With the first week of fantasy hockey season coming to a close, waiver players will be important to address holes in your lineup or to replace an injured player. Which five are the best, and who might be a good sleeper pick?
Ryan McDonagh, Defenseman
Ryan McDonagh can be found on waivers from smaller leagues to ones that have a couple dozen players in them. He’s a nice defensive snag for anyone looking for a defender to consistently block shots anywhere from two to three times per game, have a good plus/minus, and score a few points along the way. On a Nashville Predators team that could be competitive this season, he could be a nice addition.
McDonagh is not valuable in all leagues, but those that put an emphasis on blocks and plus/minus make him especially useful. He consistently gets over 20 minutes of ice time per game, so volume shouldn’t be an issue. What you are getting with him is known, and can be a decent replacement for some injured defenders in your lineup.
Ryan O’Reilly, Forward
Ryan O’Reilly is an interesting fantasy addition primarily because of his ice time to this point. Playing over 21 minutes nightly in regulation time combined over his last three games, he could have a high workload for the rest of the season. He is bound to be a productive player across the board if that is the case.
At this stage of his career, there isn’t just one thing that O’Reilly excels at from a fantasy perspective. He can get goals, assists, shots, blocks, hits, and even be a decent plus/minus player for Nashville if their season doesn’t go awry. The team lacks experience on offense, and he is beginning to lead the way for them.
Nicolas Hague, Defenseman
With teammate Alec Martinez being placed on injured reserve, Nicolas Hague is bound to take on a bigger role for the Vegas Golden Knights for the time being than he otherwise would have. His teammate had the most blocked shots in the entire NHL last season, so he has big shoes to fill in the top-four. This is a good opportunity for him.
Hague’s recent production is mostly due to his point production, but he is also getting over 21 minutes of ice time so far when the most he ever had in his career was under 19. He now has the chance to rack up more blocks, hits, and a better plus/minus.
Hague might have to be relegated back to fantasy waivers after Martinez comes back, so this seems like a short-term add. Production is hard to assess so early in the season, so it might be best to hang onto him for a bit even if he slows.
Elvis Merzlikins, Goaltender
Elvis Merzlikins is a huge gamble at this stage considering his dreadful season in 2022-23. With a .876 save percentage (SV%) and a 4.23 goals-against average (GAA), he was a risky pick considering he also plays for a Columbus Blue Jackets team coming off of a 59-point campaign last season.
Thus far, he seems to have returned to form in 2023-24. It’s early, but we are seeing the Merzlikins of old. The old version of him was a high-volume puck stopper who could bail out poor performances from his team here and there. This is valuable for fantasy, regardless of whether the wins are frequent or not.
A lot of fantasy hockey is about volume, and he makes 30 or more saves almost nightly. He might give up a few more goals if his current .950 SV% and 1.81 GAA come down to earth, but the volume likely won’t change. He is the clear-cut starter in Columbus, and is on track to being much better than he was last season.
Brock Faber, Defenseman
Brock Faber, just 21 years of age, is starting to become a very useful and important player for the Minnesota Wild. As long as Jared Spurgeon is out with injury, he will be a nice defensive stash for leagues that value both blocks and plus/minus alike.
Faber is getting nearly 23 minutes of ice time each game with Spurgeon’s injury, but that still might not change when he comes back with how he has been playing. With that sort of workload, he is bound to be a solid player. With a likely playoff team in the Wild, he will have a good or neutral plus/minus more often than not, and he can be elite in the shot blocking and hit department.
He likely won’t be the productive player he is right now offensively through the entire season, but the offensive production is just a bonus to what already made him great for fantasy, which was his defensive presence. Faber can be a good addition in leagues of almost any size.
Sleeper Pickup: Mackenzie Blackwood, Goaltender
The rationale here might be a bit of a reach, but Mackenzie Blackwood belongs to an interesting group of goaltenders that seemingly has a knack for a breakout. With his first game with his new team, the rebuilding San Jose Sharks, being against the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche, 51 saves on 52 shots for a .981 SV% and a 0.92 GAA doesn’t seem too bad.
Related: Flyers’ Cal Petersen Needs to Be Given an Opportunity
In 2021-22, goaltenders who were under 30 years of age, who had a negative goals saved above expected (GSAx), and who switched teams in the offseason were all significant improvers heading into last season. Of the eight goaltenders that fit the criteria, all of them had a positive GSAx in 2022-23.
They went from having a cumulative minus-80.6 GSAx to one that totaled 86.3, which is an average of 10.8 in the regular season. For reference, that is around what Jake Oettinger put up, and he is considered one of the best goaltenders in the league. Mostly underperforming backups from 2021-22 made up this list, which is even more shocking.
All of this is to say that Blackwood is a part of this special group this season, and he is a potential sleeper pick because there is potential that he will emerge as the true starter. The Sharks could lose a lot of games this season, but their goaltender can still perform from a fantasy perspective. Almost no one will be after him, but he could be an intriguing player to add.
With week one of fantasy hockey coming to a close, some of the best waiver options that will be available all season are up for grabs. Their value depends on the league, but they can be rostered in a league of almost any size.
