Fantasy Hockey 2022/23 Week 12 Waiver Wire Report

Welcome to my 2022/23 Week Twelve 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.

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

1) Dylan Cozens, Buf, (58% Yahoo ownership): I’ll assume the only thing restricting Cozens Yahoo ownership growth is his position eligibility, as the youngster is having a breakout season. If you’ve got room on your roster, Cozens is a great option with Buffalo playing 4 games, a few of them against struggling teams. The center has scored 17 PTS in his last 13 GP, adding 38 shots. Another center that I like this week if you’ve got room is Tomas Hertl (14 PTS in his last 12 GP with 43 shots and 17 hits), with the Sharks playing a very desirable schedule.

2) Andre Burakovsky, Sea, (50% Yahoo ownership): There were a few Seattle players in the running for my report this week. They might only play 3 games, but they’re all on light schedule nights that’ll be easy to fit into your starting line-up. Burakovsky has hit a slight cold streak, but still has 13 PTS in his last 14 GP, with 32 shots, eligible at both wings. If you have room for a center (which shouldn’t be too hard on Wed-Fri), Matty Beniers is also a solid option. In his last 14 GP, Beniers has scored 14 PTS (2 of those coming on the power play) with 33 shots and 19 hits.

3) Seth Jarvis, Car, (29% Yahoo ownership): This is the 2^nd appearance here in the last 3 weeks for Jarvis, and the dual-eligible winger is currently listed on the Hurricanes 2nd line with Sebastian Aho & Teuvo Teravainen and 2nd power play, scoring 10 PTS in his last 14 GP, with 31 shots and 17 hits. He’s a very gifted offensive player I’d be excited to own in dynasty formats. If  Teravainen is available in your league, that might be a better option, playing 2nd line and top power play in Carolina (for now), with Sebastian Aho (at least according to Daily Faceoff on Friday night).

4) Vince Dunn, Sea, (47% Yahoo ownership): Vince Dunn might not be on the top power play unit in Seattle, but he still gets loads of ice time and generates offense, scoring 8 PTS in his last 14 GP, with 23 shots, 22 hits, and a +10. As mentioned Seattle only plays 3 and not until Wednesday, so you can hang on to your streamers from last week for Monday-Tuesday then swap in some Kraken for Wednesday. You could go with 4 games of Seth Jones in Chicago, as he plays top power play with good shot and hit totals, but he could really hurt if your league counts +/-.

5) Filip Gustavsson, Min, (35% Yahoo ownership): Not sure how many games Filip Gustavsson or Charlie Lindgren will start this week, but both are excellent spot-start streaming options in all formats when they do get the call. Both are red-hot but now in a time-share with more expensive starters, diminishing their “permanent hold” value. Gustavsson has been on fire, posting a .928 SV% in his last 6 starts. Also Stuart Skinner needs to be owned in more fantasy leagues, at least until we actually see a Jack Campbell revival. I currently have Skinner on both of my teams.

 

Honorable Mentions: Matty Beniers, Tomas Hertl, Teuvo Teravainen, Stuart Skinner, Seth Jones

Last Week: Charlie Lindgren, Shayne Gostisbehere, Taylor Hall, Mikael Backlund, Travis Konecny

 

Best Deep League Adds (under 25% ownership):

1) Alexander Barabanov, SJ, (4% Yahoo ownership): If you want a player who is playing top line and top power play that’s available in 96% of leagues, there aren’t many better options than Barabanov. In his last 13 GP, the dual-eligible winger has scored 10 PTS (4 on the power play) with 30 shots. The Sharks play 4 games, including some weak opponents, making him a solid streaming option. Erik Haula is still playing with Jack Hughes, but missed the cut for this list because he only has 2 PTS in his last 9 GP. Still being on the ice with Hughes has high upside potential.

2) Shane Pinto, Ott, (10% Yahoo ownership): Shane Pinto received an honorable mention here last week for his deployment on the 2nd line with DeBrincat and Batherson, as well as the 2nd power play unit. Pinto has scored 5 PTS in his last 7 GP. Ottawa will be playing 4 games, but you may want to wait until Sat-Sun when they play Detroit and Buffalo, as Washington-Boston are tougher to score on. If you don’t have room for a center, Stefan Noesen in Carolina continues getting top power play deployment, scoring 8 PTS in his last 12 GP, while putting up solid shot and hit totals.

3) Craig Anderson, Buf, (17% Yahoo ownership): The Buffalo Sabres have 4 games in the post-Christmas week, 3 of them against non-playoff teams. Anderson and Luukkonen have been alternating starts, and either could give you a couple wins this week. If you’re really desperate you could even claim the tandem. Anderson has a .933 SV% in the last 2 weeks (5 GP) while Luukkonen was at .897 in 8 GP over that same span. MacKenzie Blackwood is back in net for New Jersey, and will be in a time-share with Vanecek. He’s a decent spot-start target when they play weaker teams.

4) Justin Schultz, Sea, (17% Yahoo ownership): Schultz might only have 1 point in his last 5 GP, but he’s currently deployed on the Kraken top power play unit, giving Schultz some deep league streaming appeal. Dunn gets 6 minutes more ice time per game and is the better option, even on the 2nd power play, delivering much better peripheral stats than Schultz. The Sharks play an extra game, and Matt Benning has been getting a ton of ice time lately, scoring 8 PTS in his last 14 GP with 29 hits. Benning is 96% available, so he’ll be easy to find if you need a blueliner.

5) Brandon Tanev, Sea, (12% Yahoo ownership): If you want a streamer that can help pad your hit totals on light schedule nights, Tanev is a widely available option. In his last 14 GP, Tanev has scored 6 PTS with 21 shots and 41 hits. The Kraken have a few decent streaming options for deeper leagues and are worth checking out. This also might be a good time to stream Jonathan Toews, given the Blackhawks busy schedule. Toews is playing 2nd line and top power play in Chicago, scoring 7 PTS in his last 9 GP. If/when he gets traded, it could bring a huge boost to his value.

Honorable Mentions: Jonathan Toews, Stefan Noesen, Erik Haula, Matt Benning, MacKenzie Blackwood

Last Week: Brendan Hagel, Erik Cernak, Adam Ruzicka, James van Riemsdyk, Pheonix Copley