Friday, March 10, 2023

Fantasy Hockey 2022/23 Week 22 Waiver Wire Report

Welcome to my 2022/23 Week Twenty Two 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) Dmitri Orlov, Bos, (65% Yahoo ownership): Dmitri Orlov was 26% owned on Yahoo February 1st, and since the trade to Boston has seen his stock shoot up to 65%. If he’s still on the wire in any of your leagues, he’s a fantastic streaming target, maybe even a long-term hold depending on your format. In his last 5 GP, Orlov has 9 PTS with 9 shots and 12 hits. The Bruins have 4 games, all against struggling opponents. Another player who moved at the deadline into a great situation is Rasmus Sandin, who is now anchoring the top power play unit in Washington, scoring 5 PTS in his last 3 GP with 8 hits. Caps have a 4-game schedule coming up too.
 
2) Tyler Bertuzzi, Bos, (35% Yahoo ownership): Another newly minted Bruin who fell into a fantastic situation is Tyler Bertuzzi, who is now deployed on the second line with Pastrnak and Krejci, though hasn’t been lighting up the scoreboard much since his arrival. They do play Detroit back-to-back this weekend and Chicago, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Buffalo next week, so you could potentially hit the jackpot with Bertuzzi, who is still widely available and eligible at both wings. Another option is Boone Jenner, who plays top line and top power play in Columbus, scoring 10 PTS with 48 shots and 25 hits in his last 13 GP. Great peripherals.
 
3) Joonas Korpisalo, LA, (38% Yahoo ownership): Korpisalo was on my radar for his solid play when he played for the terrible Blue Jackets and now that he’s in LA, my interest has increased. I added him in a 12-team standard league where Copley was already on my roster. It’s looking like they’ll be alternating starts. Korpisalo has a .932 SV% in his last 7 GP, Copley is league average (slightly below over the full season). It’s not impossible Korpisalo wins primary duty in the near future. Even if they continue alternating, Korpisalo would be due for 2 of the Kings 3 games. Meanwhile; Pyotr Kochetkov is back in Carolina after a Raanta injury, posting a shutout in his first game back. He’ll probably only get 1 start, but worth a stream when he does.
 
4) Tom Wilson, Wsh, (43% Yahoo ownership): Tom Wilson is back up on the Capitals top line with Ovechkin and Kuznetsov, scoring 7 PTS in his last 9 GP, with 22 shots and 23 hits. The Caps play 4 games, including Wed-Fri-Sun when you’ll have an easier time fitting him into your starting line-up. If your league doesn’t count hits, you could try streaming Andrei Kuzmenko in Vancouver, who continues to play top line and top power play with Elias Pettersson, scoring 13 PTS in his last 14 GP, with 27 shots. The Canucks also have a 4-game schedule upcoming.
 
5) Dylan Cozens, Buf, (63% Yahoo ownership): Yeah, it’s time for yet another Cozens plug. The Buffalo Sabres have another 4-game slate coming Mon-Wed-Fri-Sun, so you’ll have an easy time fitting them into your starting line-up. A big reason Cozens is still available in several leagues is the center-only designation, but he’ll be playing on nights when your other centers are likely to be off. Another player who has been plugged here often lately is Alex Killorn, who is more widely available than Cozens, eligible at both wings and plays on Tampa’s PP1, scoring 15 PTS in his last 15 GP.
 
 
Honorable Mentions: Andrei Kuzmenko, Boone, Jenner, Pyotr Kochetkov, Rasmus Sandin, Alex Killorn
 
Last Week: Dylan Cozens, Dawson Mercer, Cam Talbot, Troy Terry, Noah Hanifin
 
 
Best Deep League Adds (under 25% ownership):
 
1) Akira Schmid, NJ, (12% Yahoo ownership): Akira Schmid is back in the NHL, posting a .940 SV% in 4 GP, while Vitek Vanecek has posted a sub .865 SV% for 5 consecutive games. There’s an opportunity for Schmid to see lots of action this week behind one of the league’s best teams. They play 4 times, although there are some potentially dangerous opponents on the slate. Mads Sogaard was a close contender this slot, with Talbot getting injured and Ottawa playing 4 games, but he has back-to-back bad starts on his game log, including one to Chicago’s AHL team that has me concerned. There’s some risk, but a potentially high ceiling.
 
2) Adam Boqvist, Cbj, (8% Yahoo ownership): If you’re looking for a top power play D-man who is 92% available and has a great schedule coming up against the California teams, Adam Boqvist has 8 PTS (4 on the PP) in his last 12 GP with 16 shots. Columbus might be dead last in the league, but they still have a power play featuring Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine. Another option is Sam Girard, scoring 12 PTS in his last 14 GP for the Colorado Avalanche, though with Cale Makar and Bowen Byram back healthy, there is more competition for power play time, so Girard’s next 14 games shouldn’t be quite that productive.
 
3) Anthony Beauvillier, Van, (17% Yahoo ownership): If you’re looking for a top line, top power option who is 83% available, Anthony Beauvillier has been putting up great numbers since being joined to Elias Pettersson, scoring 13 PTS in his last 14 GP with 32 shots and 15 hits. Tony is eligible at both wings and is averaging 18:52 ice time in the last 30 days. Meanwhile; Jordan Greenway might only have 2 PTS in his last 16 GP, but since acquiring him in a trade, Buffalo has deployed the winger on the top line with Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner. He’s 99% available, averages 2 hits per game, is deployed on a dangerous scoring line, and has a coveted Mon-Wed-Fri-Sun schedule.
 
4) Josh Anderson, Mtl, (10% Yahoo ownership): Josh Anderson is playing 2nd line and top power play in Montreal, scoring 8 PTS (2 on the PP) with 40 shots and 20 hits in his last 14 GP. He’s back to being a high volume shooter with good hit totals that can potentially net some extra points with the man advantage, providing added value in category leagues. Kirill Marchenko might be worth a flyer in super-deep leagues, listed on the top line and top power with Gaudreau in Columbus. Marchenko only has 1 point in his last 5 GP, but they have San Jose, LA, and Anaheim on the slate, so there’s a potential lottery ticket if he doesn’t get demoted before then.
 
5) Tomas Tatar, NJ, (x% Yahoo ownership): If you added Tatar on my advice last week, you may as well let it ride, as the dual-eligible winger has sustained his spot on the top line with Hischier and Mercer. Tomas has hit a bit of a cold spell with just 1 point in his last 4, but he also has 7 PTS in his last 7 GP, so it’s all a matter of perspective. My only concern is they Carolina and Tampa twice, though Vasilevskiy hasn’t been himself lately. The Devils moved Jesper Boqvist (0% owned on Yahoo) up to the Hughes line and moved Bratt down to load up the 3rd line with Erik Haula and Ondrej Palat (both of whom play with Tatar on PP2). Haula has 12 PTS with 36 shots and 16 hits in his last 14 GP.
 
 
Honorable Mentions: Sam Girard, Erik Haula, Mads Sogaard, Kirill Marchenko, Jordan Greenway
 
Last Week: Juuso Valimaki, Dillon Dube, Mads Sogaard, Jason Zucker, Tomas Tatar



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