NHL Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

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Published on December 23, 2022

Happy holidays! The season may be treating some of us to horrible weather, and the NHL probably foresaw this when they created the schedule and chose to end this week on a Friday before taking three days off. That may not necessarily help when it comes to fantasy, but it's still nice to enjoy some sort of break.

And because it's fashionable to do at this time of year, here are some potential presents in the form of lineup improvements.

(Rostered rates as of Dec. 23)

Forwards

Ryan Hartman, MIN (Yahoo: 35%): Hartman made a name for himself last season with 65 points as Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello's main center at five-on-five. He began the campaign in the same capacity before shifting down the lineup and then missing six weeks with an upper-body injury. Hartman returned on Sunday and scored a goal Wednesday while on a line with Frederick Gaudreau and Matthew Boldy. He's been eased in after a long layoff but should soon get back to his usual 17-18 minute workload.

Dillon Dube, CGY (Yahoo: 19%): Thanks to improved positioning, Dube is set to crush his personal best of 32 points. Regularly lining up with elite pivots like Elias Lindholm and Nazem Kadri has its advantages, and that's led to five goals, nine assists, 24 shots and 20 hits over his last 13 games. Dube has only managed one power play point but has tallied twice while shorthanded. He's someone to target based on

And because it's fashionable to do at this time of year, here are some potential presents in the form of lineup improvements.

(Rostered rates as of Dec. 23)

Forwards

Anthony Mantha, WAS (Yahoo: 13%): Conor Sheary was featured last week as someone who's enhanced his fantasy profile by joining forces with Alex Ovechkin, and the same was true for Mantha until a recent switch-up. But that just means Evgeny Kuznetsov is now his regular center, and there's nothing wrong with that. Despite only averaging 13:46 in the last eight matchups, Mantha has posted seven points, 18 shots and a plus-6. As the Caps are a little thin on the right side, he should keep accumulating plenty of offensive opportunities.

Charlie Coyle, BOS (Yahoo: 5%): It's amazing what Coyle has achieved in a secondary role, especially with David Krejci rejoining the organization. Even with third-line placement, he's retained similar minutes with the benefit of Boston's depth up front. Coyle's power-play place may have evaporated, yet he's getting the most out of his time recording three goals and four assists across eight games. If your league counts faceoffs, Coyle has been solid there, winning over 55 percent of them.

Ross Colton, TB (Yahoo: 4%): Colton pushed through a couple AHL seasons before making it to the Bolts, but the hard work has paid off. After getting 39 points last year, he's projected to net a similar haul. Not bad for someone in the bottom six who's known more for his physicality. At least Colton maintains a spot on Tampa's second man-advantage and has already matched his high of five PPPs. Add in 51 shots and 69 hits and that's enough to include him on at least one of your rosters.

Michael Rasmussen, DET (Yahoo: 2%): Recency bias may be alluring and hide important facts, though it can also predict potential. In the case of Rasmussen, his stock has obviously risen thanks to two goals and two assists on Wednesday alongside Dylan Larkin and David Perron on the first line. After another helper Monday, that makes five points since joining the duo. Rasmussen had primarily operated as a center, so this shift to the wing may only be temporary, but as long as he stays in this situation, there's a lot to like.

Morgan Frost, PHI (Yahoo: 2%): Speaking of someone who's scored in bunches, Frost has significantly boosted his totals following a move up the depth chart. In his first appearance as Philly's top pivot on Nov. 11, he went off for four points to go along with two shots, two hits, and a plus-4. He's since fired home a goal in each of his last three. Over this stretch, Frost has averaged 18:33, including three-plus on the lead power play. The Flyers sit near the bottom in league offense, but upcoming head-to-heads with the three California clubs and the Coyotes bode well for their attack.

Cody Glass, NSH (Yahoo: 0%): Glass was the first of Vegas's three first-rounders in their inaugural season at No. 6, yet he spent most of the season in the AHL last year, notching 62 points in 66 contests. That was meant to be a springboard for his career, though the production barely trickled in early and there were a number of healthy scratches. Glass proceeded on the fourth line until a week ago Tuesday when he was installed on Nashville's second group. He's since registered four points, nine shots and six hits.

Defensemen

Adam Larsson, SEA (Yahoo: 32%): In their second season, the Kraken have excelled on offense and have improved at the other end. Larsson set a career-high last year with 25 points and supplemented that with solid contributions in a few categories. He's been dynamite across the board since Nov. 25, producing nine points, 20 shots, 12 PIM, 36 hits and 25 blocks while skating almost 25 minutes a night — including 29 (!) on Thursday against Vancouver. Don't expect Larsson to keep scoring at this pace, but he should provide enough elsewhere.

Brady Skjei, CAR (Yahoo: 30%): Skjei peaked at 39 points twice during his career and has generally been a serviceable top-six D-man. He used to be involved on the power play early on with the Rangers, though that responsibility had mainly disappeared until the last week where he was on Carolina's second unit and actually potted a PPG. Skjei may not retain that role for the long term, but he's currently on a nice run of four goals, three assists and 21 shots from eight games where he's averaged 22:37. NOTE: He didn't play Thursday due to a personal matter, so monitor that situation before adding him.

Conor Timmins, TOR (Yahoo: 2%): After missing over a month with an upper-body injury and getting back to speed in the AHL, Timmins was dealt by Arizona. He made his Leafs' debut two weeks ago with the team battling multiple blueline absences and hasn't looked out of place with six helpers in eight outings. Timmins has also featured on the backup man-advantage and notched an assist there. With Morgan Rielly's return unknown and Rasmus Sandin leaving Tuesday's contest and now on IR, Timmins has an opportunity to become a decent short-term acquisition.

Nils Lundkvist, DAL (Yahoo: 2%): Lundkvist was a Rangers' first-rounder in 2018 and did well across three seasons in Sweden before splitting last year between two levels and not logging a lot of minutes with the parent club. He was traded to the Stars in September and immediately registered a power play assist in the opener. Lundkvist's ice time hasn't been consistent, though he's up to 10 points alongside a sprinkling of other stats, skates with Miro Heiskanen at even-strength and has a spot on the second power play.

Goaltenders

Pheonix Copley, LA (Yahoo: 22%): Jonathan Quick enjoyed a superb five-game stretch earlier this season where he didn't lose in regulation and posted a 1.57 GAA and .942 save percentage. Unfortunately, his stats since have been horrendous, as he owns a 4.54/.853 line. Cal Petersen wasn't cutting it either and eventually cleared waivers en route to the AHL. At 30, Copley had spent most of the last eight years in the minors, with 27 appearances for Washington during the 2018-19 season marking his only notable NHL stint. Here we are after seven starts and he's impressed with a 6-1 record while only allowing 18 goals — and six of those were against Buffalo. With Copley riding the hot hand and the Kings carrying a decent offense, he's definitely worth picking up.

Lukas Dostal, ANH (Yahoo: 4%): It doesn't seem like a smart decision to take a netminder on a club ranked last in GAA, but in fantasy, there's value in a goalie who's covering most of the contests and making a lot of saves. John Gibson has bailed out the Ducks on many occasions and Anthony Stolarz has sparkled in short stretches, yet neither are currently available. Dostal was summoned from the AHL, where he's starred after similar success in the Finnish Elite League. Since giving up five goals across 29 minutes in Toronto, he's been sharp, stopping 144 of 156 shots while earning two road wins. Anaheim will probably continue to struggle on D, but Dostal looks destined to assume more starts even when Gibson comes back.

Players to consider from past columns: Logan Couture, Martin Necas, Dylan Cozens, Joel Eriksson Ek, Gabriel Vilardi, Jeff Skinner, Andrei Kuzmenko, Matty Beniers, Phillip Danault, Dylan Strome, Kevin Hayes, David Krejci, Trevor Moore, Nick Schmaltz, Max Domi, Kent Johnson, Alex Killorn, Jake DeBrusk, Kirby Dach, J.T. Compher, Owen Tippett, Jared McCann, Conor Sheary, Jack Roslovic, Brandon Hagel, Jack Quinn, Sam Steel, Jordan Eberle, William Karlsson, James van Riemsdyk, Viktor Arvidsson, Jason Zucker, Nick Paul, Seth Jarvis, Brandon Montour, Shayne Gostisbehere, Jake Sanderson, Noah Hanifin, Daniil Miromanov, Cam Fowler, Sean Durzi, Vince Dunn, Janis Moser, Rasmus Sandin, K'Andre Miller, Calen Addison, Vitek Vanecek, Martin Jones, Charlie Lindgren, James Reimer, Karel Vejmelka, Pyotr Kochetkov, Stuart Skinner, Spencer Martin, Jake Allen, Craig Anderson