Week 10 Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report

Welcome to my week ten fantasy hockey waiver wire report, with Christmas spirit continuing its upward trend and annoying holiday music booming on speakers everywhere you go. But there are still 2 full weeks of fantasy to play before the Xmas break, so let’s get down to business. The 2 teams gifted the best schedules are St. Louis and Columbus, at least in terms of opponent goals allowed last 30 days. They only play 1 light night each, while Rangers and Sabres have 3. I recommended a bunch of Blue Jacket players here last week and they have not delivered, but I’m rolling a few of them back because they owe us a few more points.

Also just noticed that my little pitch below for my betting subscribers to read fantasy reports every week included a “small sample” comment from earlier in the season that I’ve been copy/pasting for more than a month. Oops…

Even if you don’t play fantasy and just follow me for betting advice, my stat graphics at the bottom of this page can be very useful for player prop betting. Every week these reports feature players who are hot, play often in the week ahead and show their stats from the last 30 days. Players on my fantasy radar tend to be strong targets for prop bets too, the obligatory disclaimer being I don’t track or care about player prop markets.

Best Standard League Adds (20% to 65% Yahoo ownership):

1) Kent Johnson, Cbj, (37% Yahoo ownership): Kent Johnson was featured here last week when he was at 15% owned on Yahoo, and that number has more than doubled since. The catch being he has not recorded a point in the 3 games since Monday, as the Blue Jackets hot streak suddenly flipped into a 3-game losing streak. He’s still a point per game on the season, and playing top line and top power play. If this season proves to be his breakout, his offensive ceiling is high, possibly warranting a long-term hold. Though if you’re in a 10-team standard league, probably too much talent on waivers to justify a permanent roster spot. Or you could go with his center on line 1, PP1, Sean Monahan. He’s also pointless in the last 3 games, but worth hanging on to for another week if there’s limited waiver options, scoring 11 PTS in his last 14 GP.

2) Will Cuylle, NYR, (42% Yahoo ownership): Will Cuylle has been popping up often on my watchlist radar lately but hasn’t received the recognition he arguably deserves on this report. He was 3% owned on September 15 as his stock price has been steadily rising ever since. He’s only playing 3rd line and second power play, but has been consistently putting up numbers, with added appeal for those of you in leagues scoring hits. In his last 14 GP, the winger has 12 PTS (1 on the PP) with 26 shots and 55 hits. The Rangers have the toughest schedule of the 4-game teams, but the good news is that 3 of them are on light nights, so they should be easier to squeeze into your starting line-up. Another option is Matthew Knies, who plays line 1 and power play 1 with Marner-Matthews, scoring 7 PTS (2 on the PP) in his last 10 GP with 10 shots and 21 hits.

3) Marco Rossi, Min, (26% Yahoo ownership): The Minnesota Wild play 4 games this week, and Marco Rossi is currently centering the top line and top power play with Kirill Kaprizov, who leads the NHL in scoring with 42 PTS in 25 GP (on pace for 148 PTS). In his last 14 GP, Rossi has 13 PTS (5 on the PP) with 27 shots, 11 hits, and a +7. It’s not an easy schedule for Minnesota and they only play on 1 light night, so you could have difficulty fitting this center-only player into your line-up, but the opportunity to cash some Kaprizov residuals at cheap acquisition cost is very appealing. Another option is Kirill Marchenko, who was featured here last week and only has 1-point in his last 3 games, but they do have another busy schedule ahead ranking second in total opponent expected goals against. Marchenko has been dropped to line 2, but that unit has been productive too.

4) John Gibson, Ana, (23% Yahoo ownership): The Anaheim Ducks are a bad team, but goaltending hasn’t been the problem. They rank 9th in the league in goals against (31st in goals scored), with John Gibson getting approximately 2/3 of the starting duty since his return from injury. He’s available in nearly 80% of leagues and they have a 4-game week ahead with 3 opponents outside the playoff race that are very winnable even for a bad team. In his last 8 GP, Gibson has 4 wins with a .909 SV%, winning 50% of his games in the last 30 days on a bad team. You could also add his back-up Lukas Dostal, who is still owned in 50% of leagues despite falling to a 1/3 time-share. In his last 5 GP, Dostal has 2 wins with a .903 SV%. If you’re one of the Dostal owners, you may want to consider swapping him out for Gibson, but this week is an ideal time to rock the tandem.

5) Jake Middleton, Min, (57% Yahoo ownership): Jake Middleton was owned in 4% of Yahoo leagues on September 15, climbing to 32% by Nov 1, as the stock price has been steadily rising throughout the schedule. He’s on pace for 41 PTS, with strong production in the other stat categories. In his last 14 GP, Jake has 5 PTS with 23 shots, 22 hits, and a +12. So, if your league counts +/- and you need help in that category, this is your guy. He only scored 25 PTS in 80 GP last year, so there’s a chance his scoring rate will slow down in the remaining matches. If you only care about PTS and less about shots/hits, you could go with Bowen Byram in Buffalo. The Sabres play on 3 light nights and Byram is scoring at a 47-point pace with 7 in his last 13 games, adding 15 shots and 10 hits.

Honorable Mentions: Sean Monahan, Kirill Marchenko, Matthew Knies, Lukas Dostal, Bowen Byram

Last Week: Valeri Nichushkin, Mason Marchment, Kirill Marchenko, Jake Walman, Karel Vejmelka

Best Deep League Adds (under 20% ownership):

1) Dylan Holloway, Stl, (19% Yahoo ownership): If Edmonton management has been watching St. Louis Blues games in the last month, there should be remorse for not matching the Dylan Holloway offer sheet. The youngster is showing what he can do with more opportunity, scoring 10 PTS in his last 14 GP (8 in his last 6) with 37 shots and 20 hits. He’s eligible at multiple positions, playing 2nd line (with Kyrou-Schenn) and 2nd power play for the Blues, who won my award for best schedule of the week. The team has been improved since hiring Montgomery, and Holloway has been a beneficiary with his own scoring rate increasing under the new coach. Or you could go with his linemate Brayden Schenn, who is also widely available, eligible at multiple positions and has 9 PTS (2 on the PP) with 26 shots and 32 hits in his last 14 GP.

2) Jake Neighbours, STL, (20% Yahoo ownership): The St. Louis Blues have a strong schedule this week (aside from playing on mostly busy nights) and Jake Neighbours patrols their top line and top power play. He’s available in 80% of leagues, eligible at both wings, scoring 8 PTS in his last 14 GP with 29 shots and 34 hits. He certainly has more value in leagues counting hits and shots, but is pacing for 39 PTS, which is limiting the growth of his stock, but the scoring rates have increased over the last couple weeks. The rising tide of Jim Montgomery is raising all boats. Another option on a top power play is Alex Killorn, who is available in 97% of leagues. In his last 13 games, Killorn has 7 PTS (2 on the PP) with 23 shots and 11 hits. He is pointless in 6 of his last 7 games, so you’re hoping for a trend reversal if added.

3) Jared Spurgeon, Min, (17% Yahoo ownership): Jared Spurgeon is finally healthy and back on the Minnesota top power play unit. He was limited to 16 games last season but tied a career-high 50-point scoring pace in 2022, back when he was also quarterbacking the top PP unit. His 11 PTS in 20 GP is a 45-point pace, so he’s hovering under his ceiling with more room for growth. My only concern is staying healthy, but if you’re just grabbing him off waivers with a low acquisition cost, it’s no big deal to drop him later if he gets hurt or Faber bumps him off the top unit. In his last 14 GP, Spurgeon has 8 PTS (3 on the PP) with 29 shots and 10 hits. If you’d rather more hits and more games on light nights, Connor Clifton in Buffalo should provide plenty of both. In his last 13 GP, Clifton has 4 PTS with 8 shots and 48 hits.

4) Dmitri Voronkov, Cbj, (13% Yahoo ownership): If you added Dmitri Voronkov on my advice last week, my apologies for the 0 PTS in 3 games thus far, but I’m going to stick with my guns, double down, and let it ride. I’m also resisting temptation to copy/paste my write-up last week with updated stats, but that would be lazy. In his last 14 GP, the winger has 11 PTS (1 on the PP) with 25 shots and 9 hits, currently playing line 2 and power play 1 for the Blue Jackets. Given he was on the top line last week, copying my previous write-up would have been flawed, but more importantly is staying on PP1. If you’re playing in a league that counts hits and need help in that category this week, Marcus Foligno should provide plenty. He plays line 2 and power play 2, eligible at both wings, is 95% available, and has a busy schedule. In his last 14 GP, Foligno has 7 PTS with 17 shots, 47 hits, and a +7.

5) Jonathan Quick, NYR, (20% Yahoo ownership): The New York Rangers have been struggling lately, winning just 4 of their last 10 games. The good news is they play 4 times, 3 on light nights, with 3 of 4 opponents sitting outside the playoff race. Quick will get at least 1, probably 2 starts that should be winnable even for a struggling team. Granted I might be betting their opponents in all those games, but this is a fantasy report, so we’ll stick to business. In his last 5 GP, Quick has 3 wins with 2 shutouts and a .928 SV%. His next start will either be Sunday vs Seattle, or Monday against Chicago. If he gets Seattle, he probably won’t start again until the weekend back-to-back. Another option Joel Hofer, who is also the back-up on a 4-game team, who appears to be in line to get a start vs the Sharks, then the Rangers in the ideal scenario. He is sporting a .904 SV% and Blues have won 6 of 10.

Honorable Mentions: Brayden Schenn, Marcus Foligno, Alex Killorn, Connor Clifton, Joel Hofer

Last Week: Dmitri Voronkov, Kent Johnson, Maxime Tsyplakov, Spencer Knight, Ryker Evans