Fantasy Hockey: Week 2 Top Waiver Wire Pickups
The fantasy hockey season may have just begun, but there are already some guys who went undrafted that are making waves this season, and are worth waiver pickups. There are a few guys this week who if they are available, you need to try and scoop up immediately. Without further ado, in the famous words of Chance The Rapper: “Let’s do that hockey.”
G Braden Holtby, Dallas Stars
A player who had a shaky 2021 season was Braden Holtby. Holtby severely underperformed in 2021 with Vancouver, but seems to have bounced back to start this season. Through four games this year, he leads the league with 132 saves and has a very solid .950 save percentage. His .950 save percentage is third among goalies who have played at least three games. I expect the Stars to be a good team this year, so Holtby should be able to rack up wins. Holtby is the type of goalie that can help you lock down the goalie categories and is a great No. 2 goalie option for fantasy, and he's teetering on the verge of No. 1 status. At the time of writing this article, Holtby is still available in 25 percent of all leagues. As recently as Friday he was available in 71 percent of leagues. Having Holtby definitely won't lose you your league. Go grab him while he is still available.
F Jesse Puljujarvi, Edmonton Oilers
Many people were ready to write off the 2016 No. 4 overall pick as a bust after having a shaky start to his career. After improving last year in the COVID shortened season, Puljujarvi picked up right where he left off as he currently has 8 points through the first five games. After ping ponging around the Oilers lineup last year, he seems to have found a home on Edmonton’s top line with Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman. If Puljujarvi can stay on that top line, I expect him to keep up this early season production and be a solid contributor in fantasy. The one downside with Puljujarvi is the lack of ice time he sees on power plays. However, if he keeps this up, he may be promoted to a power play line in the near future. He is still available in 23 percent of all leagues, so look at adding him immediately, as anyone playing with McDavid has fantasy potential.
F Mats Zuccarello, Minnesota Wild
Another player worth a look on the waiver wire is Minnesota Wild right wing, Mats Zuccarello. Zuccarello joins Krilll Kaprizov and Joel Erickson Ek on the Wild’s first line. Zuccarello is available in about 25 percent of leagues, which for a top line player on a contending team is pretty out of the ordinary. Zuccarello has 6 points in five games this year. He is currently ranked as the No. 13 right wing in the league. As stated above, Zucs plays on Minnesota's top line with reigning Rookie of the Year Krill Kaprizov, who many believe will make a strong charge at the Rocket Richard for most goals in the league this year. If Kaprizov does make a push for that award, expect Zuccarello to be setting a lot of those goals up. Overall, I definitely recommend the former New York Ranger as soon as possible.
D Esa Lindell, Dallas Stars
Anchoring the Dallas Stars' second defensive pair with Miro Heiskenen, Lindell is set up to have a solid year. There are two ways to go about evaluating defenders. Fantasy owners can either decide to go the defensive route and try to find a guy who is going to pile up the hits and blocked shots, or they can look for a guy that is solid offensively that will rack up the assists and points. Lindell falls into the latter category as he has no points yet, but he does have 7 hits on the year, while also blocking 12 shots through five games. Having a defenseman that can rack up the hits and blocked shots can be crucial to winning your fantasy week, especially in category leagues. Lindell is available in 51 percent of all leagues, and warrants an add in all league styles.
D Nate Schmidt, Winnipeg Jets
If you are looking for an offensive defenseman, look no further than the Winnipeg blue liner. Nate Schmidt, who was recently available in a whopping 86 percent of leagues just two days ago is now only available in 40 percent of leagues. Schmidt stepped into a role on the right side of the Jets' top defensive pairing, and has looked great so far. Through nine games this year, Schmidt has racked up 8 assists. He also anchors the second power play unit for the Jets. The points will continue to come for Schmidt if he keeps his spot on the power play line. Although he may not throw his body around to produce hits, he does have 12 blocked shots on the year. Schmidt would definitely be considered an offensive defenseman, but do not let that scare you off of him as he is also a +7 on the year, meaning he is on the ice when the Jets score, and is rarely on the ice when the Jets give up a goal. I would highly recommend adding Schmidt if you are looking to add a point producing defenseman.
