As the NHL season enters February, there are a number of injuries, with players stepping up to fill the void. See who’s opportunity makes for an appealing claim in our fantasy hockey waiver wire report.
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Week 3 Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire
Forwards
C/LW Carter Verhaeghe, FLA (47% Ownership): Last year in his rookie campaign, Verhaeghe posted 13 points in 52 games with the Lightning. He played a limited role for Tampa Bay, averaging 9:22 of ice time per game. Now playing for Florida, Verhaeghe’s ice time has almost doubled, up to 17:45. He’s playing on the Panthers’ top line alongside Aleksander Barkov, and he’s producing. In six games, he’s scored five goals, two assists, six hits, 13 shots, and a plus-5 rating. As long as he retains that top line spot, he’s worth picking up.
RW Dustin Brown, LAK (44%): The 36-year-old still hasn’t lost his offensive game. Brown started the year with three goals and three assists in nine games. Four of his points came from the power play, where he’s averaged 4:03 of ice time per game. He brings the physical game as always, laying 13 hits. He can be relied on to provide some secondary scoring while pitching in on some peripherals.
C David Krejci, BOS (44%): It’s easy to overlook Krejci with the talent on the Bruins’ top line. However, Krejci is showing that he still brings value to the table. In nine appearances, he has seven assists, with four of them scored on the man advantage. Centering the second line, and while he’s not on the top power-play unit, he still saw over three minutes of power-play time in his two most recent contests. He’s a good target for anyone needing to generate more assists.
LW/RW Jordan Greenway, MIN (38%): The spotlight in Minnesota has been fixated on rookie Kirill Kaprizov, and rightfully so. He isn’t the only one worthy of the attention though. Greenway posted 24 points in 81 games in 2018-19, followed up by 28 points in 67 games. But in 2021, he has 10 points in 11 games. The 23-year-old is taking his game to the next level, as he’s on pace to have a breakout year. Not only are the points nice to have, but he has 16 PIM, 16 shots on goal, 14 hits, eight blocks, and a plus-8 rating. He can help your team in several ways.
C/LW/RW J.T. Compher, COL (14%): Compher has not had a good start, netting just two points in 11 games. However, with Nathan MacKinnon out week-to-week, Compher has been slotted onto Colorado’s top line. Playing between Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen provides a sizable uptick in potential fantasy value. Compher played 4:29 on the power play Tuesday against the Wild. While he didn’t score, that’s plenty of ice time and opportunity for Compher to get some fantasy points.
Defensemen
D K’Andre Miller, NYR (36%): Despite starting the season with 13:59 of ice time, Miller has played over 20 minutes in five of his last six meetings. The departure of Tony DeAngelo should mean even more meaningful minutes for Miller. He has four points in nine games so far but could see his production rise if he gets a chance on the power play.
D Pierre-Olivier Joseph, PIT (29%): The Penguins’ blue line has been decimated with injuries. Joseph, a 21-year-old rookie, is the beneficiary. He has been thrust onto the top pairing and seeing time on the power play. He has four points in six games, including a strong three-point effort against the Rangers. Joseph played 25:58 and 26:14 in his two most recent affairs. With that much ice time on a team full of offensive talent, Joseph is in a great position to succeed.
D Joel Edmundson, MTL (25%): While not a high-end scorer, Edmundson has a respectable three points in 10 contests. His peripherals are what make him worth picking up though. He has 23 hits, 16 blocks, seven PIM, and a league-leading plus-14 rating. If your league tracks those stats, he can be a great addition to your lineup.
Goalies
G Kevin Lankinen, CHI (52%): The Blackhawks entered the season with plenty of uncertainty in the crease. With no Corey Crawford anymore and no proven starter in the organization, the starting role was up for grabs. Enter Lankinen, a 25-year-old rookie who is making the most of the opportunity. In seven games, he’s gone 3-1-1 with a 2.09 GAA and .935 save percentage. His save percentage is the fifth-best in the NHL, and this is even more impressive considering Chicago is missing several key players. Lankinen’s success likely isn’t sustainable, but he’s a starter you can stream for the time being.
G James Reimer, CAR (41%): With Petr Mrazek out indefinitely due to injury, Reimer becomes the clear starter in Carolina. Reimer’s a perfect 4-0-0 with a 2.19 GAA and .915 save percentage. The Hurricanes are very stingy defensively, allowing just 10 goals against in six contests. They’ve allowed the fewest goals against and goals against per game in the league. Reimer is an easy choice to claim if he’s available on your waiver wire.
Also check out last week’s Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire to see if any of those players are still available.
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