It was a rough weekend for goalies, as both Brian Elliott and Mike Smith went down to injury. So it would make sense that their replacements would be at the top of the list for possible waiver-wire adds. But if you don’t need a goalie, there are also skaters to choose from.
As always, whether you add any of these players should depend on your league settings (points only versus multicategory), other available players, and team needs.
Now that Brian Elliott is expected to be sidelined for the next 5-6 weeks, Neuvirth is one of the most searched players in fantasy leagues.
Although his recent career numbers don’t stand out and he’s battled his share of injuries himself, Neuvirth is the only other Flyers’ goalie with much NHL experience. If Neuvirth is already claimed in your league, you could look up recent callup Alex Lyon, who could also start some games should Neuvirth struggle.
Rittich isn’t looking at the same potential number of starts as Neuvirth is. But he’s a viable short-term replacement for Mike Smith, who could be back next week.
Rittich has a very solid 2.41 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in 11 games after being called up from the AHL earlier this season. Rittich also benefits from the schedule and could still start a few more times before Smith returns, as the Flames play five times over the next eight days.
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Sam Reinhart, C/LW/RW
Now in his third full NHL season, Reinhart hasn’t quite lived up to the potential that he displayed as the second overall pick in 2014. But the Sabres will need to lean on him more over the next month, now that Jack Eichel is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain.
In the two games since Eichel’s injury, Reinhart has averaged nearly 20 minutes of ice time in each. He also scored two goals in his most recent game, a win against Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Reinhart also has 13 points over his last 10 games, so he was effective even before Eichel was injured.
Alex Killorn, LW
The latest Lightning player to benefit from a line shuffle is Killorn, who now finds himself on a lethal line with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point (more line combinations here). Although Killorn was held without a point against Buffalo, he has made the most of his opportunity with 10 points over his last seven games. In addition, Killorn has skated at least 20 minutes in each of his last three games. Killorn is on pace for nearly 50 points, which would be a career year for him over five full NHL seasons.
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No player may benefit more from the recent Dion Phaneuf trade than Chabot (read more about the fantasy impact here). The Phaneuf trade opens up a major opportunity for Chabot, who like Phaneuf is also a left-handed shot.
The fact that Chabot has three points over his last four games helps his cause. Chabot’s power-play time per game is actually similar to Phaneuf’s, so expect his icetime increase to come in the form of even-strength minutes.
If you are simply looking for a hot scorer, Nielsen might be your guy. He’s currently riding a five-game point streak in which he has seven points (two goals-five assists). He doesn’t earn considerable power-play time, and his 15.5 percent shooting accuracy may regress a bit. However, he’s quietly on pace for nearly 20 goals, which could be enough reason to add him in deeper leagues.
