NHL Fantasy: One waiver option for each category

Sometimes in fantasy hockey, struggling in a certain category can de-rail your entire season. If you’re getting production in most categories but falling way behind in others, it could spell the end of your playoff chances as the season goes on. Utilizing the waiver wire to target category-specific players is a great way to ensure you’re covered across the board each week. Below are five players worth adding to the waiver wire for the five major categories.

Goals – Oliver Bjorkstrand (W), Seattle Kraken

Oliver Bjorkstrand has always been a streaky player in fantasy. Some months he’s a must-own player, and others he’s nothing but waiver wire fodder. Since December started, it’s been one of those months where Bjorkstrand has been worth a look for your team. He’s posted five goals so far in six games since December 1.

The total ranks tied for third across the entire NHL since the start of December. He’s posted at least 20 goals for three consecutive seasons and is currently on a career-best 30-goal pace right now. Add him now while he’s hot.

Assists – Lane Hutson (D), Montreal Canadiens

Rookie Lane Hutson has dazzled fans so far this season, but he wasn’t seeing the point production to match. That is until the end of November when he finally started to see his efforts rewarded on the scoresheet. Since November 27, Hutson has been piling up assists at an elite rate.

Across his last eight games, he’s put up eight assists—three on the power play—and has gone without an assist just once. From November 27 to December 9 he had a seven-game assist streak going. During that stretch, his eight assists ranked second league-wide among defencemen. He’s since seen his ownership skyrocket in the past week so add him while you still can.

Shots – Anders Lee (W), New York Islanders

I really don’t understand why Anders Lee is only 45% owned in Yahoo! leagues right now. The veteran has been lighting it up over the past month and has shown no signs of slowing down recently. Lee has gone 18 straight games with at least one shot on net. His last shotless game came all the way back on November 5.

Since then he’s posted 45 shots in 18 games and has put up at least two shots on 11 different occasions. What makes him even more valuable is the fact he’s also posted 18 points in those 18 games as well. Not only is he a great shot generator, he’s not a one-trick pony either and has been a point-per-game player for over a month now.

Hits – Kiefer Sherwood (W), Vancouver Canucks

Kiefer Sherwood is a madman on the ice. He’s throwing his body around and generating hits at a historic rate right now. He’s currently running away with the NHL hit title among forwards and has shown no signs of letting anyone catch him. Since November 1, Sherwood has landed 112 hits in just 19 games.

In other words, he’s generating an astounding 5.9 hits per game right now. In eight of his last 19 games, he’s thrown at least seven hits. The next closest forward in terms of overall hits in that span is Brady Tkachuk who has 27 fewer than Sherwood. His 14 points in 28 games is the cherry on top.

Blocks – Jacob Trouba (D), Anaheim Ducks

The newest member of the Anaheim Ducks, Jacob Trouba has always been a strong source of blocks. Now playing heavy minutes on the lowly Ducks, his block totals can only go up from here. So far on the season, Trouba ranks seventh league-wide for blocks with 75.

Since November 1, he ranks third with 53 in 18 games. After being acquired by the Ducks, Trouba has posted seven blocks in three games played. What makes him an even more valuable addition is the fact he’s also a strong generator of hits as well, totalling 11 hits in three games in Anaheim. He’s never going to put up much offence, but in terms of blocks and hits, Trouba is a worthwhile addition to your roster.

Category coverage

Sometimes a category can be won or lost just by having one single player. While these targets may seem like one-dimensional at times, they can in fact provide strong value in their respective categories and contribute to other categories too.

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