NHL Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

Fantasy hockey can be a funny game. Regardless whether you've been playing for 20 years or 20 minutes, there's usually something interesting that pops up to affect lineups. It's almost like they're the gifts that keep on giving, though not always the good kind.

In the spirit of generosity, here are a few player offerings to get you through the next period – including a stretch of no NHL from Sunday to Tuesday. (And don't worry, we'll be back next Friday with more recommendations.)

(Rostered rates as of Dec. 22)

Forwards

Owen Tippett, PHI (Yahoo: 50%): Going into this season, I targeted Tippett in drafts as someone in a prime position to build upon his breakout campaign of 27 goals and 22 assists. At times, he's looked like a cinch to do so. In fact, Tippett's last eight games have netted six points, 35 shots and 24 hits. The scoring may not be impressive so far, though there's hope he can improve based on his skills and continued favorable placements.

Blake Coleman, CGY (Yahoo: 45%): Coleman has operated as a middle-six forward across his career, so it's probably not surprising to see him excel as a lead performer. His previous high of 38 points was set last season and he's on pace to top 50. Regression may be coming for Coleman when it comes to goals with a 12.7 shooting percentage after previously barely breaking double-digits. As he gets to skate alongside Jonathan Huberdeau and Mikael Backlund at five-on-five, maintains a prime place on the penalty kill (where he's already equaled his career-best of three SHGs), and has recently been added to the power play, enough stats will come.

Michael Bunting, CAR (Yahoo: 31%): At 22 points over 32 contests, Bunting's coverage number seems a bit low. And then you realize the hits — which used to be a significant portion of his supplementary production — are virtually non-existent as that's being handled by others. Bunting is only one away from reaching his personal peak of 10 PPPs, which should happen soon since he's on the top unit. Carolina also boasts excellent depth up front, so anywhere in their top-nine is fine.

Anders Lee, NYI (Yahoo: 30%): With a similar availability rate, Lee is almost the opposite of Bunting in that he lacks the offense but more than makes up for it elsewhere. He accomplished a three-week run from mid-November to early December which featured six goals, two assists, 29 shots, 13 hits, and 11 blocks, went quiet the next four appearances, and potted a PPG in each of his last two. The Isles may not be a sexy pick for scoring, yet anyone who teams up with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal at even strength hypothetically offers a greater chance of succeeding on that front.

Colton Sissons, NSH (Yahoo: 8%): With greater opportunity comes great responsibility. That's been the story of Sissons this season as he's logging his highest career ice time (16:41 per night), playing a significant part in all situations. And he's been doing his best work this month, notching eight points, 19 shots, 14 hits and 82 faceoff wins. In addition to topping a previous best in shorthanded points (five), Sissons has been promoted to Nashville's lead PP and scored two goals there over the last week. The Preds continue to surprise in the standings and some of their bigger names are bound to be popular, so you can probably sneak an underrated achiever like Sissons off the wire.

Morgan Geekie, BOS (Yahoo: 5%): We previously discussed James van Riemsdyk and his value mainly coming from the fact that he's part of Boston's lead power play. And since that group holds a top-10 ranking with a recently-returning Charlie McAvoy, that opinion can be repeated with Geekie. The former Carolina and Seattle forward didn't earn a lot of minutes in either location and was left to sign with the Bruins during the offseason. It looks like they've found a gem as Geekie has perfectly slotted in as the third center by registering three goals and five assists across 11 contests that includes three PPPs with the big guns. And even if he's moved off that unit, he still carries enough appeal as a lower-lineup addition.

Kent Johnson, CLS (Yahoo: 4%): Yegor Chinakhov has received plenty of headlines for his latest exploits (six goals and four assists in six games), though he's not the only young Columbus winger getting attention. Naturally, that'll happen when your team racks up 27 goals from six contests. Johnson did well as a rookie with 40 points, but a lack of minutes early on landed him in the minors, where he'd go on to record five goals and 10 assists in four weeks. His ice time may still be on the low side, yet that hasn't stopped Johnson from delivering eight points and nine shots since Dec. 9.

Zach Benson, BUF (Yahoo: 3%): Benson was drafted 13th overall back in June and jumped straight into an NHL lineup. There's been some inconsistencies and a brief injury spell, yet the 18-year-old already looks like a natural. The Sabres didn't want to loan Benson to represent Canada at the upcoming WJC as he can help them now. If Buffalo value him this much, he's in line to receive additional offensive chances — resulting in six points over five appearances and a recent move up to the top power play.

Defensemen

Brock Faber, MIN (Yahoo: 13%): Guess who's led all NHLers from Dec. 3 in average ice time? An established stud like Erik Karlsson or John Carlson? Nope — try Faber and his 27:38 across 10 games. And remember, he's a rookie. During that span, Faber contributed a goal, seven assists, 12 shots,and 18 blocks. His minutes have been substantial throughout, and they've only increased with Jared Spurgeon out. That's also led to Faber joining the top power play, where he collected his first career point on Thursday in the form of a PPG. Spurgeon is slated to return soon, but that shouldn't prevent Faber from producing.

Conor Timmins, TOR (Yahoo: 5%): With three Toronto backline regulars gone for a while, others have been asked to step up. A preseason injury prevented Timmins from making his debut until late November. The initial results weren't spectacular with an assist, six blocks and four hits from six outings, though he immediately participated on the second man-advantage. The last six games have proven much rosier for Timmins as he found the scoresheet in the first five alongside eight shots, nine blocks and six hits. He's also registered a pair of PPAs, and we all know how valuable power-play involvement can be in fantasy.

Justin Barron, MON (Yahoo: 1%): Barron managed a half-decent freshman campaign with the Habs as he totaled 15 points across 39 outings after 16 from 25 in the AHL. He was scratched for the opening three this season and then potted goals in three of the next five. Barron's responsibilities have expanded as he regularly logs 20-plus minutes while lining up on the backup power play. And more recently, he went off for two assists Saturday and the OT-clinching PPG on Monday to win in Winnipeg. The secondary stats are relatively low overall, though they're trending up thanks to added activity.

Nikita Zaitsev, CHI (Yahoo: 0%): Never thought I'd see the day when Zaitsev would be on the fantasy radar again considering that really hasn't been the case since his debut seven years ago. He's generally been reliable for hits and blocks over his career, yet scoring represented a bonus. Zaitsev wasn't consistently in the lineup this season until Seth Jones was placed on IR. And when Kevin Korchinski started missing time, Zaitsev got placed on the first man-advantage and recorded his first power play point since 2016-17 on Tuesday versus the Avs. His moment in the spotlight could be brief as Korchinski is slated to play again soon, but there should be enough to work with considering Chicago's low on defenders.

Goaltenders

Scott Wedgewood, DAL (Yahoo: 35%): Jake Oettinger dominated last year and appeared set to repeat that trend until he produced a few poor performances capped off by a lower-body injury. The word is it shouldn't keep him out for a long time, though his absence should allow Wedgewood the bulk of the starts with Matt Murray (the other one) covering the rest. Wedgewood has never made more than 37 appearances in a season and his 3.17/.903 line isn't the greatest, but he'll be the No. 1 on a team boasting a top-5 attack. And that alone is at least worth a few wins.

Joey Daccord, SEA (Yahoo: 26%): The Kraken recently faced a similar situation to the Stars as Philipp Grubauer left a game on Dec. 9 with a lower-body issue and his return is also unknown. The difference here is that Daccord had already been sufficiently involved before the incident, though the results were mixed. He's since received the starts in all six matchups, where he's produced a 1.65 GAA and .944 save percentage — including stopping 42 of 43 shots in LA on Wednesday. Seattle's offense has cooled off after a hot start, yet their D has improved during this latest run with only 12 goals conceded. 

Players to consider from past columns: Pavel Zacha, Seth Jarvis, Ryan O'Reilly, Troy Terry, William Karlsson, Wyatt Johnston, Matty Beniers, Nick Schmaltz, Quinton Byfield, Sam Bennett, Jaden Schwartz, Josh Norris, Robert Thomas, Nazem Kadri, Mikael Granlund, Cole Perfetti, Nikolaj Ehlers, Chandler Stephenson, Adam Fantilli, Dylan Strome, Brayden Schenn, Ivan Barbashev, Charlie Coyle, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Marco Rossi, Nick Paul, Trevor Moore, Lawson Crouse, Ryan Strome, John-Jason Peterka, Tyler Seguin, Yegor Sharangovich, Cam Atkinson, Sean Couturier, Eeli Tolvanen, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Kirill Marchenko, Gabriel Vilardi, Tyson Foerster, Joe Veleno, Matias Maccelli, Alex Kerfoot, Jake Sanderson, Owen Power, Mike Matheson, Filip Hronek, Torey Krug, Zach Werenski, Noah Hanifin, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Pavel Mintyukov, Thomas Harley, Neal Pionk, Travis Sanheim, Mattias Ekholm, Ivan Provorov, Jordan Spence, Janis Moser, Simon Nemec, Cam York, Elvis Merzlikins, Connor Ingram, Pyotr Kochetkov, Jonathan Quick, Karel Vejmelka, Charlie Lindgren, Petr Mrazek, Semyon Varlamov, Sam Montembeault, Casey DeSmith