The true fantasy hockey league championship contenders have strong cores that consist of superstar players like Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane and Connor McDavid. However, while those players are good enough to lead a championship team, winning on a consistent basis requires surrounding those types of players with strong complimentary pieces that could include waiver wire pickups. For example, Patrick Maroon’s elevation to the top line in Edmonton has helped him pick up his production as he now has four points in his last three games. Who are the key players available that could help put your team over the top this week? Here is a look at the top waiver wire pickups that could still be available in your NHL fantasy league right now.
W: Antoine Roussel, Dallas Stars
Roussel has been a popular waiver wire option in recent years due to his contributions in leagues that count PIM’s and he has been a monster in that category early on this year with a league-leading 54 penalty minutes in just 15 games. However, unlike in previous years Roussel’s contributions haven’t been limited to penalty minutes as he has provided some decent scoring production playing on a line with Tyler Seguin while getting a minutes boost on the top powerplay in Dallas. Roussel has three goals and five assists over a six-game point streak and as long as he keeps playing big minutes with talented scorers he will continue to be a sneaky good NHL fantasy option that provides boosts in multiple categories across the board.
W: Radim Vrbata, Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes are just 5-9-0 through their first 14 games and both Max Domi and Anthony Duclair have struggled to find the back of the net with just two goals between them. However, Vrbata has settled in nicely after signing with Arizona in the offseason and his production has been very good early on. Vrbata leads the Coyotes with six goals and 11 points while registering a plus-one rating through the first few weeks. Vrbata has proved to be an underrated scoring threat in past years and he is worth taking a chance on right now if you need some scoring help on the wing.
G: Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is another team that has shown flashes despite struggling out of the gate and if they can find their rhythm it could mean big things for Ward. The veteran netminder is 3-4-3 with a 2.76 goals against average and .901 save percentage but he has shown signs of improvement this month at 2-1-2 with a 1.93 goals against average and a .932 save percentage in his last five starts. Ward can only ever be as good as the team in front of him but he is playing at a high level right now and could warrant a roster spot from a team that needs help in that department.
W: Pavel Buchnevich, New York Rangers
The Rangers are the highest-scoring team in the NHL right now, which is hard to believe. A team that has often struggled to score goals – especially in the playoffs – are having no problems in that category this season. As of Monday night, the Rangers have scored 65 goals, which is the most in the NHL – 11 more than any other team.
Their contributions are coming from all four lines, which has been the biggest reason for their outburst. With J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes, Rick Nash and Chris Kreider lighting it up it is easy to overlook Buchnevich, but he has certainly showed he can hang with the big boys. The rookie forward has four goals and eight points in 10 games despite dealing with back spasms early on this season. The Rangers have a favorable schedule again this week so Buchnevich is worth taking a chance on in NHL fantasy.
C: Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild
Minnesota will play three home games this week including two against opponents with sub-.500 records so the potential is there for Staal to have a big week. The veteran center has 13 points through 14 games with the Wild and he is really stating to find a chemistry with Charlie Coyle on Minnesota’s top line. Staal isn’t an elite center by any means but considering his nearly point per game production so far with the Wild he is definitely worth giving an opportunity in NHL fantasy leagues this week.
