As I noted in my weekly trade advice piece, now is the time to buckle down and get our rosters in shape for a postseason run!

The trade deadline is approaching, but so are the playoffs, so let’s dive into some waiver wire targets for Week 18!

*Rosterships courtesy of ESPN

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Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Advice (Week 18)

Brady Skjei (D – CAR) 18.1% rostered

Full disclosure: I actually picked up Brady Skjei as my replacement for Jacob Chychrun, who I was able to throw on injured reserve while his trade market gets resolved. I’m glad I did, as his ownership shouldn’t be nearly as low as it is.

Skjei notched a power-play assist in his debut for my lineup, and the man advantage is a big reason why I picked him up in the first place. The rear guard has overtaken Brent Burns for the lone defenseman spot on the Canes’ top power-play unit alongside the likes of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Teuvo Teravainen. While it was just his sixth man-advantage point on the season, you can bank on that number gaining steam moving forward.

The point was his 24th of the season between 10 goals and 14 helpers across 52 games. However, Skjei is also over two shots per game on average, has 54 hits, a healthy plus-13 rating, and a solid 28 penalty minutes on the season. That’s solid cross-category production for a player short of 20% rostered.

I’m not as high on him if he’s moved off the top power-play unit, but he’s a solid waiver-wire look while he’s there.

Mikael Backlund (C – CGY) 8% rostered

I’ve never personally been a huge fan of Mikael Backlund when it comes to Mikael Backlund, but if you need help at center, he’s providing it this season, especially of late.

Backlund’s 10 goals and 33 points in 54 games don’t stand out, but he’s also collected a goal and six points over his last five games. With 166 shots on the season, he’s averaging a hair over three shots per game while contributing more than a hit per game with 61 of those to boot.

Additionally, he’s a hefty plus-16 on the season, while his 28 penalty minutes work fine. Backlund has just a pair of power-play points on the season, but he’s now skating alongside Tyler Toffoli and Elias Lindholm on what I deem the Flames’ top unit, so perhaps he starts getting it going in that department as well.

Obviously, I believe this player should be getting much more love from the fantasy hockey community. Many are still stuck on his weak 39 points in 82 games last season, but he’s on a 50-point pace this time around. He’s also one hit away from matching his season-long total from the 2021-22 campaign, while his 251-shot pace would easily mark a career-high for the Swede.

He’s a swiss-army knife player for the Flames and could play a similar role on your fantasy hockey roster if you can look past his current rostership.

Dominik Kubalik (LW, RW – DET) 42.5% rostered

Dominik Kubalik has cooled after a red-hot start to his season, but he has a nice opportunity to start consistently racking up points, even if it’s for the short term.

With Lucas Raymond placed on IR, Kubalik has been promoted to the team’s top line alongside Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi. He’s not skating on the top power-play unit, but he’s still getting second-unit reps.

The 27-year-old has notched 14 goals and 34 points in 52 games on the season while getting 120 shots on goal and collecting another 54 hits. I’m not thrilled with his minus-eight rating, but he does have 15 power-play points which could help see him promoted to the top unit in place of Robby Fabbri or even the struggling Tyler Bertuzzi.

Kubalik has twice been made a healthy scratch over the last five games and has just six points since the calendar flipped to 2023. Obviously, that’s not getting it done, but there isn’t a better spot to be at even strength than where Kubalik is skating right now.

Keep an eye on the Wings’ depth chart, but for now, Kubalik looks like a solid add who could go on a nice run on the team’s top line.

Rafael Harvey-Pinard (LW, RW – MTL) 20.1% rostered

It’s been quite the story for Rafael Harvey-Pinard since getting promoted to the NHL.

The 2019 seventh-round pick notched a healthy 56 points in 69 games with the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League last season and notched his first NHL goal as part of his four-game cameo with the Canadiens. This season, the 24-year-old recorded 15 goals and 25 points in 37 AHL contests but has also collected six goals and eight points in 10 games with the Habs.

Now, with six goals on 19 shots, his 31.6% shooting rate has nowhere to go but south. That’s a certainty. However, Harvery-Pinard is also averaging 2.7 hits per game, is a plus-five, and has a power-play marker on his ledger.

He began on the fourth line, but the good news is he’s now skating with Nick Suzuki on the Habs’ top line and No. 1 power-play unit. His ice time has been as high as 18:49 over his last four games and never below 15:14 in that stretch. He’s sure getting a real opportunity to show what he can do at the NHL level, and so far, he’s taken advantage.

The goal-scoring should settle, but as part of the top-line and top-unit power play, Harvey-Pinard is worth a flyer off the wire.

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