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 with your waiver wire pickups. Finding those fantasy hockey sleepers could be the difference between winning or losing your leagues. If you aren’t checking the fantasy hockey waiver wire at least once a week, then you’re doing it wrong. Each week, we’ll take a look at some NHL players that are trending up the fantasy hockey rankings and which ones you should be adding to your watch list right away. Let’s take a look at who we are keeping an eye on for this week as the NHL fantasy hockey season rolls on! Be sure to check out the NHL injury report, our NHL daily projections, and all of our NHL seasonal tools before making roster moves or setting those fantasy hockey lineups. 

 

NHL Fantasy Hockey Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

Rickard Rakell - Pittsburgh Penguins - Winger

The Pittsburgh Penguins are off to a very hot start-- scoring 12 goals in just two games-- and Rickard Rakell is seeing time on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzle. He only has one goal, but he has recorded ten shots on goal so far, and while he certainly won’t keep that pace up, the shot volume being this high this early is only a good thing. He’s probably available in most leagues and should be added immediately.

Travis Konecny - Philadelphia Flyers - Winger

Playing under John Tortorella can be a problem, but so far, Travis Konecny is enjoying the experience. He has three goals and an assist in two games and is seeing over 16-minutes a game with some power play time. The Flyers are a bad team, so his strong play is going to slow down at some point. Not to mention, he could fall into Tortorella’s dog house at any time. For now, he’s a nice early-season addition to any fantasy team.

Dawson Mercer - New Jersey Devils - Center/Winger

The Devils are off to a #NotGood start to their season, but Dawson Mercer is a player worth keeping our eyes out for. The kid only has one assist in two games this season, but he has 11 shots on goal, which is saying something. It might be a challenge for him to keep that pace up, but if he can flirt with four shots per game, then he’s going to find the back of the quite a bit this season. For fantasy owners in category leagues, he’s a great speculative add. 

Erik Kallgren - Toronto Maple Leafs - Goalie

With Matt Murray out of the lineup due to injury, Erik Kallgren has gotten the call up and should be able to get a few starts down the road. He was decent in his short stint last season and could compete with Ilya Samsonov for starts if he struggles. This isn’t a long-term solution, but one that can keep your fantasy team afloat until Murray is ready to return.

Arber Xhekaj - Montreal Canadiens - Defence

You might not know who Arber Xhekaj is, but he’s going to be a defenceman to keep an eye out for. The Montreal Canadiens are giving up a ton of shots, which is good news for a defenceman who can hit and block shots. He isn’t seeing a ton of playing time, but he has more shots, hits and blocked shots than Kaiden Guhle, who is seeing over 20-minutes a night. Xhekaj is a player who can stuff two categories on a regular basis and costs you nothing. He can be a great addition to a team that needs help in these two specific areas. He’s not going to rack up a ton of shots on goal or points, but he certainly won’t hurt your fantasy team in every other category. 

All stats provided by NHL.com

 

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