Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: A breakout could be in the cards for Anthony Cirelli
The start of the NHL fantasy season is the most wonderful time of the year. The joy of having meaningful games once again. The excitement of holding multiple drafts while simultaneously forgetting basic information. And of course, the panic of wondering if all your players will be available on a daily/weekly basis.
Assessing situations early on may be difficult as there's not much data to use. But first looks can also be beneficial in that you can beat others to the hottest names if you act quicker. On the other hand, you can gain an advantage by doing nothing if those players end up disappointing.
With those surefire strategies out of the way, let's look at some NHLers who should be able to help you now and (hopefully) for the next few months.
(Rostered rates as of Oct. 11)
Forwards
Teuvo Teravainen, CHI (Yahoo: 35%)
Teravainen returned to the club where he started his career and won a Cup back in 2015. The days of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews may be long over in Chicago, but there's this kid there that you may have heard of named Connor Bedard. And anyone lucky enough to be on his line usually enjoys a scoring boost. Teravainen just happened to be skating next to the reigning Calder winner in the opener on the top even-strength and power play lines, where he notched a goal at 20:32. Expect him to remain with Bedard as a solid two-way veteran who complements the star's skills.
Pierre-Luc Dubois, WAS (Yahoo: 20%)
After two productive seasons in Winnipeg, Dubois took on a more secondary role in L.A. And it showed in the numbers with a 20-point and nearly three-minute drop-off. Dubois received another fresh start after being traded to the Caps, where he's set to inherit a top-six spot and place on the lead PP. As long as he can stay consistent, a return to posting 20-plus goals and 30-plus assists isn't out of the question.
Victor Olofsson, VGK (Yahoo: 10%)
Chemistry between two players can go a long way, even after a significant stretch apart. Take Olofsson, who was brought in during the summer on a reasonable one-year deal. The same forward who immediately impressed in Buffalo before getting pushed down the lineup. During those better times, he frequently teamed up with Jack Eichel. The duo joined forces on the first man-advantage Wednesday, where Olofsson found the back of the net while adding another marker. Based on Vegas's depth up front, he's primed for a bounce-back season.
Reilly Smith, NYR (Yahoo: 7%)
One of the original Golden Knights got lost on a weak Pittsburgh squad last year, and he's already receiving favorable placement alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Smith may have only logged 14:54 in his Blueshirts debut, but he also recorded an assist, a shot and a block. Even if he doesn't stick on the first line, anywhere within the top-nine will work.
Chandler Stephenson, SEA (Yahoo: 5%)
There's no reason Stephenson should be available in 95% of Yahoo! leagues. Some could say the shift to Seattle represents a substantial downgrade based on an attack known for spreading out the scoring. There's also no real benefit to playing on the top power play since the two groups pretty much split the action. Regardless of what happens, Stephenson will still be asked to log plenty of ice time and post enough offense. He went pointless during his first contest with the Kraken, but the nearly 20 minutes and 14 faceoff wins bode well for future success.
Connor Zary, CGY (Yahoo: 4%)
It may have taken three years for Zary to move from first-round selection to NHLer, though it seems worth the wait. Fourteen goals and 20 assists was a nice starting haul, highlighted by scoring runs at either end of the schedule. Zary is now being entrusted with more responsibilities, which translated Wednesday into a PPA on the first unit to go with three shots and the overtime winner. The Flames may be in the middle of a rebuild, yet a few of their youngsters are ready to contribute. Get Zary and watch him rack up the points.
Anthony Cirelli, TB (Yahoo: 3%)
Cirelli has been Tampa's Mr. Dependable for most of his career as someone willing to fill just about any role. That means he often maintained a less-than-stellar offensive post, which diminished fantasy consideration. With Steven Stamkos gone, Cirelli could find himself in a more lucrative role. Current projections have him centering the second line while being involved on both special-teams groups. Cirelli set a career-high last year with 45 points and could easily break that by taking on additional attacking opportunities.
Jack Roslovic, CAR (Yahoo: 1%)
We've repeated the importance of strong linemates, and that continues into the final forward entry. Roslovic performed well in Columbus before being shipped to the Rangers at the most recent NHL Trade Deadline. It took a couple days into July before the Canes came calling for his services, and they're probably glad they did, as he eventually gelled with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis during the preseason. Roslovic could move off this trio, though he'll perform fine anywhere in the lineup.
Defensemen
Neal Pionk, WPG (Yahoo: 38%)
There's no debating Josh Morrissey's place as Winnipeg's top fantasy blueliner. And despite the scoring gap between the two, Pionk is a solid second selection. After all, he's posted at least 32 points during each of the last five seasons. Pionk's power-play role may have diminished in recent years, yet he's more than made up for that elsewhere with excellent contributions in shots, hits and blocks.
Owen Power, BUF (Yahoo: 35%)
Power has been a workhorse since entering the league at 19. The resulting stats may not match the ice time (career 23:19 average) or effort, though they've been good enough. And the soon-to-be 22-year-old has started this season with the added bonus of skating on the first PP alongside Rasmus Dahlin. There's no guarantee Power will remain in that spot since the Sabres usually went with a four-forward setup on the lead unit. But for now and with all his other production, there's a decent fantasy floor to warrant more coverage.
Jamie Drysdale, PHI (Yahoo: 9%)
Drysdale's recent injury history has been full of bad luck. Missing most of the last two years has hurt his progress to where he once again enters significantly undervalued. Poolies are naturally avoiding Drysdale, yet there's hope, as he's projected to quarterback Philly's top man-advantage. Maybe that's not the biggest draw considering the club finished last on the PP in 2023-24 by a wide margin, though the addition of Matvei Michkov within an emerging young core promises improvement. We won't know for sure whether Drysdale is in that group until the Flyers open their campaign Friday, but there's sufficient evidence to prove he can help offensively if healthy.
Jackson LaCombe, ANH (Yahoo: 0%)
I was all ready to discuss Cam Fowler in this section until noticing LaCombe's name listed on PP1 and the fact he logged major preseason minutes alongside Radko Gudas on the top even-strength pairing. That's quite the step up for a defender who completed a rookie season in which he was mainly known for penalty-killing and shot-blocking. And similar to Drysdale, it's not a given LaCombe will occupy the prime power-play placement because Anaheim's first game isn't until Saturday, though it doesn't hurt to speculate and add him to your roster.
Goaltenders
Justus Annunen, COL (Yahoo: 19%)
The theme of this week's goalie section is redemption. First up is Colorado, where Alexandar Georgiev was pulled after two periods in Vegas on Wednesday after giving up five goals. Annunen didn't fare much better, letting two past on four shots. The plan going into the season was to give the young Finn more opportunities, so there's a chance he'll start on Saturday at home versus Columbus. Georgiev will still operate as the Avs' No. 1, though Annunen should provide more competition.
Kevin Lankinen, VAN (Yahoo: 9%)
As if the Canucks' netminding situation wasn't murky enough with Thatcher Demko's unknown return, Arturs Silovs managed to make it even cloudier Wednesday by allowing four goals in the third period plus OT in a 6-5 defeat to Calgary. Lankinen was signed last month after doing decently in Nashville over two seasons, with the duo expected to rotate starts while Demko is sidelined. After Silovs' stumble, Lankinen would be primed to earn more work. While one outing shouldn't dictate a goalie's value, Lankinen will probably get the nod Friday against the Flyers.
