The NHL All-Star break is coming up this weekend and in most fantasy hockey leagues that means an extended week of competition with a two-week slate that begins on January 23rd and ends on February 5th. The extended matchups will likely make the waiver wire that much more important with a chance to supplement some underrated talent in to your lineup in order to pull out a victory. Here is a look at the top waiver wire pickups for this week in NHL fantasy hockey.
C: Paul Stastny, St. Louis Blues
Stastny has been disappointing for most of this season but he has put together a strong run with five goals and five assists in his last 10 games. Stastny’s value is even higher in leagues that count faceoff wins as he has been one of the best faceoff men in the NHL this season. The fact that he is playing on the Blues’ top line with Jaden Schwartz and Alex Steen while getting top powerplay minutes should ensure that he continues to produce at a high level over the next two weeks.
Like Stastny, the Blues have mostly been a disappointment this season as they have just 51 points in 47 games. They are fighting for their playoff lives. However, they have been far more effective at home, which is worth noting for NHL fantasy purposes. They are 16-11 at home compared to 7-13 on the road.
LW/RW: Pavel Buchnevich, New York Rangers
Buchnevich would be owned in a lot more leagues had he not been injured for most of this season because he has 14 points in 14 games so far and he has the potential to keep up that pace. The 21-year-old rookie is playing on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Rick Nash and he has two goals and four assists during a four-game point streak since he returned this month.
The Rangers have tapered off a little bit but still have 63 points in 48 games so far this season. The Metropolitan Division has all of the sudden been the best in the NHL, so they somewhat get lost behind the Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins. However, the Rangers 63 points would be good enough for first or second in every other division in the NHL.
RW: Patrick Eaves, Dallas Stars
Eaves has spent the majority of his time on a line with Jamie Benn and Cody Eakin of late and he is starting to heat up again with two goals and three assists over his last three games. Eaves is up to 17 goals on the season including nine on the power play and he still skates with the top power play in Dallas. Eaves ranks third on the team with 13 power play points and should continue to produce over the next couple of weeks in NHL fantasy leagues.
Dallas has been a laggard this season, which is why they sometimes get overlooked for NHL fantasy purposes. They have just 47 points in 48 games and that’s mostly due to the fact that their offense, which was so good last year, has fallen off. They have just 129 goals so far, which is the second-fewest in the Central Division.
C/RW: Michael Frolik, Calgary Flames
Frolik has managed to remain hot for most of the season including a goal and three assists during his current three-game point streak. The veteran winger now has 14 points over his last 14 games while playing mostly on a line with Mikael Backlund and rookie Matthew Tkachuk. That line should stay hot over the next 14 days and Frolik’s dual-position eligibility makes him an appealing potential pickup.
G: Ondrej Pavelec, Winnipeg Jets
There aren’t many NHL fantasy experts that would have expected to see Pavelec on this list earlier in the season but he has picked up two wins in as many starts for Winnipeg since being recalled from the AHL and he has the potential to put up decent numbers for as long as he remains the starter. Pavelec’s 3.03 goals against average isn’t great but his .914 save percentage is pretty good and if the Jets can tighten things up in front of him they could go on a run over the next two weeks of action with Pavelec as their starter.
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