Another fantasy hockey week is in the books. If you need a scoring boost, I have a few free agents that could be worth a look. Of course, we could sit around and discuss some of the obvious waiver wire guys like Rickard Rakell (62.7% rostered) or Patrik Laine (70.3%), but below I’ve listed four sub-50% rostered players I believe will continue having an impact.
NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Advice (Week 12)
(Rostership percentages courtesy of ESPN)
Pavel Dorofeyev (F – VGK) | 19.4% Rostered
Vegas’ Ivan Barbashev (upper-body) is listed as day-to-day, meaning Pavel Dorofeyev will be elevated to Vegas’ dangerous top line. Barbashev leads the team with 15 goals, which should be tough to replace, right? Well, his fellow Russian countryman has already proven his goal-scoring ability this year, as he’s second on Vegas’ roster with 12 goals this year.
Simply playing alongside Jack Eichel (second in assists in the NHL with 35) and Mark Stone (28 points in 19 games) should help Dorofeyev ramp up his scoring numbers. The winger has 18 points (12 goals, six assists) in 33 games this season. This is a great buy-low opportunity on Dorofeyev while the Golden Knights continue catching fire.
Aliaksei Protas (F – WSH) | 15.8% Rostered
Speaking of catching fire, the Capitals have been on a tear since the beginning of the year and have no plans of slowing down. It’s been this second line of Connor McMichael (16 goals, 12 assists), Pierre-Luc Dubois (five goals, 18 assists) and Aliaksei Protas (12 goals, 15 assists) who have helped sustain the offensive success.
It’s about time we take notice of Protas, who has seen all 27 of his points come at even strength. Being that the Belarusian is so dominant during 5-on-5 play, he’s going to keep getting ice time regardless of who else is around him in the lineup. Protas has been nearly a point-per-game guy since Thanksgiving, notching nine points (five goals, four assists) in 11 games. Over those 11 games, the winger has 27 shots on goal (SOG), which equates to a respectable 2.5 shots on goal per game.
Lane Hutson (D – MTL) | 47.5% Rostered
I mentioned Patrik Laine in the intro of this article. I’d now like to refer to the old adage “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Laine has been filling up the stat sheet since returning from injury, scoring nine points (eight goals, one assist) in nine games. All eight goals have come on the power play. Lane Hutson has logged seven power-play assists since Laine’s return.
This Habs ‘offense is trending upward, and I think it’s time to take a stake in Hutson, who has emerged as Montreal’s top offensive blue-liner. He’s running point on the top power-play unit and leads his defensive core in scoring with 25 points (one goal, 24 assists). Hutson is also averaging 1.3 blocked shots per game, which can help supplement his fantasy production.
Darcy Kuemper (G – LAK) | 26.1% Rostered
Los Angeles’ Darcy Kuemper missed about a month of the season from November 13th to December 7th, but he’s back in action with this Kings team that’s very well-rounded defensively. In six starts since his return, Kuemper is 4-0-2 with a 1.99 GAA and .924 SV%. He’s on fire right now. I feel he could be a decent long-term option. Overall this year, the 34-year-old is 8-2-5 (24th-most wins) with a 2.40 GAA (eighth) and a .911 SV% (14th).
The Kings are also by far the leading team in high-danger shots against, where they’ve only faced 77 of them. To put that into context, the Wild are second at 95. Los Angeles is playing safe, responsible hockey, which often leaves Kuemper in favorable positions. If you need a boost in net, Kuemper is an excellent choice at this juncture of the campaign.