Week 21 Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Pickups (Mar. 14-Mar. 20)
The NHL waiver wire wades past St. Patrick's Day week (Mar. 14 - Mar. 20). First off, it is day-by-day games played time.
- Monday (Mar. 14) -- 1
- Tuesday (Mar. 15) -- 11
- Wednesday (Mar. 16) -- 4
- Thursday (Mar. 17) -- 10
- Friday (Mar. 18) -- 6
- Saturday (Mar. 19) -- 11
- Sunday (Mar. 20) -- 6
Again, note the more "normal" three days of chaos - better known as Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Anyway, it's team game breakdown time.
Teams Playing Four Games: Arizona Coyotes, Dallas Stars, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals.
Teams Playing Three Games: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets.
Teams Playing Two Games: Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Seattle Kraken, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning.
In Week 21, the focus starts to spread back to again a Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday form.
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Some Nice Commodities (Players Less Than 40% Owned)
W Nick Schmaltz, Arizona Coyotes (16.3% Rostered)
The Arizona forward exploded hugely over the past four games with five goals and eight assists. Arizona, as a whole, is piling up the goals. This is almost out of nowhere. Arizona scored 22 goals in the past three games alone. Schmaltz played a role in more than half of those tallies. No one expects Schmaltz to continue this torrid of a scoring rate. However, when healthy, the forward is more than capable of producing 50+ points assuming an 82-game season. Part of it boils down to health as Schmaltz will play on the top units as long as he is not hurt. When a player spikes in ownership like this, it is hard not to keep rostering him anyway.
W Tyler Toffoli, Calgary Flames (37.8% Rostered)
Tyler Toffoli does not have to play anything more than middle-six minutes in Calgary and that has suited him just fine so far. He has two goals and three assists in his previous five games. This is all while playing a little more than 14 minutes a night. There is little pressure as Toffoli sees some power-play time. Overall in Calgary, Toffoli now has seven goals and 12 points in 12 games with an average time on ice of 14:38. This includes five power-play points and even a short-handed assist. The winger has done everything asked of him and then some. His points per 60 rate topping four are quite impressive as well.
D Ben Chiarot, Montreal Canadiens (12.6% Rostered)
Yes, Montreal has been awful defensively, even under Martin St. Louis. The expectation is that Ben Chiarot will not continue to produce five points every five games for very long. He is up to 16 points on the season in 52 games. Chiarot is averaging almost two shots per game while playing more than 23 minutes a night. At the very least, he is worth a short-term add until the defenseman is moved. The offense is contagious to a point in Montreal and as long as Chiarot sees heavy top-four minutes, the fantasy opportunities will be there. His career-high of 21 points in 69 games is very much in reach now.
G Vitek Vanecek, Washington Capitals (38.3% Rostered)
After Petr Mrazek failed in his opportunity against the Arizona Coyotes, Vitek Vanecek steps into the spotlight replacing him in this slot. Unlike the Toronto Maple Leafs' goaltender, Vanecek is a bit more consistent. Also, the Washington goaltender has 13 wins in 28 games played. That features three shutouts including a 36-save effort on March 3rd against the Carolina Hurricanes. It seems like the battle between Ilya Samsonov and Vanecek will never fully end. One thing is clear. Vanecek is at least a bit more reliable from a fantasy standpoint at this juncture.
Assets Owned At A Higher Rate (40-75% range)
C Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils (73.8% Rostered)
This is where we just sit there in utter disbelief. Jack Hughes is not even owned at 75% in ESPN leagues. Let this sink in. Hughes started the year off a little slow but has picked it up immensely. The center now is averaging a goal almost every other game and has 44 points in 38 games this season. Just imagine if the pivot had not missed almost a quarter of the season. Hughes produced a little less in the past five contests with two goals and four assists. However, he has five shots or more and 5+ scoring chances three times in this span. Thankfully it appears that Nico Hischier is not too seriously injured which means the Devils can continue to roll their 1-2 pivot punch. New Jersey has been averaging almost four goals a game over the past four weeks.
D Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks (58.1% Rostered)
The defenseman has returned! Erik Karlsson has had a pretty solid season from an offensive standpoint. The problem is he has missed a quarter of the season. Playing in just 34 games, Karlsson has eight goals and 20 assists. That includes six points in his past five games. The thing is this. Karlsson returned after missing more than a month and a half due to injury. In his return against Los Angeles, the Swedish blueliner had two assists in 25:47 of ice time. This may be more of a short-term pickup especially if San Jose sells at the trade deadline (most notably Tomas Hertl). Time will tell but for now, acquire him while you can.
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G Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins (50.7% Rostered)
The Boston Bruins have to be very thankful for how Jeremy Swayman continues to play. In February, he was named the NHL Rookie Of The Month. Swayman is 16-7-3 with Boston. His 2.06 goals-against-average and .925 save percentage include seven straight wins. His last loss was a shootout defeat all the way back on February 15th against the New York Rangers. The goaltender has 17 quality starts to boot and has saved nearly 13 goals above average on the season. He may not be the most elite fantasy option but the "depth goalie" has certainly exceeded expectations this season for fantasy owners.
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