Week 2 Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report

Welcome to my week two fantasy hockey waiver wire report, and the more games that get played, the easier these become to compile/complete. Last week was flying blind, leaning on my preseason draft prep to identify ideal targets, but now we have a little more data though a few teams are lacking sample size. The award for best schedule this week goes to the Colorado Avalanche, playing Mon-Wed-Fri-Sun when fitting players into your line-up is easiest, and Sharks-Ducks are the last two opponents (Pittsburgh also plays MWFSu, but slightly tougher opponents). My strength of schedule graphic unfortunately wants a few games played before kicking off, but are coming soon.

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Best Standard League Adds (25% to 65% Yahoo ownership):

1) Tyler Toffoli, SJ, (50% Yahoo ownership): The San Jose Sharks play 4 times in the week ahead and Tyler Toffoli can be found prowling their top line and top power play, which already looks to have more punch than last year. First overall pick Maclin Celebrini had a great an excellent first game and would have been featured here if he had not just been put on IR for until at least Thursday. Toffoli scored 2 PTS with 4 shots and 2 hits in their opener, and is poised to log plenty of ice time for this young Sharks team. Another option is Ivan Barbashev, who received an honorable mention here last week before proceeding to score 6 PTS in their first 2 games playing top line with Stone and Eichel. That also means Victor Olofsson has already been demoted to line 3, after being pumped here last week as a cheap asset to acquire with a potentially high ceiling. If you currently roster Olofsson and Barbashev is available on your waiver wire, make the switch.

2) Quinton Byfield, LA, (63% Yahoo ownership): Last season Quinton Byfield was frequently featured in my weekly waiver wire posts and also received recognition in my draft value post back when he was 42% owned. His stock has climbed since then and the Kings play 4 times this week, 3 of those on light nights, 3 against non-playoff teams from last season. The Kings currently have him centering Fiala and Foegele, the biggest knock being a demotion to the 2nd unit power play, but that may not be permanent if the 1st unit struggles. If you’d rather have a top line, top power play option, Dylan Guenther (featured right before Byfield in my bargains post) has 4 goals through his first 2 games. He does play 1 less game than Quinton, but at this point has become a long-term hold for me in a 12-team league (at least until he cools off). I selected Guenther in the 15th round at pick 180.

3) Joey Daccord, Sea, (59% Yahoo ownership): Joey Daccord was backing up the Kraken home opener, yet just received a long-term contract extension that pays him legit #1 starter money. Grubauer gave up 3 goals on 25 shots (.880 SV%) and also gets legit #1 starter money, which makes him a threat to poach starts further down the road, possibly even a 50-50 time share. Daccord had a .916 SV% last season and received props in my Draft Bargains post last month. The Kraken only play 3 times this week, so Daccord might only get 1 start depending on the rotation. A safer bet for more crease time with similar schedule difficulty is Sam Montembeault in Montreal, who posted a 48-save shutout in their opening game against Toronto. It was outstanding enough that I looked up his Vezina odds after the game, and +15,000 was tempting.

4) Lane Hutson, Mtl, (44% Yahoo ownership): Lane Hutson was available in more than 80% of fantasy leagues 30 days ago, but the young defenseman’s stock has been climbing steadily ever since. Through 2 games he has 2 PTS with pundits are raving about his puck moving and play-making ability. He received 5:26 of power play time in their last game, which was less than fellow defenseman Mike Matheson, but Hutson setup a power play goal vs Matheson’s man-advantage goose egg. The Habs only play 3 this week, but there were no quality 4-game options among standard sized league D-men. Another option plugged in my bargains post and again here last week is Sean Durzi, who scored 2 PTS in his first 2 games. He’s competing with Sergachev (3 PTS in 2 GP) for power play time, but is producing at even strength on a team that looks to have improved offensively.

5) Evgeni Malkin, Pit, (54% Yahoo ownership): My fear of Father Time stalking Gino Malkin prevented him from appearing in my Draft Bargains post, despite falling in drafts to a decent value for a guy with a high ceiling if he continues evading his stalker. The Penguins have a 4-game week coming up, and as mentioned in the intro, they play all light nights. That makes him easier to fit into your starting line-up as a center. Through 2 games Gino has 2 PTS with 4 shots. The 16:43 average ice time is mildly concerning, but maybe limiting his workload will increase productivity. If you’d rather a younger center who also plays 4 times and also provides hits, Sam Bennett is a decent option. Barkov is going to be out for the next 2-3 weeks, so Bennett should see more ice time with the possibility of a top power play promotion. Through 2 games, Bennett has 3 PTS with 8 shots and 4 hits.

Honorable Mentions: Dylan Guenther, Ivan Barbashev, Sam Montembeault, Sean Durzi, Sam Bennett

Last Week: Joonas Korpisalo, JJ Peterka, Jake Neighbours, Bowen Byram, Yegor Sharangovich

Best Deep League Adds (under 25% ownership):

1) Kevin Lankinen, Van, (25% Yahoo ownership): Thatcher Demko has begun the season on injured reserve and playoff hero Arturs Silovs was bad in their home opening loss to Calgary. There is an opportunity for Lankinen to become the undisputed #1 goalie on a good team that is responsible defensively. I was concerned prior to the season that his late addition to the roster might mean a longer time adjusting to playing behind a new team, but he managed to stop 29 of 31 shots in their shootout loss to Philly. The downside to this week in particular is they only play 3 times, including Tampa and Florida. Another option (who was featured here last week) is Jake Allen, with the Devils playing another 4 times. Jake has a strong probability of getting 2 starts in winnable games. He stopped 17 of 18 in his first start.

2) William Eklund, SJ, (12% Yahoo ownership): William Eklund’s 45-point rookie season (16 of those on the power play) was a strong first step in a promising career. His first game saw him log 21:20 of ice time on the top line with Celebrini and Toffoli, but is currently only deployed on the 2nd power play unit. Though he could find himself as Celebrini’s replacement on the top unit in the next few games. Eklund was my 3rd ranked sleeper under 10% owned in my Draft Bargains post, his second consecutive appearance there. If you’d like to get more hits out of your streaming slots, Ross Colton is on the best-schedule team and logged 15:18 in their first game with 2 shots and 6 hits. Colorado currently has him on line 2 with Mittelstadt and the top power play unit. Given Avs play Ducks-Sharks to close their week, Colton has a high ceiling as a Friday-Sunday streamer.

3) Jake Wallman, SJ, (11% Yahoo ownership): Jake Wallman logged 25 minutes of ice time in the Sharks opener and looks to have become the team’s #1 defenseman, also quarterbacking their top power play unit. His 1 shot and 1 hit are a little concerning for anyone playing those formats, but it’s a really small sample size. The hit rate is unlikely to climb higher, but the shots might given the role they’re asking him to play. We’ll just have to wait and see how this Sharks offense sustains over the long-term, and if the forwards can continue scoring goals like game one, Wallman could be in line for a 30-40 point season. Another option available in 99% of Yahoo leagues is Sam Girard, with the Avalanche playing an aforementioned easy schedule. In Colorado’s first game Girard picked up a pair of assists in 20:44 of ice time. Traditionally he’s not a big shooter or hitter, so a better option for points-only formats.

4) Mikael Granlund, SJ, (20% Yahoo ownership): This report has become a Sharks feeding frenzy, so why stop now? Mikael Granlund and Fabian Zetterlund were excellent down the stretch for San Jose last season, receiving a few plugs on this blog. The linemates are back together again, and both widely available in fantasy with dual-position eligibility on Yahoo. I’m prioritizing Granlund a little higher because he played 3 more minutes than his winger in the last game, with more shots and hits (both players are deployed on the top power play unit). Will Smith is their current centerman, but he could get promoted to top line in the absence of Celebrini. If Smith is promoted, Alex Wennberg could move into the line 2 role and get extra minutes. Wennberg is available in 100% of Yahoo leagues and is a decent player.

5) Anton Lundell, Fla, (9% Yahoo ownership): Just as with Sam Bennett, Anton Lundell is another Florida center who will be leaned on to play more minutes in the absence of Barkov. Unlike Bennett, you can find Lundell’s name on the Panthers top power play, which is solid deployment for a player available in 90% of Yahoo leagues. He played a key role in the Panthers Stanley Cup victory and his legs are young enough I’m not concerned about a hangover. He and Luostarinen were promoted to line 2 with Reinhart, which is going to give Lundell an outlet to a dangerous trigger man with Eetu in the corners digging for pucks. Another young center with a busy schedule this week is Casey Mittelstadt, playing line 2 and power play 2 in Colorado. They play all light nights, with Casey logging a shade under 20 minutes of ice last game, scoring a goal with 3 shots.

Honorable Mentions: Fabian Zetterlund, Jake Allen, Sam Girard, Casey Mittelstadt, Ross Colton

Last Week: Jack Quinn, Dawson Mercer, Adam Boqvist, Jake Allen, Victor Olofsson