Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Yegor Sharangovich leads pickups
By Evan Berofsky, RotoWire
Special to Yahoo Sports
Remember last week when I mentioned some people may panic in fantasy when a couple of their players are sidelined? Well, how about four in one week?
That's exactly what recently happened to my main team. Three of them may be out for a while, though Boone Jenner is the only one who could be considered an effective producer. And Alex Tuch was the other casualty, but he returned Wednesday.
My bench is decent enough to provide stopgaps where necessary. I've also added a pair of forwards off the wire, including one who's listed below.
(Rostered rates as of Dec. 15)
Forwards
Troy Terry, Anaheim Ducks (Yahoo: 36%)
It's tough to imagine someone coming off back-to-back 60-plus point seasons would be available in over 60% of Yahoo leagues, but that's the current reality for Terry. Even though he logs plenty of ice time and is on the top line for all attacking areas, he's only recorded six goals and 10 assists. And frankly, that isn't terrible. It's just that Terry has lacked consistency, as he's gone pointless in 17 of 28 games. A goal and two assists over the last four may be a sign he's getting back on track and his fortune could further improve with the impending returns of Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish.
Chandler Stephenson, Vegas Golden Knights (Yahoo: 27%)
Like Terry, Stephenson exceeded 60 points in consecutive campaigns and has posted adequate stats so far this year. He also lost momentum while missing four November contests and never got things going again until his latest four-game scoring run that's totaled six points — including three on the power play — to go with 10 shots. Stephenson may not have his usual linemates at even-strength, though any of Vegas' first three trios are solid. His profile is also enhanced by the fact that he's active on both special-teams units, with his 36 PPPs over the last two-plus seasons the main draw.
Phillip Danault, Los Angeles Kings (Yahoo: 21%)
Danault's inclusion officially makes it a trend as we're now three-for-three when it comes to forwards coming off two breakout seasons in a row who are still playing well enough but perhaps aren't satisfying expectations. After all, 17 points across 26 outings for Danault represents similar production. There's also something to be said for a stable spot as the Kings' No. 2 center in all situations. Danault's also been known to direct a few pucks on net and win a bunch of faceoffs while chipping in with some blocks and hits. The pivot position is deep in fantasy, so, understandably, his coverage numbers aren't higher, but for what Danault provides, he should be on more rosters.
Yegor Sharangovich, Calgary Flames (Yahoo: 17%)
When making bids for free agents this week, I prioritized two forwards. One of them was Alex Kerfoot based on overall opportunities and involvement. The other should have been Sharangovich, though I opted for a player who will be mentioned very soon. It's obviously too early to assess, yet it's hard to ignore Sharangovich's four combined goals and short-handed assist this week, or the fact he's averaged 20:03 in his last nine games and regularly skates on the top line and power play. Sharangovich has experienced a couple of dips since entering the NHL and only tallied five points over the first 16 matchups with his new team, but you're ultimately taking him for what he's doing now.
Jason Zucker, Arizona Coyotes (Yahoo: 11%)
Advanced placement sometimes goes a long way. Just ask Zucker, who got to team up with Evgeni Malkin for a few years in Pittsburgh and reaped the rewards when healthy. He was starting to find his way with his new club with goals in two straight before missing two weeks. Zucker finally broke out on Dec. 4 when he supplied a goal, assist and six shots while skating in the bottom six. That led to subsequent promotions through the depth chart all the way to joining forces with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. He may not end up sticking there, but Arizona has shown to be a competent attacking side with contributions from all four lines. As long as Zucker doesn't get hurt, there's the potential for sufficient production.
Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning (Yahoo: 6%)
Cirelli eventually finds his way into this column annually as he's usually paired alongside decent forwards and adequately fills the stat sheet. He gets to team up with a variety of players and seems like he can adjust to any situation. Cirelli has peaked of late with five goals, two assists, 16 shots and 11 blocks across six outings. One of those points was a power-play goal on the lead group last Wednesday. Cirelli is a bit light on faceoffs, but grabbing a piece of Tampa's top six is usually a smart proposition.
Joe Veleno, Detroit Red Wings (Yahoo: 5%)
Dylan Larkin and J.T. Compher continue to be sidelined, which has allowed Veleno to ascend to first-line center. In the three contests since the captain got hurt, Veleno has picked up a PPG and PPA supplemented by seven shots, five blocks and 24 faceoff wins while averaging 22:33. Even when Larkin and Compher reappear, opportunities remain for the 2018 first-rounder as he produced goals before they got hurt and will be asked to handle a wide range of responsibilities.
Fabian Zetterlund, San Jose Sharks (Yahoo: 4%)
And now for the reveal of my other waiver addition. It wasn't long ago when any Sharks player was considered off-limits for fantasy consumption. In case you haven't been following the league in recent weeks, San Jose has won six of the last nine to climb out of the basement … and into 30th overall. We've previously mentioned Mikael Granlund and Tomas Hertl as the leaders of this resurgence, though there have been others who've helped the cause. Zetterlund came over to the Bay Area in the Timo Meier deal back in February and hardly made a dent for the remainder of the campaign. Fast forward to 2023-24 and he's looked like a new player with eight goals, four assists, four PPPs and 69 shots on a hefty workload — 20:04 since Nov. 10. The Sharks could easily revert to their days of blowout losses and anemic attacking, but you might want to take a chance on someone like Zetterlund to round out your lineups.
Defensemen
Cam York, Philadelphia Flyers (Yahoo: 7%)
Travis Sanheim operated as Philly's top power-play quarterback for most of the season while delivering significant stats across the board. He's recently ceded that role to his even-strength partner York, who got a taste of that situation the previous two years. The difference this time around is York's much heavier involvement, as he's averaging over 22 minutes a night. In the last seven games, he's recorded four points — including two PPAs — 18 blocks, 14 shots and six hits.
Mike Reilly, New York Islanders (Yahoo: 3%)
Reilly was hardly used in Florida and was snapped up off waivers a couple weeks ago. He didn't see much activity in the first three outings, though the ice time eventually increased as the Isles lost a couple defenders. Reilly has become fantasy-relevant again thanks to a goal and three assists from the last five accompanied by 15 shots, 11 hits and five blocks. He's also been deployed on the Isles' second man-advantage unit where he's already notched a helper.
Ryan McDonagh, Nashville Predators (Yahoo: 3%)
There was a stretch at the end of November where McDonagh managed five assists across five appearances. That apparently didn't receive a lot of attention, as his coverage numbers remained low. So far this month, McDonagh has only found the scoresheet once in the form of a goal and PPA against Tampa. That may not be the biggest endorsement for him, though offense hasn't really been a strength since his early days with the Bolts. McDonagh's peripheral stats (24 shots, 40 blocks, 14 hits) aren't necessarily outstanding, yet he's being entrusted with time on the Preds' backup power play in addition to his usual substantial short-handed placement.
Kevin Shattenkirk, Boston Bruins (Yahoo: 1%)
Charlie McAvoy got hurt last Thursday and hasn't returned to action. Up until then, Shattenkirk had lined up with Hampus Lindholm on Boston's second power play. One could've assumed the latter would take over for McAvoy on the lead group based on workload and results, yet it was Shattenkirk who netted a PPG set up by David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand. His ice time isn't great and McAvoy should be back soon to reclaim the top spot, though he should at least retain value as someone who's offensively capable.
Goaltenders
Semyon Varlamov, New York Islanders (Yahoo: 44%)
Varlamov's overall stats are better than his most recent numbers, and yet he's won four in a row. That's due to the Isles having improved their offense by potting at least three goals in 13 of their last 14 games. There's nothing wrong with Ilya Sorokin as he's been stopping a lot of pucks of late, though his GAA is higher than normal. As long as Varlamov continues to do well, he'll be counted upon for more appearances. And with a pair of upcoming back-to-backs starting Friday, that guarantees him more short-term work.
Ivan Prosvetov, Colorado Avalanche (Yahoo: 12%)
Alexandar Georgiev started the season with six straight wins but hasn't been so great since then, posting a 3.39 GAA and .883 save percentage. He was pulled on Monday after giving up five goals over two periods, and Prosvetov stepped in to turn away all 11 shots to earn the victory as the Avs completed a 6-5 comeback. The youngster got the nod Wednesday and proceeded to stymie the Sabres with only one goal allowed on 30 shots. We're not saying there's a goalie controversy in Colorado, yet it wouldn't surprise anyone if Prosvetov earned more outings — starting with either Saturday in Winnipeg or Sunday versus San Jose.
Players to consider from past columns: Pavel Zacha, Seth Jarvis, Ryan O'Reilly, Logan Cooley, William Karlsson, Wyatt Johnston, Matty Beniers, Nick Schmaltz, Quinton Byfield, Sam Bennett, Jaden Schwartz, Josh Norris, Robert Thomas, Nazem Kadri, Mikael Granlund, Cole Perfetti, Nikolaj Ehlers, Ryan Johansen, Adam Fantilli, Dylan Strome, Brayden Schenn, Ivan Barbashev, Charlie Coyle, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Trevor Moore, Lawson Crouse, Ryan Strome, John-Jason Peterka, Tyler Seguin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Cam Atkinson, Sean Couturier, Eeli Tolvanen, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Kirill Marchenko, Gabriel Vilardi, Tyson Foerster, Matias Maccelli, Leo Carlsson, Alex Kerfoot, Alex Newhook, Jake Sanderson, Owen Power, Mike Matheson, Filip Hronek, Torey Krug, Zach Werenski, Noah Hanifin, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Pavel Mintyukov, Neal Pionk, Travis Sanheim, Jared Spurgeon, Mattias Ekholm, Ivan Provorov, Jordan Spence, Janis Moser, Simon Nemec, Calen Addison, Elvis Merzlikins, Connor Ingram, Pyotr Kochetkov, Jonathan Quick, Alex Lyon, Charlie Lindgren, Petr Mrazek, Anton Forsberg, Sam Montembeault, Mackenzie Blackwood
