The holiday roster freeze is now in effect across the league, but that certainly does not apply to your fantasy hockey rosters!
As we approach the Christmas break, let’s take a look at some names to buy and sell to boost our rosters on the other side of the break!
NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Advice (Week 11)
(Rosterships courtesy of ESPN)
Buy
Josh Norris (C – OTT)
Shoulder issues have limited Josh Norris in recent seasons and those injuries are directly responsible for him still being rostered in just about 75% of ESPN leagues.
The Michigan native sits with 10 goals and 17 points through 24 games on the season, a healthy 34-goal pace in a full 82-game season. Of course, Norris won’t hit the 82-game threshold, but that’s a rock-solid pace for a player returning from injury. Additionally, he’s averaging a solid 2.71 shots on goal per game while he’s laid 29 hits. The shoulder injuries have not limited his physicality.
He’s currently skating on the club’s second line with Claude Giroux, but he has also spent time alongside Brady Tkachuk on the top line. Truthfully, his five-on-five positioning isn’t terribly important, as he will produce on either line, but it’s key that he is a member of the club’s top power-play unit. That spot has helped earn him eight points on the man advantage on the campaign.
The former first-round pick is a rising star and should be targeted on the trade market while he is still undervalued in fantasy circles.
Gabriel Vilardi (C – WPG)
There’s a real chance Gabriel Vilardi could be had for free on the waiver wire, as he’s rostered in just half of ESPN leagues. If that is the case in your league, get on it. If not, he is still worth a look on the trade market.
Another rising star, Vilardi has enjoyed a wildly productive season, one that has been limited to just 13 games due to injury. Despite the injury, Vilardi has six goals and 13 points in those 13 contests. He is perhaps the hottest player in the league right now with five goals and 10 points over his last four games. He has found instant chemistry on the Jets’ top line alongside Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers. That line is putting up massive numbers and sports elite underlying metrics to back it up.
It appears the Jets could have a steal on their hands in acquiring Vilardi as part of the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade this past summer. He broke out with 23 goals and 41 points in 63 games last season. However, his shot volume is up this time around, as he is averaging 2.77 shots per game this season versus 1.94 shots per game last year. Additionally, he is a plus-10 already in just 13 games on the campaign.
As a member of the club’s dominant top line and the top power-play unit, Vilardi is a name that could be a major difference-maker in the second half of the fantasy hockey season.
Sell
Jeff Skinner (LW – BUF)
After missing the last three games with an upper-body injury, Jeff Skinner appears to be in line to return to the lineup Thursday night against the Maple Leafs. In doing so, he will skate on a line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch while logging top-unit minutes on the man advantage.
That’s as good a spot as you can be in on this Sabres team, but the magic Skinner and Thompson created last season just has not been there. Buffalo is just 25th in overall offense and 26th on the power play this season, while Thompson has just 16 points in 24 games this season after breaking out with 47 goals and 94 points last season. Of course, they could certainly get things turned around. Yet, as it stands right now, skating with Thompson isn’t nearly as attractive as it was at this time last season.
Skinner is tied for the team lead with 12 goals and has 22 points in 30 games. His 107 shots in that time are the most attractive aspect of his fantasy value, but other than that, he hasn’t done a whole lot. He has just eight hits, six penalty minutes and a minus-six rating on the campaign. He does have five power-play goals but is without a power-play assist on the season.
A surge in goal scoring likely isn’t in the works, as Skinner’s 11.2% shooting rate is identical to his career mark. He was probably due to regress from a 14.5% clip from a season ago, the second-highest mark of his 14-year NHL career.
See what Skinner could net you, whether on his own or as part of a package, while the shine from last season is still somewhat relevant.
Darnell Nurse (D – EDM)
Darnell Nurse is a solid enough fantasy asset in leagues that count hits, as he’s laid 54 of those in just 29 games while getting a rock-solid 72 shots on goal in that time. However, even in leagues that tally hits, there is no way his rostership should be approaching 94% like it is right now.
Here’s a player with just 10 points in 29 games who has registered just a pair of power-play points. He does have a solid 22 penalty minutes and 68 blocked shots. Depending on which categories your league counts, there are varying degrees of how valuable Nurse can be.
I simply have a tough time putting significant value on a player with just 10 points in 29 games, whether it be on the blueline or elsewhere. His 54 hits and 22 penalty minutes are nice, but not enough to back up the lack of scoresheet impact. If he had 50 penalty minutes and 75 hits, then we’re talking. There is more to be had in the perceived value of a player sporting 94% rostership that’s on pace for 28 points.
Let’s see if we can find someone in our league who will overpay for a player who has taken a step back from last season.
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