The 4 Nations Face-Off tournament is complete, so it’s time to shift our focus back to the NHL ice for fantasy hockey.
Below I’ve listed four players who I believe are primed to continue producing down the stretch run of the season. Here are my four favorite NHL waiver wire pickups heading into the new fantasy week.
NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Advice (Week 19)
(Rostership percentages courtesy of ESPN)
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C – WSH) | 47.3% Rostered
The Capitals were the only team in the NHL not to have a player chosen for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. In a way, that may galvanize this team even more, which is interesting to think about considering they’ve already accumulated a league-leading 84 points this season.
The second line of Connor McMichael-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Tom Wilson continues to light it up and provide depth scoring. Specifically, Dubois is turning in an electric campaign, where he’s up to 48 points via 13 goals and 35 assists.
The Capitals winger is a top-50 player in the league and a must-add if you need a boost in scoring production. The Caps are already 2-0-0 out of the break. Dubois has racked up four helpers in those two wins against the Penguins (8-3) and Oilers (7-3).
Valeri Nichushkin (RW – COL) | 43.3% Rostered
Colorado’s Valeri Nichushkin (lower-body) is on the brink of returning to the Avalanche’s lineup. It’s worth grabbing him while you can.
The Russian-born winger has played in only 21 games this season, but he has 17 points (11 goals, six assists) in those contests. He’s also a mainstay on Colorado’s power-play unit, where two of his goals have occurred this season. Nichuskin’s essentially a point-per-game player in the NHL and can easily break out as the Avs make their playoff push.
Boone Jenner (C – CBJ) | 26.2% Rostered
Speaking of returning from injury, Boone Jenner (shoulder) is back in action for the Blue Jackets. The 31-year-old made his season debut on Saturday, where he logged an assist in Columbus’ 5-1 rout of Chicago.
The second-line winger is coming off of a campaign where he scored 35 points (22 goals, 13 assists) in 58 games. With Sean Monahan (wrist) returning soon, Jenner will have either him or Adam Fantilli feeding him the puck from the center position. I see nothing but upside for the goal-scoring winger.
Kevin Lankinen (G – VAN) | 60.6% Rostered
Vancouver’s Kevin Lankinen just inked a five-year, $22.5 million extension, and I’d say it’s well-earned with the numbers he’s put up this season. The netminder is 19-9-7 (14th-most wins) with a 2.52 GAA (11th) and .907 SV% (20th). He also has four shutouts, which trails only Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (six shutouts).
The big selling point with Lankinen is that Vancouver’s 1A option in net, Thatcher Demko, just went back to the injured reserve (IR) with a lower-body injury. He’s week-to-week, meaning we’ll be getting a healthy dose of Lankinen for the foreseeable future. I’d pounce on Lankinen if you need a solution in net.
