We’re midway through Week 15 of the fantasy hockey season, and we can almost see the light leading into the playoff tunnel.
Earlier in the week we went through some names to consider on the waiver wire, easily the best way to improve your roster throughout the season. Of course, the trade block is of uber importance, as well, with plenty of names worth buying and selling on a weekly basis.
Let’s dive into both ends of the spectrum with the short and long-term finds!
NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Advice (Week 15)
(Rosterships courtesy of ESPN)
Buy
Drake Batherson (RW – OTT)
There’s an outside shot that Drake Batherson is sitting on your waiver wire, as he is 73.2% rostered in ESPN leagues. If not, he is worth a look on the trade market.
The young winger has turned up the heat of late with two goals and three points over his last two games, with a hefty 10 shots on goal in that time. Give him 16 goals and 34 points across 39 games on the season while getting 103 shots on goal or a solid 2.64 shots per game. Nine of his 34 points have come on the power play, while he’s also laid 44 hits, more than a hit per contest. Heck, he’s even added 30 penalty minutes to his ledger, just three shy of the 33 he earned in a full 82-game season last year.
Elite production? Certainly not. However, he is now skating on a line with the club’s top center, Tim Stutzle, at both five-on-five and on the club’s top power-play unit. Batherson has two power-play points over his last four games as an integral part of that unit.
Dynasty managers will want to especially take note. This is a player who almost recorded a point-per-game at age 23 in the 2021-22 season with 44 points in 46 games. After a 62-point season last year, he’s climbing toward point-per-game territory this season. His hits per game are actually down from previous seasons, so perhaps we can expect a bump in that department in the season’s second half.
Here’s a player who won’t cost a ton but is a solid cross-category contributor in a depth role on your roster.
Zach Hyman (LW, RW – EDM)
If you’re looking for more impact on the flanks, look no further than Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman.
The 31-year-old seemingly just keeps getting better. The laziest take when it comes to Hyman is that he skates on a line with Connor McDavid. Hyman has become a player who can create opportunities for himself, and not just down low toward the goal. He can drive the puck wide on the defense and create havoc at the net. Of course, he also remains well-versed in the dirty areas of the ice.
With 26 goals in 39 games, Hyman has put himself on a 54-goal pace this season. He has added 16 assists to his ledger for 42 points in those 39 games, along with a hefty 149 shots on goal or 3.82 shots per game. Add in a plus-14 rating, 32 penalty minutes, plus another 30 hits, and you have yourself a major cross-category producer in the nine-year veteran.
He will cost a pretty penny, but those fantasy managers looking for a big splash with championship aspirations should offer what it takes to nab the ever-growing Hyman.
Sell
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C – LA)
Predicting regression for Peirre-Luc Dubois following a trade to Los Angeles wasn’t difficult. There was zero chance he was going to usurp Kings legend Anze Kopitar as the club’s No. 1 center, so he was looking at No. 2 duty at best. He has slipped to No. 3 on the depth chart, given the chemistry Phillip Danault has developed with the likes of Trevor Moore and Kevin Fiala.
Now, Dubois finds himself on a line with the struggling Arthur Kaliyev, a healthy scratch at times, and rookie Alex Laferriere. The results speak for themselves as Dubois sits with nine goals and 19 points in 41 games, a 0.46 point-per-game pace, nearly half of his 0.86 points per game a season ago with the Jets. He has just 77 shots on goal, 1.88 shots per game, versus 2.81 shots per game last season.
These figures aren’t exactly shocking, considering Dubois is averaging just 15:51 of ice time per game, miles below his 18:27 from a season ago and his 17:27 career mark. That’s what third-line duties will do to you.
Of course, all of this adds up to a fantasy hockey stock on a steep decline. Yet, Dubois’s name recognition still has him rostered in more than 71% of ESPN leagues, right around the same rostership as the aforementioned Batherson.
Perhaps that’s enough to add Dubois to a package for something much bigger.
Tyler Toffoli (RW – NJ)
Tyler Toffoli has been a rather hit-and-miss fantasy hockey player throughout his career. He’s more on the miss side this season.
The veteran has notched 16 goals and 29 points across 42 games on the season, a nice 31-goal pace but also just a 55-point pace across 82 games. After averaging 3.27 shots per game in a career year with the Flames last season, he’s down to just 2.76 shots per game this season. Add in only eight penalty minutes and a rough minus-10 rating; Toffoli is doing very little to stand out.
A 31-goal season is worth rostering, but remember that 54 players scored at least 30 goals last season. It’s a nice number, but not exactly an exclusive club. When you aren’t going much on the peripheral, it’s not enough to carry a ton of weight in fantasy hockey. In Toffli’s case, his production doesn’t warrant a bloated 84.4% rostership that has last season’s production baked into it.
He’s being afforded top-line minutes and first-unit power play time. Aside from solid goal-scoring production, he’s not doing much with it. Throw him into a package or see if you can fleece a competitor for Toffoli’s services.
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