Fantasy Hockey 2022/23 Week 1 Waiver Wire Report

Welcome to my 2022/23 Week One 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.
 
If you still haven’t drafted your team in a Yahoo league, I have a few things that can help you. You can borrow my own personal pre-draft rankings, or if you don’t have time to pre-rank, just bring my cheat sheet (the players I drafted most often in mocks and the average pick I got them). Then there are my draft bargains (formerly known as sleepers) and busts. Good luck!
 
 
Best Standard League Adds (25% to 65% Yahoo ownership):
 
1) Tanner Jeannot, Nsh, (62% Yahoo ownership): Jeannot was officially my most drafted player in my Yahoo mock drafts, but in both my leagues someone pulled the trigger before his ADP. He was someone that I wanted with one of my bench spots but waited too long to pounce. The fact that Nashville plays 4 games this week and Jeannot is a hitting machine adds to his appeal. If your league doesn’t count hits, then Jeannot loses most of his relevancy. If you play a categories league, he can win hits for you all by himself in week 1. Tanner has 5 PTS in 2 preseason games.
 
2) Matt Murray, Tor, (51% Yahoo ownership): Toronto’s first four games are against Montreal, Washington, Ottawa, and Arizona (the Yotes are in week 2). There’s at least 2.5 easy wins for the Leafs in that slate. Murray is available in half of leagues, and appears to be entering the season as the 1A on the team with the 2nd best Stanley Cup odds. He went undrafted in my first draft, and I scooped him up a few days later from waivers. He’s worth a roll of the dice. Or you can add John Gibson, who will only play 2 games, but against non playoff teams. He is always great in October, an ideal “pump and dump” trade candidate in the first few weeks.

3) Vincent Trocheck, NYR, (58% Yahoo ownership): I might have missed out on Jeannot, but both my teams acquired Trocheck at the end of the draft. Yahoo ranked him far too low, especially considering he’s playing with Artemi Panarin. The Rangers play 3 games in week 1, albeit with some potentially good goaltenders at the other end. What I really like about Trocheck in a standard categories league is that he hits often, which would make him even more valuable if he’s able to touch a higher offensive ceiling playing with Panarin.
 
4) Tomas Hertl, SJ, (64% Yahoo ownership): Add another name to the list of people ranked too low on Yahoo and often going undrafted. Hertl has been showing up often on the daily most added player list, in part because the Sharks play 4 games in week 1, but also because he often fell too late in drafts. Hertl plays on the Sharks top line with Timo Meier, and they have a busy week ahead (Barabanov is currently the 3rd wheel on that line). Logan Couture is also available in a lot of leagues and can potentially help you out this week.
 
5) Mark Giordano, Tor, (28% Yahoo ownership): Giordano stock peaked at 78% owned last season (average 59%), as his share price has plunged down to 28%. It does seem like the “hate” has gone a little too far and the Leafs have a desirable schedule ahead. There was not a single defenseman between 65% and 28% owned that I liked better than Gio, who I have projected for 33 PTS this season. Probably not a permanent hold in standard leagues, but at the very least he’s a quality candidate for a 4-game PTO with your fantasy team.
  
Honorable Mentions: Logan Couture, Chandler Stephenson, Ryan Johansen, Vince Dunn, John Gibson
 
 
Best Deep League Adds (under 25% ownership):
 
1) Mikael Granlund, Nsh, (22% Yahoo ownership): Granlund scored 64 PTS last season and peaked at 57% owned. His stock price got reset too low in the offseason. I have him projected for some regression down to 53 PTS (recall he scored at a 40ish point pace for the two previous seasons), but he still needs to be owned in more than 22% of leagues. Even if you’re in a standard league, he has week 1 streaming appeal due to the schedule. The second line of Niederreiter-Johansen-Tomasino also has some streaming appeal if everyone from that top line is unavailable in your league.
 
2) Phil Kessel, Veg, (21% Yahoo ownership): Phil Kessel is projected to play on the top line with Jack Eichel and Reilly Smith and Vegas will be playing Chicago, Seattle, and LA. Phil was also in the deep league section of my draft bargain list because of the role he’s expected to fill. I have him projected for 53 PTS (same as Granlund), so he may be worth a long-term hold depending on the depth of your league. I’m also interested to see what Reilly Smith can do with this opportunity, as Jack Eichel is a big offensive upgrade from William Karlsson.
 
3) James Reimer, SJ, (22% Yahoo ownership): The San Jose Sharks will play 4 games in week 1 of the Yahoo schedule, two sets of back-to-backs. Meaning you expect both Reimer and Kahkonen to get 2 starts each. I’m expecting Reimer to enter the season as the 1A, but that also means he could get the tougher match-ups of the two, Carolina instead of Chicago (both will play Nashville). Pick your poison. Kahkonen is available in nearly 90% of leagues. If you’re in a really deep league, Vegas has an easy schedule and Adin Hill could get 1-2 starts, only 6% owned.
 
4) Mattias Ekholm, Nsh, (14% Yahoo ownership): Ekholm’s average ownership on Yahoo last season was 39%, which has dropped all the way down to 14%. He scored a respectable 31 PTS last season and should be close to that mark again. The defenseman is a good streamer in week 1 with 4 games on the slate. I’m sure you’ve noticed a Sharks-Predators theme emerging here. You may also want to roll the dice on Chris Wideman being the power play quarterback in Montreal, available in 98% of leagues.
 
5) Vitali Kravtsov, NYR, (4% Yahoo ownership): It’s not set in stone who will earn that lucrative assignment playing with Trocheck and Panarin, but Kravtsov seems to be the early leader to get the job, at least according to Daily Faceoff. His ownership is suspiciously low considering where Daily Faceoff currently has him slotted. The young winger has had a rough start to his relationship with the Rangers, but Panarin has apparently taken him on as an apprentice to mentor his transition to the NHL. Could be a lottery ticket. 96% available.
 
Honorable Mentions: Reilly Smith, Nino Niederreiter, Kent Johnson, Chris Wideman, Kaapo Kahkonen