Fantasy Hockey Week 1 Waiver Wire Picks & Preview

Fantasy Hockey Hacks

Fantasy Hockey Week 1 Waiver Wire Picks & Preview

In the 29th episode of the Fantasy Hockey Hacks Podcast; the FHH team goes through Fantasy Hockey Week 1 Waiver Wire Picks & Preview. We’ll go through players to focus on in week 1 and beyond, what the schedule looks like for each team this week, and get you up to date on the latest hockey news, injury updates, and more! Subscribe to our podcast on all major directories; and stay up to date with the latest in fantasy hockey news and fantasy hockey advice.

Highlights:

Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel out for season-opener versus the Tampa Bay Lightning
Alex Ovechkin is day-to-day, the Washington Capitals are hoping that he can play in the season-opener
Carey Price voluntarily enters into the NHL’s Player Assistance program
Auston Matthews will not play during the first week of the NHL regular season
NHL Week 1 Schedule – which teams to target and which teams to avoid
NHL Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

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Hockey News & Injury Updates | October 4 – 11

October 4

Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Alex Pietrangelo were all named to Team Canada earlier in the day.
Tyler Johnson was once again given 1st line and PP1 duties, centering a line with Kane and Debrincat. Johnson played 20:46, 4:49 on the power play, 1 G, 2 SOG, 1 Blk, 54% FOW.
Jonathan Toews recorded 3 assists and was +2 while skating 17:21. The Hawks captain also had 2 SOG, 1 Blk, and was 69% in the dot! Toews also played 4:46 on the power play.
Marc-Andre Fleury appears to be in mid-season form, making an absolutely outrageous stop against the Red Wings on Monday.

That man is going to carry the Hawks to the playoffs. Wow. 👀🌸#HockeyTwitter #Blackhawks #FlowerPower https://t.co/3RaCxT3ucp
— Fantasy Hockey Hacks (@FHHacks) October 5, 2021

Moritz Seider played 22:10 (2:59 on the PP), scoring 1 G, 1 A.
Lucas Raymond played 18:46 (3:58 on the PP), scoring 1 G, 1 A, 5 SOG.
Carter Hart had a .960 SV% in a 2-1 win over the Bruins. Jeremy Swayman had a .944 SV% in a losing effort. Impressive performances from both young goaltenders.
Sean Couturier played over 19 minutes, 3 SOG, 1 G, 1 A, 63% FOW.
Casey Mittelstadt scored 2 G on 2 SOG in 17:36 TOI against the Blue Jackets. Mittelstadt appears to be picking up where he left off last season.
Kirill Kaprizov looked very good in a 3-1 win over the Avalanche, producing 1 G, 2 A, 1 SOG, 1 Hit, and 2 Blks in 19:20 TOI. Note, the Avs iced mostly an AHL lineup. Also, Kuemper looked average with a .906 SV% in the loss.

October 5

Ottawa Senators head coach DJ Smith, says he must now prepare for the season as though Brady Tkachuk will not be available. Sounds like the Senators only want a 7 or 8 year term; but Tkachuk may be seeking a short-term bridge deal.
Vince Dunn scored 2 goals in 17:15 TOI (5:31 PP), while also putting up 3 SOG, and 4 Blks. Phillip Grubauer made 38 saves in a 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
Pavel Francouz was helped off the ice in Tuesday’s game against Vegas. Jared Bednar later said that it was lower-body, unrelated to his hip surgeries. Miko Rantanen and Nazem Kadri both scored twice for the Avs in a 7-4 loss.
Quinton Byfield left the Kings game against Arizona with an apparent injury to his left leg. Later reported that he has a left-ankle fracture, out indefinitely.
Owen Tippett scored 2 goals on 4 shots in Florida’s 3-2 pre-season win over Tampa Bay. Mike Amato spoke on our last episode about the potential for Tippett to emerge this year as a top 6 option in Florida. Spencer Knight made 28 saves and finished the game with a .933 SV%.

October 6

Dominic Ducharme told reporters that Carey Price will be unavailable to start the season after off-season knee surgery. Expect to see Jake Allen shoulder the load until Price returns.

October 7

Carey Price entered into the NHL’s player assistance program. Marc Bergeron told reporters that the program is a minimum of 30 days, but could be longer. The team expects Price back this season, but not sure exactly when.

Shocking news on Carey Price pic.twitter.com/dAvkgnS70y
— Dobber (@DobberHockey) October 7, 2021

Pavel Francouz will be out 3-4 weeks with a lower-body injury. Expect to see Kuemper shoulder the bulk of the loads during that time.
Blake Coleman was suspended for 1 pre-season game and 1 regular season game for boarding during a game against the Jets.
Patrik Laine can definitely bounce-back this season.

🚨 Patrik Laine stunning goal alert 🚨
(🎥: @BlueJacketsNHL) pic.twitter.com/9Oisfm1qIH
— NHL (@NHL) October 7, 2021

October 8

Florida Panthers captain Alexander Barkov signed a maximum 8 year contract extension with an AAV of $10M.

Aleksander Barkov, signed 8x$10M by FLA, is one of the top players in the NHL, a dominant offensive player who attacks with speed, manages the puck better than anybody in the league, and is a pain in the ass to play against. #FlaPanthers pic.twitter.com/b7II7blt6a
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) October 8, 2021

Alex Ovechkin left Friday’s game against Philadelphia with a lower-body injury. No update to report at this time.

Coach Peter Laviolette says Alex Ovechkin is still day to day and Capitals are “hoping” he plays in season opener Wednesday vs. Rangers.
Nicklas Backstrom still has not skated, so it’s pretty fair to figure he won’t play.
Looks like Hendrix Lapierre is in for his NHL debut.
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) October 11, 2021

October 9

Sidney Crosby was back at Penguins practice following wrist surgery in early September.

Sidney Patrick Crosby.
Practicing.
With Penguins.
First time during camp.
— Rob Rossi (@Real_RobRossi) October 9, 2021

Minnesota Wild prospect, Matthew Boldy, will miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured left ankle.

October 10

Mika Zibanejad and the Rangers agreed to an 8-year contract extension with an AAV of ~$8.5M.

BREAKING: Rangers, Zibanejad agree on extension, Post has learned, eight years in the range of $8.5M per…A year or two more than NYR would have preferred, but allows the AAV to be workable…Should put a damper on Eichel talk.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) October 10, 2021

Vincent Trochek is currently on IR, but is expected to be ready for the Canes season opener.

#Canes forward Vincent Trocheck was placed on the IR on Saturday. He suffered an injury in the Red-White scrimmage and hasn’t yet been cleared for game action, but the team is optimistic he will be ready for opening night.
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) October 10, 2021

October 11

Erik Gustafson signs a 1 year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. The dman put up 17 goals and 60 points in 79 games with the Hawks in 2018-2019.
Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper signed a 3 year contract extension.
Penguins winger Jake Guentzel is out of COVID-19 protocol, on the ice for practice. However, Guentzel, Crosby, and Aston-Reese were all ruled-out for Tuesday’s contest against Tampa Bay.
Auston Matthews will not play this week according to Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe.

Meanwhile: TOR announces Auston Matthews will not play this week (3 games) with his wrist injury, and Ilya Mikheyev needs thumb surgery — out approximately 8 weeks.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 11, 2021

Mark Giordano was named first captain in Seattle Kraken history.

Mark Giordano is the 1st Captain in Kraken history. Great choice.
— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) October 11, 2021

Alex Barre-Boulet has been claimed off waivers by the Seattle Kraken.

Kraken claim Alex Barre-Boulet from Tampa
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 11, 2021

Jared McCann, Jamie Oleksiak, Joonas Donskoi, Calle Jarnkrok, and Marcus Johansson are all on the COVID-19 protocol list, one day before the season opener.
Evander Kane a non-roster player pending investigation results. The Sharks forward is currently under investigation for attempting to falsify his COVID-19 vaccination status; and domestic abuse allegations from his wife.

As the Sharks announce their Opening Night roster, the team says, “Evander Kane is considered a non-roster player pending completion of the NHL’s investigation.”
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 11, 2021

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Edge Work | NHL Schedule, Week 1

Number of Games Played:

Teams With 3 Games: CHI, DAL, MTL, NYR, OTT, PIT, SEA, TB, TOR, VAN
- Toronto and Tampa Bay are of particular interest next week. Tampa Bay faces Pittsburgh (no Crosby, Malkin, or Guentzel), Detroit, and Washington (No Backstrom, possibly no Ovi). Toronto will face the Habs (no Price), and Ottawa twice – possibly without Brady Tkachuk.
Teams With 2 Games: ANA, ARI, BUF, CAR, CBJ, COL, DET, EDM, FLA, LAK, MIN, NSH, NYI, VGK, WPG, WSH
- Vegas and Winnipeg are also teams with great matchups next week. Vegas takes on the newly-formed Seattle Kraken, and the retooled Los Angeles Kings, both favourable matchups. Winnipeg faces Anaheim and San Jose – enough said.
Teams With 1 Game: BOS, CGY, NJD, PHI, SJ, STL

Edge Work | NHL Week 1 Waiver Wire Targets

Waiver wire targets will be focused on players with ownership ~50% or less.

Top Targets

Devon’s Picks

Owen Tippett played most of his pre-season on the second line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Sam Bennett. The result? 7 points (4 goals) in 6 games! In one game against TB, the young winger had 2 goals and a fighting major. Tippett is currently going undrafted in fantasy drafts, but has real potential to stick in the top 6 for Florida. Additionally, Tippett provided 3 SOG/GM and a total of 9 PIMs.

Mike Laughlin (Left Wing Lock) and Chris Wassel mentioned on our podcast that Atkinson is a real bounce-back candidate based on some of his underlying numbers, and a fresh start in Philadelphia. Both Atkinson’s shooting percentage (9.5% vs. 11.3 Career, 11.3 3 Year Avg), and volume (2.8 SOG/GM last season versus 3.3 SOG/GM 3 Yr. Avg.) took a hit last season, expect to see a rebound in both. Additionally, Atkinson’s PDO (967) and 5v5 SH% (7%) suggest that he may have suffered from poor puck luck, and we should see positive regression.

The general consensus was that Kirby Dach would wind up centering the top line between Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane; but through pre-season it has been Tyler Johnson at 1C and on PP1. Through 3 games Johnson produced 1 goal and 1 assist, but the potential is there if he maintains his current deployment and linemates. Johnson’s SH% last season (10.4%) was below his 3 year and career averages; and his shot rate per game has declined over the past few seasons. Additionally, Johnson’s PDO (994) and 5v5 SH% (7.9) indicate that we should see some positive regression as well.

The Ducks rookie finished the regular season 8th in scoring with 7 points (2 goals) in 5 games played. Interesting note, 4 of his 5 assists were primary assists. Elite-level potential and prime lineup placement should help Zegras compete for the Calder, even on a poor team like Anaheim. Hopefully between Zegras and Drysdale, the Ducks can improve on their league-worst power play from last season.

Noah Dobson had a strong pre-season, producing 1 goal and 4 assists through 3 games played. It appears that Trotz has finally handed over PP1 duties to the young defender, something to keep tabs on in the first few weeks of the season.

Moritz Seider has been placed with Nick Leddy on the second pair, and should see some time on the 2nd PP unit as well. Seider had a moderate pre-season offensively with 3 points (1 goal) in 6 games played; but his coach and teammates have had nothing but praise for the young defender. Interesting note, Seider led all Detroit players in ice time through the pre-season; 20 minutes more than the next closest player. Detroit has two games at home this week, one against TB and the other against Vancouver. Week 1 may not be an ideal time to grab him, but he has an outside shot at the Calder (6th best odds at +1200), so keep an eye on him this season.

📈 Braden Holtby (G), DAL | Ownership: 14% | GP: 3 (@NYR, @BOS, @OTT) | DK Salary: N/A | FPPG: N/A

Dallas starts the season with 3 road games, 1 back-to-back, and 1 game on a light/off day. Holtby should be given at least one start next week, and after a fantastic pre-season, he certainly deserves more. The former vezina winner played 3 games while posting a .938 SV% and a 1.71 GAA. The goaltending situation in Dallas is muddy at best, but Holtby finds himself on a much better team this season, and may be worth a gamble.

Bruce’s Picks:

Mats is currently playing on the top line and 1st powerplay with Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek. Why is he only 16% drafted? He was close to a point per game playing with Kaprizov last season.

With Giordano now in Seattle, Rasmus is now the Flames PP1 QB, 3 assists in the last preseason game. He is all but forgotten @ 13% owned but he can be yours if you need a D to shore up the line.

📈 Anton Khudobin (G), DAL | Ownership: 25% | GP: 2 (@CAR, @FLA) | DK Salary: N/A | FPPG: N/A

Khudobin will be Dallas’ starting goalie going into the season. At 25% ownership on a Dallas team that will contend for a playoff spot. He will make a great addition to your team if you suddenly need a goalie after your draft.

John’s Picks:

Puljujarvi had an outstanding pre-season, scoring 6 points (4 goals) through 5 games played.

Shop Now | NHLShop.ca

2021 How To Win Your Fantasy Hockey League Series

August 8th (Ep. 19) – Guide To Wingers
August 12th (Ep. 20) – Guide To Centers
August 19th (Ep. 21) – Guide To Defencemen
August 29th (Ep. 22) – Guide To Goalies & Zero G Draft Strategy
September 7th (Ep. 23) – 2021 Fantasy Hockey Guide & The Perfect Draft

BONUS: Dom Luszczyszyn’s (The Athletic) Fantasy Hockey Rankings & Cheat Sheet