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Fantasy Hockey Week 9 Waiver Wire Picks & Preview

Fantasy Hockey Week 9 Waiver Wire Picks & Preview
Fantasy Hockey Hacks

Fantasy Hockey Hacks

Fantasy Hockey Week 9 Waiver Wire Picks & Preview

In the 37th episode of the Fantasy Hockey Hacks Podcast, the FHH team discusses the 9th week in the NHL (waiver wire picks, schedule notes, news & injury updates). The guys also talk about FHH joining The Hockey Podcast Network (THPN) this week, and what it means for the podcast moving forward. There is also one more MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT made that you will want to tune in for! 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:
  • Evander Kane was placed on waivers
  • Nathan MacKinnon was back in game action on Wednesday
  • Brad Marchand suspended 3 games for slew-foot on OEL
  • Jack Hughes returned from injury, sign massive contract shortly after
  • Drew Doughty activated from IR
  • Braden Holtby most wins through first 500 NHL games in league history
  • Mitch Marner misses games Saturday/Sunday
  • 1000 NHL Games for Blake Wheeler
  • Igor Shesterkin on IR, will miss about a week

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John’s List

If you have been listening to our podcast for a while, you’ve undoubtedly heard about “John’s List”; which is basically John’s $h!t list of players past and present. We’ve decided to make this a regular segment on the podcast and will include it in the blog for fun as well. If you have any suggestions for players we should add to the list, let us know!

Curtis Joseph

Opposite of last week’s pick of Dominic Hasek. This week’s player on the list is Cujo. He had an absolute stellar mask but his playing ability was lacking. His career save % is average at .906 with a career high of .915. Main reason for the hate is the fact that every Joseph fan thinks he was the greatest goalie of all time and if you disagree with them you’ll never hear the end of it. Always the teams fault…never his.

Hockey News & Injury Updates | Nov. 29 – Dec. 5, 2021

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November 29
  • Carey Price was on the ice for practice in Montreal. 

  • Alexander Barkov was on the ice in Florida with teammates, could be participating in full practice.  

  • Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand will have a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for slew-footing Oliver Ekman-Larsson. 
  • Casey Mittelstadt appeared at practice in a full-contact jersey. New teammate Alex Tuch was also at practice, but wearing a non-contact jersey. 

  • According to Rick Dhaliwal (The Athletic, Vancouver), the San Jose Sharks are willing to eat half of Evander Kane’s salary in a trade. Kane, who was placed on waivers Sunday, has hired a new agent (Dan Milstein) who is reaching out to teams around the league. Kane cleared waivers early Monday afternoon. 

  • Brett Pesce and Tony DeAngelo are in COVID protocol. 
  • William Karlsson is in COVID protocol. 
  • Mikko Koivu will become the 1 player in Wild history to have his number retired. 

  • Jared Bednar expects to see Nathan MacKinnon return on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. UPDATE: Confirmed that MacKinnon would return on Wednesday night.  
  • Bryan Rust is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. 

  • Tuukka Rask was on the ice with Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman…

  • Brad Marchand has been suspended 3-games by the NHL Department of Player Safety for slew-footing OEL. 

  • Fenway Sports Group has agreed to purchase a controlling interest in the Pittsburgh Penguins. The sale is believed to be for approximately $900 M according to the Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. 
  • Jake Debrusk has requested a trade from the Boston Bruins according to Ryan Rishaug. 

November 30
  • Tuesday was a train wreck for the Edmonton Oilers. Duncan Keith was placed on IR, Cody Ceci was placed in COVID protocol, Markus Niemelainen was recalled from the AHL Condors. Practice was cancelled for precautionary reasons. 

  • Drake Batherson clears COVID protocols. Expected to be in the lineup for Wednesday’s game. 
  • Boston Bruins head coach, Bruce Cassidy, has been placed in COVID protocol. 
  • Jack Hughes returned to the lineup against the San Jose Sharks. 

  • Drew Doughty has been activated from IR, will play against the Anaheim Ducks. 
  • Jack Hughes has reportedly signed an 8-Year, $64M contract extension with the New Jersey Devils. 

  • Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour was fined $25,000 for inappropriate conduct during Sunday’s game against the Washington Capitals. 
  • Braden Holtby put on a real performance in his 500th NHL game on Tuesday night! Check out this sequence from Holtby. WOW. According to the NHL PR Twitter account, Braden (293-137-50 in 500 GP) has the most wins in NHL history by a goaltender through his first 500 games. Holtby made 39 saves and surpassed Jacques Plante (292-119-88 in 500 GP) for the most wins by a goaltender in NHL history through his first 500 career games. 

  • Filip Forsberg put on an absolute clinic, scoring 4 goals as the Nashville Predators beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-0. 
  • Ryan Getzlaf suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday’s contest against the Kings, status is currently DTD. 
December 1
  • Calle Jarnkrok and Chris Driedger have both been placed on IR by the Seattle Kraken. Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz will both be unavailable for Wednesday’s game. 
  • The New York Islanders have been cleared to play after COVID outbreak, will play the Sharks on Thursday. 
  • Leon Draisaitl, Jack Campbell, and Nazem Kadri named NHL’s stars of the month. 

  • Lucas Raymond is your Rookie of the Month for November after posting 12 points (5 goals) in 14 games played. 
  • Casey Mittelstadt will return to the Buffalo lineup on December 2nd against the Florida Panthers. 
  • Hockey Canada released its selection camp roster for the 2022 World Juniors. Owen Power, Shane Wright, and Connor Bedard all included, full list below. 

  • Joel Farabee left Wednesday’s game against the Rangers with an upper-body injury, did not return. UPDATE: Farabee is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
  • Darcy Kuemper did not play in Wednesday’s game against the Maple Leafs due to an upper-body injury. 
  • Tyler Bertuzzi was placed in COVID protocol. Coach Blashill said that Bertuzzi feels fine, but will be in protocol for 10 days, miss 5 games. 
December 2
  • Jesse Puljujarvi filed a trademark application for the name “Bison King”! 
  • Dallas Stars head coach, Rick Bowness, said that the team essentially has a 1A/1B situation in goal with Braden Holtby and Jake Oettinger. 

  • Dustin Tokarski is in COVID protocol. 
  • The Chicago Blackhawks traded Malcolm Subban to the Buffalo Sabres for future considerations. 
  • John Klingberg missed Thursday’s game due to illness. 
  • Both Jordan Binnington and Justin Faulk were placed in COVID protocol. 
  • Jack Eichel was seen skating on Thursday, a good step in his recovery. 

  • Mats Zuccarello returned to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night. 
  • Josh Anderson left Thursday’s game with an upper-body injury. Expected to miss 2-4 weeks. 
December 3
  • Jeff Petry has an upper-body injury and was ruled out of Saturday’s contest against the Preds. 
  • Ryan Getzlaf is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. 
  • T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, and Connor Sheary were all cleared for contact. 
  • Tyler Johnson is expected to miss 3 months following neck surgery.
  • Jonas Korpisalo has been placed on IR, retroactive to December 1st. 
  • Igor Shesterkin left Friday’s game with a lower-body injury. The Russian goalie was in quite a bit of distress, though Gallant told media after that, “They’re telling me it’s not as bad as it looks…”. UPDATE: Shesterkin was added to IR, will miss at least the next three games. 

  • Leon Draisail scored on the PP in his 500th NHL game; and with 2 A, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins reached 500 career NHL points. 

December 4
  • Nikita Kucherov was on the ice with the full team at morning skate. 

  • Darnell Nurse was participating in full practice on Saturday. 
  • The Montreal Canadiens claimed Kale Clague off waivers from the LA Kings. 
  • OVI WATCH: Alex Ovechkin scored his 750th career goal, becoming just the 4th player in league history to reach that mark behind Wayne Gretzky (894), Gordie Howe (801), and Jaromir Jagr (766).
  • Mitch Marner did not play Saturday against the Minnesota Wild, and is not expected to play on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets. 
  • Charlie McAvoy (illness) missed Saturday’s contest against the Lightning. The Bruins are off until Wednesday when they take on Vancouver. Keep an eye on his status heading into that game. 
  • Cale Makar did not play on Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators; sidelined with an upper-body injury. Makar did take part in warm-ups, but ultimately sat out the game. 
  • The Edmonton Oilers have activated Darnell Nurse from IR. 
  • The LA Kings have activated Quinton Byfield from IR and loaned to the Ontario Reign. 
  • Blake Wheeler played in his 1000th NHL Game on Sunday versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. 
  • William Karlsson made his return to the. What’s lineup on Sunday against the Calgary Flames.
  • Travis Green has been fired by the Vancouver Canucks, Bruce Boudreau is expected to be announced as his replacement.

Ask The Hacks

  • Best two goalies for the rest of the season: Mackenzie Blackwood, Carter Hart, Darcy Kuemper? Categories: W, SA, SV%, SO. 
  • Is it time to part ways with Taylor Hall? 
  • Drop Thomas Chabot or Erik Karlsson for Tyson Barrie? 
  • Would you drop Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman for Alex Nedelkjovic? 
  • Thoughts on Hellebuyck? I’m attempting to trade him for some scoring help. Categories are Wins, Shots Against, Save %, GAA, Shutouts. I also have Jarry, Shesterkin, and Saros. 
  • Crosby or Zibanejad for the rest of the season? Categories: G, A, +/-, SOG, Hit, BLK, PPP. 
  • Would you trade Elias Pettersson for Andrew Mangiapane? 
  • In a deep 14-team keeper league, is Mangiapane a keeper? Each team can keep 8 players. 
  • Drop Kevin Fiala for Ryan Hartman? Jesper Bratt, Andrew Copp, and Reilly Smith are available too. Rotisserie (season-long), G, A, PPP, GWG, +/-, Hits, 3-Day Waiver Period. 
  • Who is the better goalie to stash – Rask or Price? 
  • Sam Bennett or Andrei Svechnikov? Standard cats, but includes Hits and PIMS.

Edge Work | NHL Schedule, Week 9

Need To Know: 

The NHL is back in full swing for Week 9, as no team on the schedule plays less than 3 games; and one team (Anaheim) plays 5! As per usual, there are 4 light days throughout the week – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday – plan accordingly. 

  • Monday – 6 Games
  • Tuesday – 10 Games
  • Wednesday – 4 Games
  • Thursday – 10 Games
  • Friday – 7 Games
  • Saturday – 12 Games
  • Sunday – 5 Games
Teams With 5 Games: ANA
  • Teams Of Interest | The Anaheim Ducks are the only team on the schedule with 5 games next. The schedule itself appears relatively favourable, with matchups against the Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St. Louis Blues. Washington and St. Louis will no doubt be tough matchups; but the other 3 are winnable and should provide some offense for your fantasy roster. 

Players to consider: Trevor Zegras (51%), Rickard Rakell (26%), Sonny Milano (7%), Adam Henrique (49%), Cam Fowler (61%), Jamie Drysdale (19%).

Teams With 4 Games: CAR, COL, DAL, MIN, NJD, NSH, NYR, PHI, STL, VAN
  • Team Of Interest | The Vancouver Canucks have been a disaster this season, but they have won their last 2 games; and next week they have 4 home dates, all on off-nights (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday), which will help optimize your schedule.

Players to consider: Nils Hoglander (11%), Tanner Pearson (2%), Vasily Podkolzin (4%), Jaroslav Halak (8%).  

  • Team Of Interest | The St.Louis Blues are 7th in the league at 3.26 GF/GP; and they also have 4 games at home next week against the Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and Anaheim Ducks. 

Players to consider: Robert Thomas (31%), Brandon Saad (14%), Ivan Barbashev (15%), Scott Perunovich (7%). 

  • Team Of Interest | The Colorado Avalanche are scoring at a league-high 3.95 GF/GP, and have a reasonably favourable schedule next week with games against the Philadelphia Flyers (3.00 GA/GP, 13th), New York Rangers (Shesterkin injured), Detroit Red Wings (3.13 GA/GP, 11th), and Florida Panthers. As an added bonus, Colorado plays all 4 of its games on off-nights (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday).  

Players to consider: Valeri Nichushkin (18%), Andre Burakovsky (62%), Alex Newhook (3%), Bowen Byram (45%).

  • Team Of Interest | The New Jersey Devils have a very appealing schedule next week, as the collective record of their opponents is 29-43-8 (.362 Win%), and the Devils are currently tied for 15th in GF/GP at 2.91. NJD squares off against the Ottawa Senators (3.86 GA/GP, 31st), Philadelphia Flyers (3.00 GA/GP, 13th), Nashville Predators (2.83 GA/GP, 18th), and New York Islanders (2.94 GA/GP, 14th).  

Players to consider: Nico Hischier (26%), Dawson Mercer (14%), Jesper Bratt (41%), Pavel Zacha (14%). 

Teams With 3 Games: ARI, BOS, BUF, CBJ, CGY, CHI, DET, EDM, FLA, LAK, MTL, NYI, OTT, PIT, SJS, SEA, TB, TOR, VGK, WPG, WSH
  • Team Of Interest | The Toronto Maple Leafs have 3 home contests against the Columbus Blue Jackets (3.24 GA/GP, 25th – 3-game losing streak, 5-5 in last 10 GP), Tampa Bay Lightning (2.73 GA/GP, 11th), and Chicago Blackhawks (3.18 GA/GP,24th). The Leafs are 13th in GF/GP at 3.08, and they should be able to pad those totals a bit against both Columbus and Chicago next week.  

Players To Consider:  Michael Bunting (32%), Alex Kerfoot (10%), Joseph Woll (6%).  

  • Team Of Interest | The New York Islanders are off to a rough start this season (5-10-3, last in the Metro); but this upcoming week may be just what the doctor ordered. The Islanders opponents for next week – Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, and New Jersey Devils have a collective record of 26-34-6 (.393 Win%).

Players To Consider: Oliver Wahlstrom (9%), Anders Lee (33%), Noah Dobson (8%)

Edge Work | NHL Week 9 Waiver Wire Targets

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

Top Waiver Wire Targets

📈 Jeff Skinner (LW), BUF | Rostered: 7% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (Vs.ANA, Vs.NYR, Vs.WSH) | Line: 1 (w/ Thompson & Olofsson, PP1) 
  • In 23 games played this season, Jeff Skinner managed to surpass his point total (14) from all of last season, posting 15 points and 8 goals. Skinner has regained his role on the top line and PP1, and is producing at the best rate we’ve seen from him since 2018-2019 – when he scored 40 goals. His iSH% (12.5%) is a bit high based on his career numbers, but still below what we saw in 2018-2019. The former Cane is on-pace for 30 goals this season, a realistic target given his talent, deployment, and linemates. 

Also: Casey Mittelstadt (C/RW)| Rostered: 3% (Yahoo)

📈 Jesper Bratt (LW), NJD | Rostered: 42% (Yahoo) | GP: 4 (Vs.OTT, Vs.PHI, Vs.NSH, @NYI) | Line: 2 (w/ Johnsson & Mercer, PP2) 
  • The Swedish winger has 19 points and 6 goals in 22 games so far this season, putting him on-pace for a career-high 71 points. Shot volume is up considerably versus past seasons (3.0 SOG/GM vs. 2.1 SOG 3-Year Avg.), but individual shooting % (9.2%) is actually below his 3-year average of 10.9%. Largely playing alongside Andreas Johnsson and Dawson Mercer, that line has a +8 goal differential and 55.2 CF%. Bratt has also seen time with Pavel Zacha and Nico Hiscier. Surprisingly, Bratt is still available in ~60% of Yahoo leagues. 
📈 Clayton Keller (LW/RW), ARI | Rostered: 22% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (@DAL, Vs.FLA, Vs.PHI) | Line: 1 (w/ Boyd & Kessel, PP1) 
  • Currently on-pace for 55 points, Clayton Keller has 10 points (3 goals) in his past 8 games played. All of Keller’s underlying numbers suggest that his current production is sustainable, and we could even see improved performance. The Coyotes are last in the league at 1.79 GF/GP; and their PP is also last in the league at 12.1%, so take this recommendation with a grain of salt. 
📈 Anthony Cirelli (C/RW), TB | Rostered: 44% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (@MTL, @TOR, @OTT) | Line: 2 (w/ Killorn & Fortier, PP1) 
  • Cirelli has been an important player for the Lightning this year, and that has been reflected in his TOI (20:45) and PP deployment (2:24 PPTOI) – both of which are substantially higher this season. With 16 points (8 goals) in 23 games played this season, Cirelli is on-pace for a career-high 57 points. Cirelli’s SH% is high at 17.4%, but all other metrics suggest we could actually see further positive regression. The Tampa forward is an appealing option against Montreal and Ottawa next week. 
📈 Kaapo Kakko (RW), TB | Rostered: 20% (Yahoo) | GP: 4 (@CHI, Vs.COL, @BUF, Vs.NSH) | Line: 1 (w/ Strome & Panarin, PP2) 
  • It finally looks like we’re seeing the Kaapo Kakko that we all expected when he was drafted 2nd overall in 2019. Kakko’s season started off slow, but he has 8 points (3 goals) in his last 9 games played. 60% of his time on ice this season has been spent alongside Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin; though he did find himself playing with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider on Saturday versus Chicago. 
📈 Valeri Nichushkin (LW/RW), COL | Rostered: 19% (Yahoo) | GP: 4 (@PHI, @NYR, Vs.DET, Vs.FLA) | Line: 2 (w/ Kadri & Burakovsky, PP1) 
  • The former Dallas Star has looked great so far this season playing alongside Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky. With 11 points (6 goals) in 12 GP, Nichushkin is worth a look while he’s hot. Note: Minimal PPTOI, SH% (26.1%) is high, 5v5 SH% is high (13.1%), and minimal category coverage outside of points. 
📈 Ryan Hartman (C/RW), MIN | Rostered: 76% (Yahoo) | GP: 4 (@EDM, @SJS, @LAK, @VGK) | Line: 1 (w/ Kaprizov & Zuccarello, PP1) 
  • Ryan Hartman is off to an absolutely outstanding season – on-pace for 72 points and 44 goals after never having posted more than 31 points in a single season. Hartman didn’t score any points Saturday night against the Leafs, but he did see a season-high TOI (21:42) and PPTOI (5:09). Only available in ~25% of leagues, but he has been such a surprise we felt it was worth mentioning. 
📈 Dimitry Orolov (D), WSH | Rostered: 66% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (Vs.ANA, Vs.PIT, @BUF) | Pair: 1 (w/ Jensen, PP2) 
  • On-pace for his best season to date (46 points), Orlov has 7 points in his last 6 games played, skating alongside Nick Jensen on the second pair and second power play. Nearly 70% owned now, Orlov is likely not available in your league; but could be a nice pickup if you play in a deep league that counts hits. 
📈 Jonas Brodin (D), MIN | Rostered: 7% (Yahoo) | GP: 4 (@EDM, @SJS, @LAK, @VGK) | Pair: 1 (w/ Dumba, PP1) 
  •  Jonas Brodin has 5 points (1 G) in his last 6 GP, on-pace for 41 points – would be a career-high for Brodin. With Jared Spurgeon injured, Brodin has taken over the PP1 role (played 5:22 PPTOI, 80% PP share) and could be a great add if you’re looking for help on the back-end. Shot volume is at a career-high as well at 2.0 SOG/GM. Secondary Assists % is high, but all other underlying numbers are within expected ranges. We may see some positive regression in his 5v5 SH% which currently sits at 5.8%. 
📈 Scott Perunovich (D), STL | Rostered: 7% (Yahoo) | GP: 4 (Vs.FLA, Vs.DET, Vs.MTL, Vs.ANA) | Pair: 3 (w/ Bertuzzo, PP2) 
  • Perunovich has 5 assists through 10 games played this season, on-pace for 41 points. Recently, the rookie blueliner has been playing more minutes on the PP than perennial power play QB, Torey Krug. Definitely worth a look in deeper leagues; or possibly as a hand-cuff to Torey Krug. 
📈 Braden Holtby (G), DAL | Rostered: 39% (Yahoo) | GP: 4 (Vs.ARI, @VGK, @LAK, @SJS) | Role: Tandem (52% Net Share)
  • Holtby played in his 500th game this week, and according to the NHL PR Twitter account, he has the most wins among goaltenders through his first 500 games. In that same game he made an absolutely incredible sequence of saves, and has made a strong bid for the starting role in Dallas. Head coach Rick Bowness told the media this week that it is a, “1A, 1B situation currently with Holtby and Oettinger). 4-4-1 record to date with a 2.30 GAA and .927 SV%. Dallas plays back-to-back on Wednesday/Thursday against Vegas and LA, so Holtby will be almost guaranteed two starts for next week. 
📈 Kaapo Kähkönen (G), MIN | Rostered: 22% (Yahoo) | GP: 4 (@EDM, @SJS, @LAK, @VGK) | Role: Backup (26% Net Share)
  • Kahkonen plays sparingly, so he’s a selective spot-start at best; however, he has won his last two contests, posting a 2.01 GAA, .935 SV%, and 1.45 GSAA. Note: Kahkonen’s peripherals on the season are average at best (.895 SV%, 2.85 GAA), but he does carry a 4-1-1 record on the season.

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