Normally for these waiver wire columns I prefer to look at players that are under 20 per cent owned on ESPN. It makes the waiver recommendations available to most fantasy hockey players, and sometimes there are players that are available even in 16-team leagues or larger.
This week I will make a small exception. Jonathan Drouin has been playing alongside Steven Stamkos over Tampa Bay’s last three games. On top of that, the Tampa rookie has been playing on the Lightning’s top power play unit, including at the end of Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders when the Lightning needed to score. He’s not widely available — about 30 per cent owned on ESPN and just under 50 per cent on Yahoo — but with his new situation he should be owned in any format of 12 teams or larger. Line combinations may change as they often do, but for now, he’s a must-add.
Aside from Drouin, there are other players worth looking at. Here are some skaters to help fill holes on fantasy rosters. Reminder: with the Christmas break around the corner almost every team has just two or three games in the upcoming week. The only team that plays one game is Montreal.
Riley Sheahan (Detroit – Centre) – 4.3% owned on ESPN, 5% owned on Yahoo
Detroit suffered a lot of injuries last season, and they were able to get by thanks to the depth of their organization. Riley Sheahan is part of that depth.
Last year, per War On Ice, Riley Sheahan led the Detroit Red Wings in CorsiFor percentage (minimum of 40 games played). With Sheahan on the ice at five-on-five the Wings controlled 56.4 per cent of shot attempts. This year Sheahan is fourth on the team in CorsiFor percentage at 58.2 per cent. In other words, Detroit controls a lot of the play with Sheahan on the ice, and that means he should be able to support a good plus/minus. Sheahan also gets second unit power play time.
The Wings have shuffled their lineup, putting Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg on their top line. That duo should draw a lot of the toughest competition, freeing up some room for Sheahan, Tomas Tatar, and others. This week Detroit has games against Buffalo and Ottawa. Both are good matchups, and that should bode well for Sheahan. He is a good add for at least the next week.
Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida – Left Wing) – 10.2% owned on ESPN, 32% owned on Yahoo
The Florida Panthers, to this point of the season, has been a team that has exceeded some expectations. The team is ahead of Boston, and tied with the New York Rangers for the final wild card spot. A lot of this is due to goalie Roberto Luongo, but the young talent up front is also playing their part.
Huberdeau had a disappointing sophomore campaign after winning the Calder Trophy in the lockout-shortened season. That hasn’t been the case of late, though. Since Nov. 16th the 21-year-old has 10 points in 16 games with 37 shots in those games. The boost in production has been partly because of a jump in ice time, thanks to being put alongside Nick Bjugstad.
The Panthers are a good team and Huberdeau is playing on what is essentially the first line. Of late, that line has been middle of the road in offensive zone starts. Even though the situation isn’t ideal, Florida gets Toronto next weekend. At the very least Huberdeau is a good add for the upcoming week.
Be sure to check Sportsnet.ca tomorrow for the release of the first set of players on Sportsnet’s Pick ‘n Play. That is a fantasy game that matches up players facing each other the following Saturday, and has weekly prizes as well as a grand prize.
Alex Burrows (Vancouver – Right Wing) – 5.6% owned on ESPN, 5% owned on Yahoo
Burrows is a familiar name to hockey fans. For years, he was a staple alongside the Sedin twins in Vancouver. Over the last couple years, that hasn’t been the case.
Recently though, Burrows has been on the top power play unit for Vancouver with the Sedins and Radim Vrbata. The Vancouver power play is near the middle of the league, but Burrows did manage a power play assist in Saturday’s game against the Calgary Flames.
Vancouver has two games next week, one against Anaheim, and one against Phoenix. The Ducks are an average penalty killing team, while Phoenix is one of the worst in the NHL by percentage, and allow the most shot attempts while short-handed in the league. For those that need power play points, Burrows is a good add for the short week.
Ryan Ellis (Nashville – Defence) – 9.8% owned on ESPN, 19% owned on Yahoo
It may surprise some but Ryan Ellis leads the Nashville defence in puck possession as measured by five-on-five shot attempts. That is a bit of an artificial number because Shea Weber and Roman Josi do eat most of the hard minutes and zone starts. With that said, Ellis is excelling the role he’s being given.
Nashville is one of the teams with three games in the upcoming week. The Predators are on the road in Columbus and Boston, and finish the week with a home game against Philadelphia. At least two of those games are good matchups for Nashville. Ellis is a good shot producer and that gives him a decent fantasy floor. Ellis is also on the second power play unit.
For those needing a defensive replacement for at least the next week – he could have good value beyond that – Ryan Ellis is a solid add for now. He is having a good season and is already a top-40 defencemen in roto leagues on ESPN.
Don’t forget to submit rosters for Sportnet’s Fantasy Hockey Pool for the upcoming week. That is a salary cap-style game with players worth 1 through 4 points. This week will be about maximizing games, so with Ellis having three games, he’s a nice play for the week at a minimum cost.
*Some stats courtesy of War On Ice, Hockey Reference, Hockey Analysis, ESPN, and Yahoo!
