Sunday, November 21, 2021

Fantasy Hockey 2021/22 Week 7 Waiver Wire Report

Welcome to my 2021/22 Week Seven Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report for those competing in head-to-head categories or rotisserie leagues. There are both standard and deep league acquisition targets. This report focuses on the best options among those who are likely to be available in your league as opposed to the universally owned players. There are 10 recommendations in total, 2 goalies, 2 defensemen, and 6 forwards. Some of these are only short-term targets, while others you may want to keep permanently. 

 

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

 

1) Nazem Kadri, Col, (64% Yahoo ownership): In the absence of Nathan MacKinnon, Kadri has stepped into the void, scoring 15 PTS in his last 8 GP (with 7 of those coming on the power play). He would be owned in many more leagues had the Avalanche not played a light schedule lately, but that problem will correct itself this upcoming week. If Naz is available in any of your leagues, now is the time to scoop him up (sadly he’s already owned in both of mine). MacKinnon is expected to return in 10-14 days.

2) Sam Girard, Col, (60% Yahoo ownership): If you thought the Avalanche offense would slow down without MacKinnon, you were mistaken. They haven’t skipped a beat. Girard has managed to produce 7 PTS in his last 5 GP, and is still getting a significant amount of power play time with Makar healthy. The Avs play 4 games this week, including Ottawa on Monday returning from a Covid absence to play at high altitude. I’ll personally be streaming in Rasmus Dahlin on defense, as Girard is owned in both my leagues.

3) Trevor Zegras, Ana, (40% Yahoo ownership): The Ducks offense has been firing on all cylinders early this season, and Zegras has helped fuel that thrust. Trevor has scored 9 PTS in his last 11 GP, and the Ducks will be playing 4 games this week. He’s currently slotted on a line with Nicholas Deslauriers and Sonny Milano, which is far from exciting, although Milano has been surprisingly productive this season. Zegras has the most value in dynasty leagues, as this kid has a bright future. His best is yet to come.

4) Pavel Buchnevich, Stl, (57% Yahoo ownership): Buchnevich is currently playing on the Blues second line with Robert Thomas and Vlad Tarasenko, and they’ve been rolling. Pavel has scored 7 PTS (3 on the power play) in his last 8 GP with 26 shots on net. The winger was 72% owned on October 1st, but was dropped in shallower leagues after a slow start scoring 3 PTS in his first 7 GP (I’m among the people who made that drop). The Blues play 4 games this week, making Buchnevich an excellent streaming option.

5) James Reimer, SJ, (38% Yahoo ownership): If you live on the east coast and tend to be sleeping while west coast games are playing, you might not be aware that James Reimer has posted a .938 SV% over his 9 GP. He has established himself as the clear 1A, but Adin Hill is still getting starts. The risk with Reimer this week is that he might be getting Carolina and Toronto, while Hill gets Covid-Ottawa and Chicago. Also, the Sharks have lost 6 of their last 8 games, so the team is trending in a negative direction. 

 

Honorable Mentions: Mikael Granlund, Boone Jenner, Andre Burakovsky, Jeremy Swayman, Rasmus Dahlin

Last Week: Jordan Eberle, Jared Spurgeon, Alex Nedeljkovic, Brandon Tanev, Anders Lee

 

Best Deep League Adds (under 25% ownership):

 

1) Seth Jarvis, Car, (3% Yahoo ownership): This rookie has yet to officially breakout offensively, but I’m absolutely intrigued to monitor his progress having scored 3 goals in his last 3 games. His ice time has been trending upwards as he’s currently slotted on the top line with Aho and Svechnikov. The Hurricanes will play 4 games this week and the skilled youngster is available in 97% of leagues. If he sticks on that top line and continues getting power play deployment, his stock price is going to soar in the near future.

2) Hampus Lindholm, (4% Yahoo ownership): If you’re looking for long-term upside, you may want to try Lindholm’s teammate Jamie Drysdale, but right now Hampus is churning out (slightly) better fantasy numbers. Over his last 13 games, Lindholm has netted 7 PTS, with 22 shots and a +8. The most encouraging thing is his current deployment on the top power play unit, ahead of Fowler, Shattenkirk, and Drysdale. That might not last too long, but it’s worth an investment until it stops. He’s 96% available.

3) Kasperi Kapanen, Pit, (15% Yahoo ownership): Traditionally I’ve only been interested in adding Kapanen when he’s rolling on a line with Crosby or Malkin. He’s currently slotted on the 2nd line, but is playing with Jeff Carter at center (who has slowed down lately) instead of Gino. Kasperi has netted 4 PTS in his last 5 GP and is available in 85% of leagues. The Penguins play 4 games this week, with Vancouver and Montreal among their opponents, and the Canucks have provided some big blowout potential recently.

4) Dustin Tokarski, Buf, (7% Yahoo ownership): The Buffalo Sabres have substantially exceeded my expectations as we approach the ¼ mark of the NHL season, and I don’t expect it to be at all sustainable. I’m fully anticipating a second half crash, but until that happens, you could do worse than Tokarski in deep leagues. He’s 93% available and has a decent .909 SV% in 9 GP. The Sabres have a strong 4 game schedule this week. I’d sit him against Boston, but Columbus, Montreal, and Detroit are all winnable.

5) Brandon Saad, Stl, (12% Yahoo ownership): Saad’s 5-on-5 deployment has not been exciting, slotted on the 3rd line with Sundqvist and Barbashev, but he’s also getting time on the top power play, scoring 3 goals in his last 2 GP (with 2 of those coming with the man advantage). The Blues have a strong schedule this week, and Saad is a potentially productive source of power play goals. Though I’ll admit, he is not a player who excites me long-term, but provides an intriguing opportunity for some short-term points.


Honorable Mentions: Jonathan Bernier, John Marino, Jeff Skinner, Evan Rodrigues, Tanner Jeannot

Last Week: Jaden Schwartz, Anthony Beauvillier, Thomas Greiss, Dmitry Orlov, Lawson Crouse

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