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Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 12 (2019)

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 12 (2019)

I must give the NHL credit this year for some interesting storylines to date. The latest is a pretty huge trade involving Taylor Hall. Only a couple of years removed from an MVP season, he is now an Arizona Coyote and could shift the balance of power out west. As you would expect, the trade will affect both teams, especially past and future linemates of Hall and the prospects involved in the deal.

As for who’s hot and who’s not, here are the teams with seven or more wins in their last 10 games:

Eight wins – Washington, Colorado, Calgary

Seven wins – Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Vegas

Teams with three or fewer wins include Ottawa, Detroit (again), Columbus, New Jersey, Chicago, Edmonton, and San Jose. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some waiver options this week.

Center

Christian Dvorak (ARI): 20% Owned
Dvorak currently is slated to be the top center in Arizona, playing between (drum roll) Phil Kessel and Taylor Hall. While neither player has produced as expected this year, the talent is undeniable and Dvorak has an incredible opportunity to break out offensively. Before the Hall trade, he was third in scoring in the desert and posted an amazing 121 points in his last 59 games in junior.

Lars Eller (WSH): 13% Owned
When you play on the top-scoring team in the league, the third line center position is typically still a pretty lucrative gig. Eller is a solid forward, so this is no more than a depth play, but he’s +8, typically posts at least two shots per game, and is on pace for roughly 40 points. His average of 17 minutes of ice time is pretty respectable on such a deep team and he also centers the second power-play unit.

Left Wing

Nick Schmaltz (ARI): 33% Owned
I will double down in the desert with Nick Schmaltz for a couple of reasons. He is talented enough in his own right, but now also has some legitimate talent around him. If Christian Dvorak doesn’t show the requisite chemistry on the top line, Schmaltz can play center and may end up in that role. If not, Carl Soderberg and Clayton Keller are also very talented linemates.

Anders Lee (NYI): 57% Owned
Lee is not a name you expect to see so available, but he has struggled to produce so far this year. Barry Trotz has his team in fourth place in the league, but his defensive scheme has cramped the offensive style of most of his players somewhat. Lee’s +/- increased by 45 points in one year under Trotz, so keep that in mind if that is a scoring category in your league. Lee typically exceeds 100 hits and 200 shots in a year and has hit 40 goals in a season.

Right Wing

Jakob Silfverberg (ANA):  29% Owned
It was only a few years ago that teams nervously prepared for their California road trip, as the Sharks, Kings, and Ducks were all powerhouse teams. They now comprise the bottom three spots in the Pacific Division and only four teams in the league have fewer points than Anaheim. Silfverberg has not cashed it in though and has a shot at a 30-goal, 60-point season this year. He’s also a prime trade target for a contending team later in the year.

Calle Jarnkrok (NSH): 18% Owned
Nashville has been one of the most disappointing teams in the league this year, although they are still pretty strong offensively (12th). Jarnkrok is currently on the top line with Ryan Johansen as his center. He is also tied with Filip Forsberg as the top-scoring forward on the team, so he has a great chance to cement his role as a top-six forward on a talented team.

Defense

Tony DeAngelo (NYR): 48% Owned
At 24 years of age, DeAngelo is having a very quiet breakout season in New York, an improbable feat in such a large market. With 23 points in 33 games, he is the top-scoring defenseman for the Rangers and fourth overall on the team. He posted a solid 30 points (in 61 games) last year and is now averaging almost 19 minutes of ice time per night. He also quarterbacks the number one power-play unit with some top-level talent around him.

Justin Schultz (PIT): 11% Owned
Schultz may end up being a bit of a one-hit-wonder with a 51-point season in 2016-17, but there’s also a chance he finds his stride again this year. Injuries have really curtailed his production recently, but he’s playing over 21 minutes per night and still has a boatload of talent around him. Pittsburgh is eighth in scoring (with prolonged absences by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin), so there is still plenty of upside for Schultz this season.

Goal

James Reimer (CAR): 11% Owned
Carolina is plugging away in third spot in the Metropolitan Division this season, and Reimer is certainly doing his part for the team. He’s already played 13 games and his stats (seven wins, 2.41 goals against average, 0.924 save percentage) suggest an increased workload going forward. Although he’s in his 10th season, he remains a forgotten name at times but could end up getting on a roll with this team.

Sleeper 

Jake Virtanen (VAN): 3% Owned
Virtanen has been more tease than please in his NHL career, but he arguably has his best chance to break out this season. The coaching staff seems willing to give him an extended audition as a top-six forward and Vancouver now has some legitimate scorers up front. Playing with Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller should bring out the best in any young forward, and Virtanen, an active hitter and shooter, has a shot at his first 40-point season this year.


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Sheldon Curtis is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Sheldon, check out his archive and follow him @sheldon_curtis.

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