The NHL has been on a Christmas break since Friday but the action will return to the ice on Tuesday. That means now is the perfect time to gear up for the final week of 2016 by looking at some of the top options on the NHL fantasy waiver wire.
G: Mike Condon, Ottawa Senators
We’re not exactly sure when to expect Craig Anderson back, which means that Mike Condon has to be one of the guys NHL fantasy GM’s are targeting if they’re in need of a goaltender. This is a guy who has won each of his last four outings and he’s allowed two goals or less in three of those contests. That’s pretty solid. He’s 8-3-2 on the year with a .922 save percentage and 2.26 goals-against average. As long as Anderson is out, Condon is going to have plenty of value, so go get him. The senators have played well so far this season, so it’s not as if you’re getting a starter on a bad team. The Sens are currently in second place in the Atlantic Division with 43 points and a record of 20-11-3 through 34 games.
C, RW: Sam Reinhart, Buffalo Sabres
It would be nice if Reinhart was playing with Jack Eichel more frequently, but beggars can’t be choosers. Reinhart is still seeing plenty of playing time with another quality forward – Ryan O’Reilly – and that has translated into some production for him. He entered the break on a three-game point streak, collecting a goal and three assists in that span. He plays on Buffalo’s top power play unit and while the offense on the whole team is inconsistent, he’s someone worth taking a flier on in deeper NHL fantasy leagues.
C, LW: Valtteri Filppula, Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are normally one of the most reliable teams in terms of NHL fantasy for offense. However, they are very banged up right now and that has given the veteran Filppula some added value. Jonathan Drouin was the latest Lightning member to go down, which might actually hurt Filppula’s value. It’s kind of a give-and-take situation: on one hand, the second-line center now gets more opportunity. On the flip side, he had one goal and seven assists in his last eight games while playing next to Drouin, so he could really miss the guy. Either way, this is a good spot to add Filppula as he’s been producing.
F: Jason Zucker, Minnesota Wild
This is a player that we’ve seen perform well in the past, but it didn’t necessarily into future success. Remember, Zucker scored 21 goals in 51 games in the 2014-15 season and a lot of people thought that he was on the cusp of a breakout last year. That proved to be the wrong assessment as he regressed to just 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists) in 71 games last season. However, he’s been a different player this year as he has 22 points this season. Five of his eight goals and 10 of his 22 points have come in the last 11 games. He’s climbed the depth chart for the Wild and is going to earn even more playing time if he keeps this up. Minnesota is currently is second place in the Central Division with 43 points, just three points behind the Chicago Blackhawks.
LW, RW: Anthony Mantha, Detroit Red Wings
Anytime you can find a productive forward playing on a top line, you have to pay attention in NHL fantasy. The Detroit Red Wings are clearly not the powerhouse they once were but they do have a decent top line of Tomas Tatar, Henrik Zetterberg and Anthony Mantha. While the first two names may be more familiar to you, Mantha is likely to be someone you hear more of if he continues to perform at the level that he’s been playing. He has picked up 11 points in 19 games this season, which fleshes out to a healthy 47 points on the season (over 82 games). He has six goals in those contests, which is decent. Considering he’s a guy who is barely owned in NHL fantasy leagues across the board, you might want to consider picking him up. His arrow appears to be pointing up and it’s costing you virtually nothing to put him on your team.
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