Welcome to week three of the National Hockey League, we are glad you’re still with us. Once again, I come in peace with my week three fantasy hockey waiver wire pickups. You can hear more about fantasy and all things hockey by checking out The Almost Canadian Hockey Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and by visit ThePuckAuthority.com.
If you have Joe Thornton in your lineup right now, I’ve got mixed feelings the veteran. For one, he never really got the chance to prove himself in Toronto, seeing as he only made it one full week. But should you really keep an injured reserve spot for a regressed 41-year-old centreman? This hockey analyst says “GET OUT, GET OUT NOW!”
I really like Joel Erikson Ek for the Minnesota Wild. He has two assists and three goals, which leads the Wild so far this season. Overall, his play has been good and I’m hoping he can keep up this pace for your roster this week. He was rostered less than one percent last week, but now after seeing what he can do, he is 22% rostered in NHL fantasy leagues.
I think Charlie Coyle has really gotten into a groove this season. What I have seen is Coyle doing all of the little things right, which is what he did when he played for Minnesota. Coyle is an assist machine and currently averaging one and a half points per game. (12% rostered in fantasy leagues).
The final player I want to talk about is Sean Monahan. He is rostered in over 80% of leagues, so there is only a ⅕ chance you can pick him up (thank you public school system.) But, if you have him or manage to pick him up on waivers or in a trade, then DO NOT DROP HIM! He is my lock for the week, as he has at least a point per game this season, averaging 2.2 fantasy points.
Last week, the Winnipeg Jets were the only team scheduled to play five games, and this week, they only have two and they do not have Laine. Unless you have top guys like Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, or Blake Wheeler, I would stay away from or drop any of their extra depth guys. There are no teams this week with five games, but because of the league mixup and many teams playing back-to-back, many teams play four games, which is great for your fantasy team!
Anaheim, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ottawa, Philadelphia, St Louis, Vancouver and the New York Islanders all have four games on the schedule this week. There are some solid players on any of these teams.