We are now in the 20th week of the 2023-24 NHL season. It is quite shocking how quickly this season is going by. With this, fantasy hockey managers are now well into the campaign and have a more robust understanding of what waiver-wire defensemen are worth adding. This week offers some strong waiver-wire options on the blue line. Let’s now discuss the three best ones to consider.
Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Defensemen to Consider for Week 20
Dylan DeMelo, Winnipeg Jets
Dylan DeMelo is an intriguing waiver-wire defenseman to add this week. The veteran defenseman has quietly been playing excellently as of late and should be added because of it. Over his last two games, the 30-year-old has three assists. Besides making an impact offensively, he has also been very steady defensively.
DeMelo has been a big reason for the Jets’ outstanding 2023-24 campaign, too. In 54 games, he has one goal, 18 points, and a notable plus-28 rating. Overall, he has been providing decent offense from the point, but more importantly, he has been simply marvelous on his own end. Thus, he is a clear waiver-wire pickup to make if he is still available in your league.
Henri Jokiharju, Buffalo Sabres
While the Buffalo Sabres have had a tough 2023-24 season, Henri Jokiharju has been a bright spot. The 24-year-old defenseman has three goals, 13 points, and a plus-12 rating. The plus rating is particularly notable, as the Sabres have been one of the NHL’s worst teams. This shows that he has been effective defensively. That alone makes him a waiver-wire candidate to consider this week.
Yet, what’s more encouraging about Jokiharju is that his play has only been improving as of late. Over his last three games, the 2017 first-round pick has a goal and three assists. As a result, the right-shot defenseman is starting to make a bigger impact offensively, much to the delight of the Sabres. Thus, he is easily one of the top waiver-wire defensemen to consider this week. He is also an under-the-radar player, which makes it likely that he’s still available in your league.
Pavel Mintyukov, Anaheim Ducks
It has been a tough season for the Anaheim Ducks, but that was expected. They are very much rebuilding and still have a long way to go before becoming competitive. While this is the case, Pavel Mintyukov has been a fun player to watch this season. The Ducks’ top rookie has three goals and 23 points in 45 games played. That is already impressive enough, but he has been playing spectacularly as of late, too. He had a massive three-assist night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Thus, the youngster is feeling it and worth scooping up as a waiver-wire addition this week.
Mintyukov has all the tools to become an elite defenseman in the NHL. While he has a long way to go to become one officially, he is trending in the right direction and a waiver-wire pickup to make in Week 20.
Nevertheless, this week offers some fantastic waiver-wire defensemen. DeMelo, Jokiharju, and Mintyukov are all playing well, and it will be fun to see if they can keep it up from here.