators - Winger

Don’t look now but Gustav Nyquist has 14 points in 19 games and seems to have found a spot on the top line. Of those 14 points, 12 of them are assists, but he’s still finding ways to be productive and that’s all we care about. He’s also seeing time on the top power play unit, so there isn’t much to hate here. The upside with Nyquisyt is there, yet he’s only 9% owned in Yahoo! leagues. I know he’s not a sexy play, but he’s the type of player who can help a fantasy team dealing with injuries, or even, find a permanent spot on your roster. Don’t sleep on him.
 

Mikey Anderson - Los Angeles Kings - Defence

There is nothing very exciting about Mickey Anderson’s game, but he does things that can help pad certain categories. He can throw his weight around and block shots, which is important in certain leagues. He does have eight points on the season, but we aren’t adding him for his offensive production. He’s on a high-scoring team that pushes the play up ice and possesses the puck a ton, so he’s going to get some points here and there, but you want to add him to help pad those forgotten categories. He’s a player who you don’t have to keep on your roster all year, but one that certainly help when injuries hit.
 

Alex Lyon - Detroit Red Wings - Goalie

There may be a goalie controversy brewing in Detroit and we need to make sure we get ahead of it. The Red Wings got off to a hot start, but they have come back down to earth a bit, mainly because their goaltending hasn’t been great Ville Husso was supposed to be the starter, but he has a 3.47 GAA and a .888 SV%. He is 7-3-1, but he isn’t the reason that the team is winning games. James Reimer is fine, but he’s also come back down to earth. So who’s left? Alex Lyon. It’s a very small sample size, but he is 1-1 in two starts with a 1.53 GAA and a .933 SV% and is making his second start in less than a week. Detroit doesn’t want to hold onto three goalies, but if Lyon can force the team to play him, then he could take over the starting job. We saw him do this in Florida last season, so it’s not a farfetched idea to see him do it again. If it doesn’t work out, you drop him and move on.