Happy holidays, hockey fans, and welcome back to the weekly Fantasy Hockey waiver wire article! We’ll be taking a look at the teams with the most favorable fantasy hockey schedules and the fantasy hockey waiver wire. Below are a few players that should be available on waivers for each squad.
The NHL is back to a normal fantasy hockey schedule this week. The busy nights are Tuesday (11 games), Thursday (12), and Saturday (14). That leaves Monday (5), Wednesday (3), and Friday (4) as the light nights before the league takes the holiday break on Sunday.
In this article, we’ll be highlighting a few teams that play on lighter nights in order for you to maximize your roster for any given week. The Fantasy Hockey waiver wire is key!
Optimizing your lineup is crucial in any fantasy sports league, and fantasy hockey is no different. Given the NHL’s unbalanced scheduling, there are certain teams that have better schedules on certain weeks throughout the year.
If you are in a shallower or deeper league –– or just have a question or comment –– feel free to reach out to me on Twitter (@RGilbertSOP) or in the SGPN Discord!
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Fantasy Hockey Schedule Week 11: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds (Dec. 18 – Dec. 24)
The Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets are the only two teams playing on all three lighter nights this week. The Jets play only those three games, while the Red Wings also play on Saturday.
Detroit Red Wings
- Monday vs. ANA
- Wednesday @ WPG
- Friday vs. PHI
- Saturday @ NJD
J.T. Compher (LW, RW – 27% Rostered)
Veteran forward J.T. Compher was activated off the injured list this weekend after missing 10 days. Compher has 19 points (six goals) in 25 games this season, his first in Detroit. He’s coming off a career-high 52 points last season in Colorado.
Compher will likely be the Red Wings’ top center until Dylan Larkin returns from his injury. Even after that, the free-agent signing should remain on the second line for Detroit. He’s also currently on the top power-play unit with Larkin out.
Scoop up Compher during a busy week for Detroit.
Michael Rasmussen (C, LW – 8% Rostered)
Young forward Michael Rasmussen is showing flashes of the talent that made him a first-round pick in 2017.
Rasmussen has 14 points in 30 games this season. However, he’s been red-hot recently, with eight points in as many December games.
Rasmussen is playing in Detroit’s top six with Dylan Larkin (injury) and David Perron (suspension) unavailable. If he keeps this up, he could find himself staying as a top-six option for the rest of the season.
Winnipeg Jets
- Monday vs. MTL
- Wednesday vs. DET
- Friday vs. BOS
Nikolaj Ehlers (LW – 52% Rostered)
Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers just misses the cut of being available in half of leagues, but we’re making an exception for this severely underrostered player.
Ehlers has six points in his last two games and 11 points in seven December games. Going back to November 11th, Ehlers is at a point-per-game pace with 17 points in 16 games. He’s really been picking it up after a slow start of five points in his first 13 contests.
Pick the top-line winger up if he’s available before someone else does.
Gabriel Vilardi (C, RW – 28% Rostered)
Speaking of top-line wingers to pick up, Gabriel Vilardi is enjoying his time on the first line with Ehlers and Mark Schiefele.
The former King missed over a month with an injury but has really found his game as of late. He has eight points in his last seven games, with six of those (three goals) coming in the last two contests.
The Jets need someone to step up with Kyle Connor out, and Vilardi may be fit for the job.
Nino Niederreiter (RW – 19% Rostered)
Nino Niederreiter is a consistent veteran in the Jets’ middle six. After being acquired during last season, he put up 13 points in 22 games with the Jets and is off to a strong start with 17 points in 29 games this season.
Niederreiter isn’t going to be someone who breaks out for a huge season. But he’s also not someone who is going to disappear, either. You know he’s good for between 40 and 50 points in a full season. He’ll be a consistent producer, and hopefully, that means a point or two this week.
