There’s been more offense from defenseman over the past week, pulling three defenders onto the list. The fantasy hockey waiver wire report will expand on this and some other players worth targeting in your leagues.
Week 16 Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire
Forwards
Brandon Saad, LW, St. Louis Blues (31% Rostered)
Saad has been scoring at a mid-to-late 40’s point pace over the past three seasons (prorated to 82 games), and that is the case again this year. Through 38 contests he has 13 goals and 22 points. He’s just two shy of matching last year’s totals in both categories. Saad has been productive lately, notching six points in as many games. The Blues have three lines that are very capable of generating offense. While Saad has been moved up and down the lineup, he’ll always be on a line with talented forwards to help him bury more goals.
Alex Formenton, LW, Ottawa Senators (25% Rostered)
The Senators have plenty of quality youth in the pipeline, their most recent standout being Formenton. He has 18 points in 33 appearances. More importantly, he’s been collecting his points in recent games. 10 points in his past nine matches, including an ongoing four-game point streak. He’s playing in the Senators’ top six and seeing power-play time. With Drake Batherson injured Tuesday night, Formenton may be relied upon even more in Ottawa.
Ross Colton, C/LW, Tampa Bay Lightning (22% Rostered)
Stuck in a bottom-six role? That’s not a problem for Colton. He’s scored 19 points through 40 games, including five goals and eight points in his past 10 outings. He’s already surpassed last year’s 12 points in 30 contests. While he won’t be able to outshine all the superstars in Tampa, he’s providing decent scoring for someone averaging 13:30 of ice time per game. He’s on the second power-play unit, where he’s picked up three assists. He brings energy to the lineup, which shows in his 79 hits. He’s doing an effective job at filling in the void from the players the Lightning lost in the offseason.
Defense
Esa Lindell, D, Dallas Stars (35% Rostered)
Lindell has 12 points in 40 appearances, putting him just four shy of last year’s total. It isn’t a great offensive output, but he’s been finding the scoresheet lately. Six of his points have been generated in the past eight games. Averaging 22:51 per game, Lindell remains a fixture in the Stars top four. He can provide moderate offense and some category coverage with his 71 hits and 81 blocks. Lindell also has both a short-handed goal and assist. Not a bad find on the waiver wire for a player available in 65% of leagues.
Hampus Lindholm, D, Anaheim Ducks (33% Rostered)
Lindholm is coming off a three-assist night from Monday’s contest. Despite being known as a shutdown defender, Lindholm is bringing the offense this year. He has five goals and 19 points in 42 games. He’s scoring at a 37-point pace, which would be a career-high. He was limited to just 18 matchups last year where he registered six points, so this is a nice turnaround for the blueliner. He also brings some value in his peripheral stats, with 26 PIM, 39 hits, and 64 blocks. None of these are jaw-dropping, but he can chip in if you need a player to cover several categories.
Michael Matheson, D, Pittsburgh Penguins (26% Rostered)
Matheson recently had a three-game outburst in which he tallied six points. In 39 meetings he has six goals, 18 points, 52 hits, 36 blocks, and a plus-9 rating. Of his six goals, five of them are game-winners. He already has two more points than last season’s total, and he’s on pace to score 37 points. If he were to reach that, it would be a 10-point jump on his career-high 27 points. Matheson doesn’t excel in any one particular aspect of the game, but he can contribute in a number of areas. Worth a waiver wire claim in deeper leagues needing some offense from their defense.
Goaltending
Ville Husso, G, St. Louis Blues (54% Rostered)
Husso has taken notable strides in his game from last year when he posted a 3.21 GAA and .893 save percentage. This season, he’s rocking a 1.88 GAA and .943 save percentage. Both are first in the league among goalies with over five games played. Husso has an 8-2-1 record with two shutouts to his name. He’s won each of his past five starts and didn’t let any pucks past him when he came in relief for Jordan Binnington Monday night. Binnington is the Blues starter, but Husso has had better results recently between the two net-minders. While I don’t expect Husso to be able to take the starting role away, he should be able to steal more starts in the second half of the season.
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