Fantasy Hockey 2022/23 Week 24 Waiver Wire Report

Welcome to my 2022/23 Week Twenty Four 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) Joonas Korpisalo, LA, (41% Yahoo ownership): Not only have I been pumping Korpisalo a lot here lately, but have also been rostering him on one of my first place teams since the trade deadline. Korpisalo has 4 wins and a .913 SV% in his last 6 games, playing in a platoon with Pheonix Copley, who was my top goaltending recommendation last week due to an extra expected start. The Kings play 4 times in the week ahead, with Korps likely drawing Calgary-Seattle and Copley getting Edmonton-Vancouver. I might consider adding Copley (.904 SV% in the last 30 days) for the Sunday start against Vancouver if needed, but Korpisalo is my preferred choice so I can avoid that Oilers game on Thursday. The Kings are hot, and a good source of wins. If you’re desperate and want to leverage a high risk-reward play, Joel Hofer in St. Louis has won 3 of 4 games with a .944 SV%. Binnington is back from suspension, but Berube seems to be letting Hoffer run with the job while he’s winning.
 
2) Mattias Ekholm, Edm, (48% Yahoo ownership): In 11 games since joining the Edmonton Oilers, Mattias Ekholm has scored 9 PTS with 22 shots, 18 hits, and a +15. The Oilers have a strong upcoming schedule with 4 games (including vs Ana & Ari) and I have a pending waiver claim for the defenseman myself. I also like that their games are front-loaded early in the week. If you’d rather have a D-man on a top power play unit, his teammate Evan Bouchard is quarterbacking the Oilers PP1 and has 9 PTS in his last 14 GP with 25 shots and 10 hits. Granted he’s only available in 39% of leagues. Mike Matheson plays on the top unit in Montreal, scoring 11 PTS in his last 15 GP with 50 shots and 13 hits. I have already added Matheson as a streamer on one of my teams because their schedule is also front-loaded at the start of the week vs Buffalo, Philly, and Florida. All teams you can score on. The Rangers also have an appealing schedule and K’Andre Miller has scored 8 PTS in his last 8 GP, with 13 shots, 15 hits, a +9, available in half of leagues.
 
3) Jason Zucker, Pit, (41% Yahoo ownership): Zucker was featured here last week, and has another strong schedule ahead. He’s near the top of my own list of potential adds for round 2, but I’m going to wait until Saturday night to get affirmation of his health status before pulling the trigger. He was a game-time decision Thursday, so if something is nagging at him, there’s some risk. If healthy, he has 54 shots and 33 hits in his last 16 GP (and 10 PTS) playing with Malkin. If your risk premium is lower but you still want extra shots and hits, you could try Boone Jenner in Columbus, center the top line and top power play, scoring 11 PTS in his last 14 GP with 50 shots and 26 hits. They have tough opponents on Tue-Thu, but make an excellent streaming target on Sat-Sun vs at home Florida and Ottawa (who are both worse at goal prevention on the road).
 
4) Brayden Schenn, Stl, (58% Yahoo ownership): Brayden Schenn is playing top line and top power play in St. Louis, scoring 10 PTS (3 on the PP) with 19 shots and 27 hits in his last 14 games. He’s eligible at multiple positions and the Blues have two desirable opponents to start the week (Vancouver & Chicago), but I’m less excited about Sat-Sun vs Nashville and Boston (at least for scoring, but those could be very physical games and Schenn is someone you want to target specifically in banger leagues). As an added bonus, the Blues play Sat-Sun of this week against Ana-LA if you need to win your quarterfinal match before advancing. If you’re looking for an option that’s more widely available, the Bruins play 4 times and David Krejci continues to center the 2nd line with David Pastrnak, scoring 11 PTS (2 on the PP) in his last 14 GP, with 24 shots and a +7.
 
5) Nick Suzuki, Mtl, (54% Yahoo ownership): Nick Suzuki has averaged nearly 21 minutes of ice time per game in the last 7 games centering the top line and top power play, scoring 8 PTS (3 on the PP). The shot and hit totals aren’t great, but he’s on my short list because of the aforementioned Mon-Tue-Thu schedule against appealing opponents. Then he can be swapped out for someone who plays twice Fri-Sat-Sun to get 5 games played from that slot. If you’re looking for a Fri-Sun streamer Lucas Raymond is playing top line and top power play in Detroit with Dylan Larkin, scoring 5 PTS (2 on the PP) in his last 6 GP. The Wings play 4 times, but that Thursday game vs Carolina is probably a stay-away on a busy night.
 
 
Honorable Mentions: Boone Jenner, Mike Matheson, Evan Bouchard, K’Andre Miller, Pheonix Copley, David Krejci, Lucas Raymond
 
Last Week: Andrei Kuzmenko, Bowen Byram, Jason Zucker, Robert Thomas, Pheonix Copley
 
 
Best Deep League Adds (under 25% ownership):
 
1) Sammy Blais, Stl, (12% Yahoo ownership): If you’re in a categories league with hits, Slammin’ Sammy has 61 in his last 14 games, ranking him 3rd in the league in that category for the last 30 days. What sets him apart from the rest of that hits leaderboard is his 9 PTS playing on the Blues second line. They do have a back-loaded schedule, so he’s not someone I’m targeting until later in the week. Meanwhile if you added Jesperi Kotkaniemi on my advice last week, you may as well let it ride. He’s playing 2nd line and 2nd power play in Carolina, scoring 11 PTS (4 on the PP) in his last 14 GP with 21 shots and 18 hits. The Canes play 4 times, though should be facing Sorokin and Vasilevskiy on two of them.
 
2) Casey DeSmith, Pit, (17% Yahoo ownership): DeSmith was my top deep league goaltending recommendation for round one of the playoffs, and now Tristan Jarry is out with a “lower body injury”. Of their 4 games in the upcoming slate, only Boston is a dangerous opponent. The Penguins are fighting for their playoff lives, and won’t be resting any stars down the stretch. DeSmith is sporting a .920 SV% in his last 8 games, already moving into a time-share with Jarry before the injury. My previous report speculated that DeSmith and Akira Schmid would be my top two recommendations once again in round 2, and nothing has changed. The Devils play 4 games against the Islanders, Rangers, Blackhawks, and Jets (in that order), so you may even want to use him as a weekend streamer when he should face Chicago. In his last 8 games, Schmid has posted an impressive .916 SV%. He did get lit up by Buffalo Friday night, but who hasn't?

Update: Sorry, MacKenzie Blackwood is back from injury, decreasing Schmid's streaming value. An alternative is Pyotr Kochetkov in Carolina, and you can see his schedule/stats on the graphic below.
 
3) Kirby Dach, Mtl, (17% Yahoo ownership): Kirby Dach is on my short list of players to target for Monday to Thursday for the juicy front-loaded schedule, logging nearly 45 minutes of ice time in his first 2 games back from injury, scoring 3 PTS (2 on the power play) with 5 shots and 4 hits. My only open roster spot on one of my teams is Thursday at RW. I might go Dach Mon-Tue then swap him out for Sammy Blais Thu-Sat-Sun to get another 5 games out of that slot. If you want options that are 99% available, two of Dach’s teammates with similarly front-loaded schedules; Dennis Gurianov has 6 PTS in his last 7 GP with 15 shots and 7 hits playing 2nd line and 2nd power play. Michael Pezzetta leads the league in hitting the last 30 days with 63, so he’s a fantastic banger to pad your total early.
 
4) Owen Tippett, Phi, (21% Yahoo ownership): The Flyers may not have a front-loaded schedule, but they do play 4 times with some upcoming opponents that you can score goals on and Owen Tippett plays top line and top power play. The dual-eligible winger is averaging over 21 minutes of ice time the last 12 games, logging 8 PTS (3 on the PP), with 54 shots and 19 hits. Added value in leagues that count shots. Tyler Bertuzzi might only be playing 3rd line and 2nd power play in Boston, but they have some potentially juicy opponents Thu-Sat-Sun, so Tyler is among the players I’ll be considering on the weekend. He does have 5 PTS in his last 6 GP. Also, none of the games are in Canada, not that it matters anymore…
 
5) Damon Severson, NJ, (21% Yahoo ownership): There weren’t many exciting options among the deep league defense streamers for round two. Points-wise, Damon Severson was the clear leader with 9 PTS in his last 14 GP and sees time on New Jersey’s second power play unit. The downside is the Devils should be facing Sorokin, Shesterkin, and Hellebuyck. That’s discouraging. Severson also doesn’t have great peripheral stats, and if you’re in a league with hits, Alexander Romanov has 32 in his last 12 games, with 4 PTS and a +10. The Isles have a convenient Mon-Wed-Sat-Sun schedule that will make him easier to fit into your starting line-up (Saturday notwithstanding). There’s also Jake Walman in Detroit, 98% available, with 4 games (including Fri-Sun). He has 4 PTS in his last 15 GP with 36 shots and 11 hits.
 
 
Honorable Mentions: Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Alexander Romanov, Akira Schmid, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dennis Gurianov
 
Last Week: Anthony Beauvillier, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Casey DeSmith, Barrett Hayton, Marcus Pettersson
 
Also to help with your goalie streaming decisions, here is a quick reference chart.