The injuries never seem to let up, do they?
Sure, Carey Price and Paul Stastny returned this week but now gone are Brendan Gallagher and Ondrej Pavelec. Not only that, but we are beginning to see fast starters regressing to their usual place in the scoring race. How will you fill in for those injuries, and who are the next guys set for a run of hot play?
We’ve got six options commonly available in fantasy hockey leagues (all ownership figures are based on Yahoo! leagues) in this week’s Waiver Wednesday.
Boone Jenner: C/RW, CBJ (49 per cent owned)
Folks are starting to catch on to Jenner’s hot scoring. His 19 per cent shooting is on the high end, but he is a big body who loves to crash the paint and get the greasy goals so he will carry a high shooting percentage even as it regresses. More importantly, Jenner is getting a lot of time alongside a resurgent Ryan Johansen both at even strength and on the Columbus Blue Jackets‘ power play. This is a good situation. Ride him until he cools off.
Artem Anisimov: C/LW, CHI (35 per cent owned)
There is nothing sexy about Anisimov’s game, but the third wheel on the Artemi Panarin – Patrick Kane juggernaut is quietly putting together a nice season with the Chicago Blackhawks. Anisimov has 15 points in 21 games (a 60-point pace) and he is heating up, too, with three goals and six points on a five-game scoring streak. Considering Kane is UNSTOPPABLE right now, don’t you want the guy fortunate enough to be playing with him?
Teddy Purcell: LW/RW, EDM (Nine per cent owned)
You have likely had your turn with Purcell before. Heck, we all have. The Edmonton Oilers winger has a knack for fitting in alongside extremely talented players, and right now that is just what he is doing alongside Taylor Hall and Leon Draisaitl. This is one of the league’s most dominant lines right now. What’s more, Purcell is getting time on the Oilers’ top power-play unit. Now is the time to take the village bicycle for a spin.
Brock Nelson: C, NYI (16 per cent owned)
We are running Nelson again because not enough folks have caught on. Nelson did have his five-game scoring streak snapped in Montreal on Monday but was scorching hot with five goals and three assists during that streak. Nelson won’t be skating on the New York Islanders‘ top line with John Tavares forever but so long as he is, Nelson makes for an excellent waiver claim. One more reason to snag Nelson: the Islanders play a juicy schedule with eight games in the next 14 days. It is not often you find a team with back-to-back four-game weeks. Take advantage.
David Savard: D, CBJ (16 per cent owned)
It is tempting to include Shayne Gostisbehere as the lone defenceman on our list once again but we will spare you the repeat. Instead of the guy skating on the Philadelphia Flyers’ top power-play unit, how about the guy skating on the Blue Jackets’? Savard is slumping, having gone four straight games without a point but unless you are talking about Erik Karlsson or John Klingberg, cold streaks are a part of the game for defencemen. Savard, coming off a season in which he scored 11 goals, has yet to pot one this season. He is due for a goal or two, which would get him right back on a 40-point pace, which he has just fallen behind on.
Ask yourself this: do 40-point defencemen grow on trees? The answer is no. Only 27 got to that level last season. Savard needs to be owned in more leagues than this.
Connor Hellebuyck: G, WPG (four per cent owned)
This here is the wild card. Hellebuyck (called up after Pavelec’s injury) is quite possibly the best goalie in the Winnipeg Jets’ system but has been stuck in the minors — until now. After Michael Hutchinson got roughed up on Monday night against the Colorado Avalanche, there is a chance we see Hellebuyck right away. We saw in the World Championship in the spring that when given a chance, Hellebuyck can run with a starting gig. (All he did in that tournament was lead the United States to a bronze medal and get named to the tournament All-Star team by the media.)
Be forewarned: the Jets are playing some bad hockey right now. In particular, they are struggling to stay out of the penalty box, as the league’s most penalized team. Maybe Hellebuyck is what the Jets need to settle down. Or perhaps he winds up the latest victim of the Jets’ slide. Everyone can use more goaltending though, so it is worth taking a chance on this star in the making.
Steve Laidlaw is the Managing Editor of Dobber Hockey. You can send him your fantasy hockey questions @SteveLaidlaw.
